Filling an empty proposition with promise

Many years ago, I judged the Midas Awards, part of the New York Festival. In case you hadn’t heard of them, this award show celebrates the best in Global Financial Services Advertising. I was struck that sometimes you can have the blandest positioning line, but the most outstanding work; it clearly was the case of the emptier the vessel, the easier it is to fill.

Truth be told, financial services is a category often with limited differentiation. The products are largely similar, the rates charged within a few points of each other, and the service offering is much the same with some aspect of technology allowing one institution being able to move slightly ahead of another.

So, when judging how did all these brands position themselves? Overall, the stalls are pretty much set. The large banks offer you control and help; the smaller financial institutions are normally on your side. Or keeping everyone honest. However, there was one real exception to the rule: TD Bank.

TD Bank is quite different. It’s the America’s tenth largest bank and has the line: America’s most convenient bank. Not an amazing promise, not very personal. In fact, it’s just simple and functional.

The difference was when they came to producing work, they brought to life many of the more personal facets of their offering under the umbrella of ‘Bank Human Again’ and from there the campaign(s) we judged were under #MakeTodayMatter. You can see what they did here.

So how does this ladder back to America’s most convenient bank? Everything they did was community based detailing their commitment to the local area and its people. They discovered what people wanted locally and gave them the funds (30k) to fulfill that community-based ambition, but they only had 24 hours to make it happen. Going back to their original positioning it may seem tricky to line up all the threads of the positioning, campaign line and execution in words. The best way is just to look at the videos, the beautiful emotions that detail the help for the disenfranchised, those with mobility issues, kids in foster care and so many more.

The pictures tell the strategy story better than any set of words, leaving you with outtake: we support your dreams as a local. Some years have passed since, judging those awards and fortunately, TD Bank have stuck to their guns. They’ve continued their strategy of being committed to the local community, and are driving real results.

– Dylan Taylor

Ten reflections on having a business for Ten years

Ten years ago, in June 2012, we opened the business. We had no backing, no overseas brand name to fall on and one client. Julia Gillard had just been ousted as PM by Kevin Rudd. A small earthquake had just hit regional Victoria, and the Wiggles were passing on their skivvies to the next generation. Here are ten observations that hold true through the ages of having your own business.

You work with some amazing people

Fortunately, we have had some incredibly loyal and supportive people work for us and work with us as clients. Life may not always be easy as the stress of ever-crunched timelines and budgets come up against the scope of more bang for your buck. So, to those who’ve gone the extra mile and clients who have supported us in trying times, thank you.

You work with some people you really don’t want to

On the other side of the ledger are some people we’ve worked with, who we’ll euphemistically call ‘energy takers’. Some we’ve hired who literally haven’t shown up, some who have just not delivered, some who have demanded just truly unreasonable output with crazy time frames. But I thank each and every one of them for getting us closer to a better place and showing us what we won’t put up with.

You’ve got to love what you do

If you’re turning up because you have to, do something else. You need to have passion behind what you do. Desire to deliver something better on-time, on-budget. The ability for the client to see you are deeply interested in helping them out and building their brand. It doesn’t matter who you work for, if there’s not a glint in the eye and steely determination behind what you do, it’s time to move on.

You’ve got to understand what you can’t do

Everybody has limitations. Understand what makes you and the agency tick and aim to specialise in that. Quotes like this from Richard Branson are disingenuous at best ‘If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later’. I wonder how many pilots at his Airline have turned up to ‘have a go’? Unfortunately, it’s just lazy thinking that undermines those with skill. So really understand what you do so that you can do it well and position yourself as an expert.

You’ve got to stay relevant

Things change. Language changes. Media consumption changes. Habits change. You have to stay across what is happening and why.

Yet you’ve got to retain your core skill.

The village of Montrachet in France produces the world’s most expensive chardonnays. In essence, due to regulation and tradition very little has changed in the production of the wine, yet the price has rocketed upward. If an advertising agency were running these vineyards, they would undoubtedly be in a complete mess with the desire to jump on new fads or trends. Ultimately, the core skill of an agency is to inform and persuade someone to pick a product or service. It is something agencies should never lose sight of and often do.

Understand the businesses you are working on

In a previous agency, I used to have a client that was a large Private Health Insurer. Whilst this was many years ago, I was convinced she thought I had no clue about the products I was selling or the differences between each. One night, as fate would have it, we ended up not only catching the same bus together but sitting next to each other. Rather than avoid the subject of products, I steered the conversation into the latest brief and the intricacies of the offering. After that, I was never questioned again, and we got on famously. It was a lesson I never forgot, so know what you’re marketing or be caught out.

Seek external stimulus

The notion of ‘curiosity’ or ‘relentless curiosity was a big thing for agencies around 8 to ten years ago. However, there’s a serious issue with it in Adland: the sad fact is that most in marketing and advertising are not curious. In fact, according to a BBH study, those in our profession are more likely to have more of the sameness of insular thinking than a lot of other professions. So, travel, read things outside your comfort zone, embrace different cultures because a flow of ideas will not come from an empty well.

Say no more often

During COVID (sorry to bring it up), we went through all those expenses we thought were necessary at the time and cancelled around 60 per cent of subscriptions and all sorts of other stuff. It’s not about running lean; it’s about being focused on what helps you.

Say thank you as often as you can

I said this in year six, and it rings true more than ever: every project, job, campaign, or piece of work that comes in the door is a vote of confidence that you’re the right team for the job. So more than ever, it’s important to be thankful. Give everything, go that extra mile, and assist clients whose budgets are tight, or who just need something done to help out. Build up goodwill – because you never know when you may need it.

If you got this far, thank you for spending the time. And to those that continue to support us, the amazing people we work with, gratitude is not a powerful enough word, but I’m afraid it’s the best we have.

– Dylan Taylor