Build in Amsterdam’s Post

As our very own CEO, Owen Rees, says, its about the pursuit of the three 'Rs': is it responsible? will it drive results? and does it enhance you (and your client's) reputation? Thanks so much LBBonline - Little Black Book for the inclusion in this feature! 

RFPs and the pitch process can turn an agency upside down. Thank you to Sam Bradley and #thedrum for bringing this forum of agency leaders together to offer advice and to show how they are finding success, not burning out their team. My advice: "It takes structure and adhering to that structure. First, score the opportunity to ensure it’s the right fit for your agency. Second, assign roles. We have a pitch playbook that sets up various roles to ensure accountability every step of the way. This process helps eliminate stress and levels the playing field for contributors who work well under pressure but also those who procrastinate. Some late nights happen, but when we stick to our structure and stay on track, we avoid burnout."

Love to see top agency leaders thinking about how to make pitching for work more sustainable and positive. And all in the context of our recent Pitch To Win research showing the impact pitching can have on teams, and the new opportunities that are out there: https://lnkd.in/eZju2H9Y

📢 🚫 How do you fire a client? There's been much debate this week about toxic agency-client partnerships and how each side should draw its boundaries. I wanted to hear from agencies who've fired clients for bad behavior. It's tough to do no matter what, but often tougher for small agencies that rely on one or two big accounts to keep the shop running. #AgencyLife #Advertising #Marketing #AdvertisingAndMarketing #MarketingAndAdvertising #DigitalMarketing #Creative I talked with FerebeeLane's Josh Lane, Carve Communications, Inc.'s David Barkoe, FUSE Create's Steve Miller and other industry leaders about professional etiquette, acceptable behavior, and three signs it's time to end the partnership.

What did Bill Bernbach have to say about purpose? Why didn't 'we' heart We Heart NYC? Do creative universities need Chief Social Purpose Officers? Is all art political? Why does purpose lead to bad marketing and worse social outcomes? What was Jungian about the John Lewis ad? Should creative awards award creativity? Was The Good Advert the worst advert of the year? All questions I've explored this year on S*bstack – links in comments. I didn't fully realise it at the time, but it turns out the Subst*ck was laying the groundwork for a book that I'll release early next year. Here's the blurb: The Road to Hell How purposeful business leads to bad marketing and a worse world (And how human creativity is the way out) The road to hell is paved with good intentions, says the proverb. Never has that been truer than in the case of corporate purpose, the movement that took over the business and advertising world following the financial crisis of 2008. Guided by the mantra ‘do well by doing good’, businesses embraced a social purpose agenda that sought to align doing good for society with doing well in the marketplace. The result, according to author Nick Asbury, has been a wave of humourless and hubristic advertising, and a spiral of worse social outcomes, as businesses wade into issues beyond their remit, while neglecting their real ethical responsibilities. Diving into examples including Bud Light, Patagonia, Cadbury and Unilever, Nick Asbury builds a compelling case against purpose – covering what it is, where it came from, how it leads to worse marketing, and how it leads to worse social outcomes. As a positive alternative, he makes the case for creativity, cognitive empathy and valuing the human over the corporate. Amid the fierce and topical debate about purpose and corporate politics, The Road to Hell is a sharp and entertaining intervention, shedding light on how we got here – and where we go next. * * * Thanks to everyone who has read and commented this year, in varying shades of agreement / disagreement – all much appreciated. #thoughtsonwriting #purpose #brandpurpose #startwithwhy #creativity

Trust isn't something that comes easily, especially in this industry. So for all of these prestigious brands to trust and believe in the team here at The Social Co. speaks volumes. Link to our website in the comments, to look at some examples of our work! #Trust #Clientrelationships #Reputation

