Don't get me wrong here - I admire people with creative talents - and in the eighties there was a true explosion of creativity, which really made a difference to consumer experiences, and business successes, with clever branding, marketing and unique creative ideas and executions.
But like anything there is a point when saturation sets in true revolution is difficult to achieve. It is then that you set forward on a path on minor changes to achieve enhancements and this is, just like Darwin monitored with his Finches - evolution.
Design now, in my view is more a process of evolution with less radical steps of creativity, where the key to success is in the relationship with the client, the understanding of the goals, the challenges and the objections they will get. It's about being rapid to respond, estimating and charging what you say you will, and being less revolution and more evolution.
My job as CEO of Sohnar is sometimes an enlightening experience - coming from client side marketing, having worked in the senior ranks of the mega businesses (Head of Marketing for Royal Bank of Scotland and Head of Electronic Marketing for Forte Hotels) I understand innately what it is that needs to be delivered. You see when you have a monolith engine as a client they don't necessarily want the best creative approach, they mostly want the predictable response rate, the well managed costs, and the clear transparency on your processes - that's how they run their businesses and that's what they expect and admire in their suppliers. Shocking reality I know.
Yesterday I met the MD of a large Creative agency - and I knew instantly that this man knew the figures on his business - he wanted to know who the most profitable person in the business was - he wanted controls, he wanted to make sure that he knew where his business was coming from and which clients were his best source of revenue - he didn't want to know about who did the most creative job, he didn't want to tell us what great creative ideas they came up with. It was very clear he understood where the revenues came from, that 50% of their growth was from new business (they had repeat business of course!) So can you imagine my surprise when he told me he was from client side marketing having like myself been the Head of Marketing for a very large blue chip - nope not in the least bit surprised - it simply cemented my thinking all along - Successful design businesses are no different to any other business - they are successful because of a cumulative approach at every facet to good business practices. Marketing, sales, project management, cost capture; operational transparency, robust processes, and business focused accounting practices (billing in advance). Simple and not surprising don't you think?!
Now it seems to be that the world is currently flying high with a lot of anti American sentiment – myself - I have no cross to bear – they are the biggest energy consumer, they are also an enormous powerhouse to the entrepreneurial spirit. If you have a dream there is no where else in the world that has such true cultural belief that anything is in your power – if you can dream it, you can make it happen. As I was told by a shop assistant in Macy’s ‘this is America honey – anything is possible’ Ah huh. Girlfriend.
So why am I blogging on my recent trip to New York – well it was the customs experience that I have to declare I was appalled about! My first touch of the American continent was a rather un-charming man demanding my fingerprints and a photograph. What the devil will they do with this – I don’t live in the US, I’m not a citizen, and I certainly haven’t done anything wrong – or intend to. I’m a visitor who wants to spend my hard earned money going there to visit them, and buy their goods from their every struggling economy.
It wasn’t till after I had begrudgingly given over my fingerprints and photograph that I realised that I was truly offended – what next – I’ll find myself in Guantanamo Bay – or they will want to place a DNA chip under my skin to track my movements – what is the rest of the world doing about this!! Is this not the invasion of our civil liberties that now famous Americans like Mr King were fighting 50 years ago – I think so!
What also resonated loudly was that since living in the UK, we have become more and more relaxed around Europe with the breakdown of borders to one giant European family. Beauty and the Beast me thinks.
There was a time when I used to relish in the opportunity of a new years resolution – when was that I hear you ask!?
Well when a New Years resolution was about drinking less, trying to get to the gym more than 4 times a week and making sure I get more than 3 hours sleep a night. Now it seems as I’ve got older my New Years resolutions seem to be about how to serve clients better, how to make more time for the team (and my friends) and being more organised with my already tight time. Oh for the days of worrying about drinking less!
Now as luck would have it I run a business whose sole purpose is to …. Wait for it …. Help design and marketing based businesses to serve clients better, generate more time, for the fun work things and reduce the time you spend doing the admin chores, and last but not least …yup it helps you be more organised and successful in understanding where your business is coming from and which parts are more profitable and which are not.
So my New Years resolution this year is to …. Go to the gym more (an oldie but a goodie!) and have a drink every time a client calls us to thank us for helping them to be more responsive to their clients and more profitable. Now that sounds like a much better New Year’s resolution don’t you think?
Tracey
www.sohnar.com