For much of this year the discussion in agencies – in fact organisations of all sizes – has been around mitigating the impact of COVID19 on the health of the business. The pandemic has shed light on inefficiencies and required many to reshape and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.
It’s natural for agencies, especially indies, to embrace change as it’s arguably second nature to them. Indies have a history of working with fewer resources, and that’s where they thrive. Without unnecessary layers of bureaucracy and global mandates, indies are able to provide direct access to senior leaders and respond to market forces with agility and confidence.
Even before the pandemic, project timelines were constantly being shortened with the demand for new campaigns coming at an increasing pace. By anticipating and ideating in real time, independent agencies are able to respond to relevant changes in the audience and micro-cultures. With no room for error, brands are expected to speak the language of their audience – missteps are quickly spotted – and can lead to brand rejection. This always-on branding approach is a challenge indies are embracing, with their agile nature better suited to the pivoting required.
But that doesn’t make it a trend we want to perpetuate across the board. How can we build in time for thinking to ensure we can respond when there is no time?
Ultimately, the “Independent” speaks for itself. The nature of such a business frees it to foster thinking and genuine innovation. Especially in a time of uncertainty, it’s important to encourage all organisations to allow the time needed to build a strong strategic framework to help realise their goals – and subsequently budget time for contemplation, comparison and then innovation. It’s this ability to find the time to think that we believe allows indies to set the agenda for improvement.
If you’d like some of our thinking time – we’d love to hear from you.
Inspired by and referencing some of the ideas in this article
