How To Build A Better Agency Brand

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\bu're great at developing brands for your clients. But how effective is your own? A business expert shares the questions and criteria you'll need to hone your ideal positioning.

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You're standing in the elevator u'ith a prospective client n.ho turns to you and sa,vs, "l'r,e heard of ,vou glrys.'I'e11 me about your agenc\r" Here's vour chance to describe rvhat mahes vour firm interesting, compelling and differenr. Instead, u,hat comes from your lips is something 1ike, "\A1e're a full-sen'ice integrated marketing communications lirm sen'ing a u'ide varietv of clients." .\lrs. 1ou'r e just missed rn opportunitl. It's been said that the secret to being elected president is to be able to answer the question, "\A/hy do ,vou \vant to be president?" It's sulplising hon

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many presidential nominees can't provide a succinct, memorable alns\\'er to that simplc question. Political consultants say candidates necd a good ansrver to that question in a 30-second sound bite, a flve-minute stump speech and a 30-minute dinner address. The principal of a creative-seruices firm should be able to do the same u'hen it comes to ansrvering the question, "Why should rve consider rvorking rvith vour Ilrm?" Unless vou'r'e made the effort to define your agency's position in the market and to describe it in interesting, engaging language, )'ou're likel.v to miss one opportunity after another. Here's another $'av to look at it: Can 1's1 describe vour agencv positioning in a sentence, in a paragraph and in a page? You'll need a version in each length to use in applications like your r.r'ebsite, your online brochure and vour Jistings in agenclr directories.

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'{,S? believe everlthing ir-r the universe can N{any creative-agency professlonals ou n age ncies. Ther preach .lilferentiation but behave like commodities. They're so eager to convince clients thev're "fu11-service" that the.v try to stand for everything. But standing fbr evervthing is the same as standing for nothing. Its easy to define rvhat vou are. The hard part is defining r,vhat vou are not. That's because agencies \vant to be universally liked and appealing to everyone. But the nature of positioning is sacrifice. The goal of defining a strong agenc.v brand isn't to appeal to a larger number of clients, but fe'"i,er. Imagine the credibility problem of a restaurant claiming to specialize in French and N'lexican and.Brazllian food. Ad agencies are no different. An agencv that puts everything on its menu might as rvell have no menu at all.

be branded e\cept one thing: their

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]ust bccause others have heard of vour llrm doesn't nean you havc a brand. Namc alr,areness and brand equitv are only indirectly related. A lot of us have heard of agencv names but r.r'e har.e no idea rvho thev

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are, r'r'hat the.v do or u,hat they stand for. These agencies hare name.r\\areneqs hut nn brand equilr.

Branding puts meat on the bones of simple arvareness. Once a prospective client knons the ansner to the question, "Who are those guvs?" the next question he has is, "What are those gu,vs all about?" Just like an,v other product category clients like to buy brands, not oeneric rrrnr]rrcts b--'-_'r'----_""

13;$f*Vf Rtr*Q YEUR $Rt?tr'lt) You don't de{lne your brand as much as vou discover it. It's alreadv rhere, deep inside the company's soul, in the form of natural strengths and core competencies. As a starting point, consider n'hat has made vour firm successful up to this point. Consider these questions: o What hind of clients have vou been most successful in attracting? o \\jhat tl'pes of assignments har.e you completed over the Vears? r In n'hat areas do vou have superior knonledge or erpertise? . \\'hat do l ou do palticularlv n'ell, perhaps better than most agencies? r What do vou most enjo,v doing? What do you hate? r \Vhat target audiences harre ,vou come to knorv and understand?

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As a result of ,vour erperience rrith the clients

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vou'r.e served, rvhat distribution channels do vou knorv best? \A/hat methods, approaches or philosophies is the

firm knolr'n for?

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VeLq..!{: & AL}{31fihif fr What qualifies as an effective agency positioning strategr-? For starters, you have to have a good ansrver to err h or rhese three crrestjons: l. What value do u'e provide? 2. Who do ne deliver the value to? 3. Hou, do n'e deliver iti At the intersection of the ansners to these three cluestions lies a differentiating position: "\'\'e offer (your sen'ice) for (r'our market) b,v (your method)." This process ls challenging because it involves strcrifice. It means giving something up. In branding vour firm, the goal is to be exclusive, not inclusive. Appeal to son-rebod1,, but not everybody

Nou' comes the really hard part: aligning your position u,ith your practices. It's through your practices that vou bring vour agencv's brand to life. Your positloning strategy points the wav to your destination. But your practices

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!t&,-i n,&?l lt,Q Y*U $t PSSrT! S{q are three critical criteria for a strong agencl'positioning strategy:

It's authentic. The position is an honest reflection It pla,vs to the llrm's strengths. It can have aspects that are aspirational, brrt onlr iI the agenty has thc krorrledge. experienr e and fireporrel to tluir dclirer rrhat Lhe positioning

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of n hat the agencr is capable of.

promises. It's exclusive. 'fhe position ercludes as manv prospective clients as it includes. It's focused on rvhat tl're agency does best. It demonstrates a r,r'illingness to sacriflce. It reflects an understanding that you can't be knor.l'n for evewthlng, but 1'ell gr. ll. knorvn for something.

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It's polarizing. The position is designed to appeal onlv to a limited group of prospects. Some prospects u'ill be attracted and some uron't. Some nill be interested in rvhat the agency has to se1l and some n'on't. It mav even inspire controversy (kind of hke good advertising). www.HowDEstqN.coi\4

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Ask the question "What needs to change in our organization in order for us to bring our brand to life in everything rve do?" It's not just a matter of ordering neu' letterheacl, produclng a new brochure and revising your u,ebsite. Branding starts from the inside out. It's reflected in firre important areas of your business (r'r'hich, coincidentll', all start u'ith the letter'P'): Your Your Your Your

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Vrur place of business Socrates said, "The \l,a-v to gain a good reputation is to endeavor [o be I lr,hat vou desire [o appear. Said another s,sY, [o be successful, we must align our practices lvith our position. When it comes dou.n to it, the reail difference betrveen trulr, outstanding agencies and everybod.y else is that thev r-rot onl.v talk the talk, they actually rvalk the r,valk. They have a strong alignment betn'ecn rvhat they say and lr'hat they do, betrvccn their brands and their practices.

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Fincling a brilliant positioning strategy for vour own companlr is one of the most important and renarding experiences a design-firm erecutir.e can have. You've spent your entire career n'orking on other people's brands. Nor.l' here's a chance to urork on your own. As one agenc)r executive remarked after leading his firm through this positioning process, "Whv try to be something to everybod)'rvhen vou can be er.erything to somebodv?";;gW

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