This little book is the company building philosophy of David Ogilvy broken down into bite-sized pieces. Buffett called Ogilvy a genius and this is a list of ideas Ogilvy wanted to pass on: 1. Discovery consists of seeing what everyone has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. 2. Those who live by their wits go to work on roller coasters. The ride is exhilarating, but you need a stomach of titanium. 3. Rule #1: There are no rules. Rule #2: Never forget rule #1. 4. Only dead fish go with the flow. 5. God is with those who persevere. 6. Brilliant thinking is rare, but courage is in even shorter supply than genius. (Peter Thiel) 7. Fear is a demon that devours the soul of a company. 8. Self-doubt is the enemy of creativity. 9. How great we become depends on the size of our dreams. Dream big dreams. 10. If you asked an oracle the secret to doing great work and the oracle replied with a single word my bet would be on “curiosity” (Paul Graham) 11.If you have to choose between agreement and conflict, take conflict every time. It always yields a better result. (Jeff Bezos) 12. It's the cracked ones that let light into the world. (Talent is likely to be found among nonconformists, dissenters, and rebels.) 13.The leader of the company has one principal responsibity: provide an atmosphere in which creative mavericks can do useful work. 14.Bureaucracy has no place in an ideas company. 15.Have a habit of divine discontent with your performance. It is an antidote to smugness. 16.Dogged determination is often the only trait that separates a moderately creative person from a highly creative one. 17.We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit. (Aristotle) 18.Our character is a composite of our habits. 19.Habits constantly, daily, express who we really are. 20. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Before them, obstacles vanish into thin air and mountains crumble into atoms. 21. People don’t have ideas. Ideas have people. 22. The best leaders give their people permission to practice magic. They get rid of sad dogs who spread gloom. 23. Habit is overcome by habit. 24. If we avoid candor we destroy trust. 25. You fight against the tyranny of politeness by telling the truth. 26. Making great work requires us to be brutally honest and totally dedicated to the truth. 27. In the absence of courage, nothing worthwhile can be accomplished. 28. Intense curiosity keeps you young. When we're green we grow, when we're ripe we rot. (Ray Kroc) 29. DON'T BOW YOUR HEAD. 30. DON'T KNOW YOUR PLACE. 31. DON'T SIT BACK. 32. DON'T GIVE IN. 33. DON'T GIVE UP. 34. DON'T WIN SILVERS. 35. DON'T BE SO EASILY HAPPY WITH YOURSELF. 36. DON'T BE SPINELESS. 37. DON'T BE GUTLESS. 38. DON'T BE TOADIES. 39. DON'T GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT. 40. DEFY THE GODS. 41. We are the people we have been waiting for.

Hell, yes!! Angus Tucker I couldn’t agree more. We all have so much to be proud of. And, as I often say to clients, “best kept secret” is not an astute business strategy, so why settle for that ourselves? Instead, let’s become the secret weapon for global clients🗡️. #canadatothemoon #creativity #effectiveness #globalimpact

We’ve all heard the adage that what we don’t know can be more damaging to #reputation, brand image, market standing and competitive position than what we do know. This adage gets to the heart of the nature of blind spots. Whether they relate to cultural, strategic, operational or governance issues, they are almost always a factor underpinning a business failure, massive regulatory sanction or fine, or loss of trust and market permission to play. A look back at business failures often reveals blind spots that either concealed a dysfunctional culture or led to a lack of understanding, strategic error or missed opportunities. Is the board aware of the organization’s blind spots, and is it addressing them? The takeaway is that managing the risk of blind spots depends on facts and circumstances. In the end, it is about collaboration, trust, transparency and remaining in touch with changing market realities. Tony Jaques Elliot S. Schreiber, Ph.D. https://lnkd.in/d5jZpq_r

To all Agency Founders out there 🔥 We are kicking off our Agency Growth Series — live interviews with agency founders of the world's leading agencies. We will be talking about everything that's on every founder's mind: 👉 Running an agency  👉 Business side of design 👉 Client and team management 👉 Company culture 👉 Stable growth... you name it, we'll cover it ✨ Our first guest is Abi Freeman — Co-Founder of Brink — a consulting agency which uses Behavioural Innovation to advise on new ways of working. We will talk about: 💡 What helped Brink grow holistically 💡 How Abi scaled the agency's international operations 💡 How company culture can best set up teams to make the most meaningful, impactful and joyful work Register for the event to be the first to hear Abi's insights and to ask her your question. 👉 https://fla.wiki/3vLO65A #designleadership #agencyfounder #neverstoplearning #creativeagency