Section VIII: Agency Workflow

06 It would be counterproductive in a millennium-era agency to have anything other than fully on-line, interconnected workflow systems. From accounting through creative, our staff is linked to one another and to all key elements of our agency management system. This allows all clients and service team members to stay abreast of estimates, production status, schedule changes, new projects—in fact, everything relating to your account is available to key client service personnel. Being “fully digital” also allows many of our agency functions traditionally performed in straight-line sequences to be executed simultaneously, helping us compress the number of days needed to complete certain projects or functions. Our interconnected client service team can remain in contact with one another throughout each workday, cutting down on the potential for errors through mislaid memos or misunderstood instructions. Everything is put down in writing, including production e-mails, change orders and client comments, saved on-line for quick reference. We also log all time expended on your account online, so production can keep a running tab on estimates, and accounting can accurately total each invoice. Retainers are also tracked on-line and reports are produced monthly. Verb Strategy & Creative is Digital From the initial input logged in by the account manager, through the final sign-off before delivery to an outside vendor, we conduct all creative work in a digital environment. Account managers meet with the entire client service team without even having to walk away from their desks, taking instant meetings while never leaving their seats. Copywriters network with art directors to assemble layouts. Project management keeps track of deadlines and ensures all facets of a job move forward simultaneously. This further compresses the time needed to produce a finished project.

07 The Strategic Marketing // SECTION 07

Process

07A creative brief is the very foundation of any advertising or marketing campaign. Making a simple (but relatable) analogy, the briefing is the treasure map that creative people follow. The brief shows the creative professionals The Creative/ Project Brief not only where to start digging to find golden ideas, but also how to open the treasure chest. It is a blueprint, a guide and even a source of inspiration for the development of great work. By definition, a creative brief is a document that establishes the defining aspects of a creative piece of work. The term is often heard in the advertising market, in which it represents the first step in the journey of producing all sorts of marketing communications materials.

The Creative Project Brief prepared for our client projects address the following

» Key problem/opportunity – The problem or need which our product or service satisfies.

» Objective/Task – An articulated statement of work, defining the outcome and key deliverables of the project.

» Advertising objective – What the marketing communication should do in relation to the consumer, in measurable terms, i.e.:

» Encourage user engagement by x% » Increase lead generation by x% » Stimulate brand awareness by x% » Increase thought leadership & brand credibility

» Target audience – A thorough definition of who are our best prospects for buying/using the product or service. Demographic, psychographic, lifestyle, perceptions, beliefs, etc.; primary (heavy) users and secondary users;

» The Brand Promise – The single most important thing we can say to persuade them to act as we wish—the one benefit you are making to your prospects.

» Positioning – A statement of how we want your prospects to perceive your product or service.

This includes defining the key benefit(s) or feature(s) that differentiates your product or service in the marketplace.

» Support – Why they should believe us; product attributes

» Brand Personality – Tone, manner, style; define the product or service in terms of adjectives associated with the brand

» Competitive frame – Other services, which closely parallel the services we offer. Also, those conditions existing in the marketplace that provide our prospects with an alternative to our product or service.

» Design & Creative Considerations – Are there any particular colours, typefaces, images, slogans, text or other variables that the client has expressed particular interest in that we must consider. » Our Catalytic Idea - The goal of the Catalytic Idea, is to move consumers to take an action rather than contemplate a solution. Consider that catalytic ideas lie at the very heart of many changes in consumer behaviour in the recent past.

» For example, few people bothered with deodorant until manufacturers introduced the catalytic idea that not using them was the main reason why many consumers couldn’t get a date. » Few People did anything about the smells that came out of their mouth until Listerine introduced the idea of bad breath.

More recently, the rise of the electric toothbrush has been driven by a catalytic idea:

» The electric toothbrush has been available in most countries since the 1950s. It has however always been a niche product. Many felt that “it may be convenient, but I’m not that lazy”. The electric toothbrush was considered the ultimate lazy man appliance.

Then manufacturers introduced the idea…that whilst brushing would effectively remove food, only an electric toothbrush would remove plaque. The manufacturers even got dentists to offer a seal of approval. The result... Consumers stopped thinking of them as labour-saving devices and started seeing the healthcare benefits.

This is the power of the catalytic idea. These ideas, well-executed, have the power to live in the mind of the consumer and in the consciousness of society, not just in words of a TV commercial or a print ad. They can be spread by each and every media channel and by every marketing activity. They are the ideas before the advertising. Catalytic ideas can build empires and change futures. These ideas are the holy grail of mar

Finding that next great idea is the work that we pursue. Catalytic ideas are driven by the three areas that they challenge, the marketplace, the mind of the consumer and the brand, which communicates them. Throughout our discovery process, we repeatedly encourage our client partners to freely share all that they can about their market, brand and consumer. It is these insights that provide the raw materials that allow for true innovation in marketing.

Once the “Creative Brief” has been drafted and each of our project stakeholders (as well as others with an interest) has had an opportunity to review it in detail, we convene an idea generation session that we call, Generator.

Strategic Plans

Verb Strategy & Creative develops strategic documents for each major campaign or project which includes program objectives, key strategies, KPI’s and details related to marketing approach(es), the marketing mix and the proposed budget.

These documents vary depending on the project, and maybe developed for the following projects:

» Content marketing » eCommerce » Marketing communications » Brand strategy » Digital marketing » Go-to-market strategies » Social media

These documents serve as a beacon for all work related to the campaign or project. All creative strategies are reviewed against the client-approved plan to assure the creative “fits” the marketing goals and objectives.

The Strategic Marketing Plan

In the event that Verb Strategy & Creative is commissioned to develop a strategic marketing plan for your firm, please understand that our view of the plan is the single most important strategic document that involves your marketing and we take the drafting of such a document extremely seriously.

Our plans are thorough and consider long-term objectives for product lines, public relations, community sponsorships, corporate image, etc. This document will serve as an overview of all marketing work implemented throughout a calendar year if not longer. All creative strategies developed during the year will be reviewed with the client to affirm their fit within the strategic marketing plan.

A copy of this document will be kept in our client files for reference by the client service team. Whenever a new project is developed or implemented, or a new portion of the plan is put into action, we can refer to the approved strategic plan to verify we are on track with your goals and objectives.

Our plans often include content such as:

» Executive Summary » Business Overview » Identifying Marketing Plan Objectives » Identifying Market Positioning » Developing Market Segments & Buyer Personas » Market Research » Competitive Analysis » Identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities &

Threats » Developing a Value Proposition » Strategy for Your Brand » Product & Pricing Strategy » Defining Marketing Tactics & Goals » Sales & Distribution Strategy » Creating Your Marketing Plan Budget » Defining Marketing Metrics

Generator

Verb Strategy & Creative regularly hold brainstorming and idea generating sessions that we call Generator. These internal ideation sessions allow us to consider our client’s communications/marketing issues and possible solutions from a number of different angles and perspectives in order to identify innovative and unique opportunities.

Ideas that are shortlisted and come out of these Generator sessions move onto our Incubation period.

Incubator

The Incubator is the next step in the process that we employ to develop ideas, concepts identified during our Generator sessions are nurtured and refined before for presentation to clients.

08 Agency // SECTION 08

Workflow