Your agency in

30 seconds
Presented by
Tim Williams
Ignition Consulting Group
www.ignitiongroup.com

What makes
us different?

Were full service

Were integrated
We have a wide range of experience
Were creative
Were strategic
Were nimble
Were media neutral
Were dedicated
Were your marketing partner
We assign only senior people
We get results
Were fun!

CONFIRMATION BIAS

Our offering is highly differentiated.

80%
Percent of customers who agree: 8%

Percent of company executives who agree:

I wish that the agencies would stick to what they are

good at. They try to do everything, and they would be
better served to narrow their focus.
You cant do everything, and if you try to do everything,
you do nothing. It drives me crazy when the agency
istrying to pitch you every single service available.

WHAT CLIENTS THINK

Telling an effective agency brand story should be easy for

companies that are in the business of telling brand stories,
right? I can tell you, after perusing many an agency website,
that fewer than youd think have figured it out. Very few
take stands.

All this has made the agency landscape feel too flat and
featureless, and that is exacerbating the commoditization of
the business.
Matt Creamer
Advertising Age

WHAT THE PRESS THINKS

The common failing among agencies seeking

new business is their inability or unwillingness
to name what they stand for.
Bob Lundin

WHAT CONSULTANTS THINK

THE COMPLEXITY TAX

Diversification

Focus
Complexity

THE COMPLEXITY TAX

Focus

Diversification
Complexity

60

PRODUCT CODES (SKUs)

15,000

THE DIVERSIFICATION DISCOUNT

Versatility is not a strategy.

Its the absence of a strategy.

ALL EMPHASIS
IS NO EMPHASIS

Fear of focus

Benefits of focus

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Fear of focus

Clear criteria for identifying the types of clients who want us for what we do best.
A stronger win ratio in new business, because were playing to our strengths.
Clear hiring standards for the kind of people we need to deliver our strategy.
A marketing and self-promotion program based on a meaningful, unifying theme.
More pricing leverage because well be offering more differentiated services.
A clearer direction for how we should spend our limited time and resources.

Positioning?

What makes us different

We help organizations realize the
potential in the changing
communications landscape
through the alignment of brand,
strategy, creative, design,
interactive, and social identity.

Positioning?

What makes us different

We are an independent full-service
agency dedicated to delivering hardworking ideas and innovative
strategies based on meaningful
consumer insights insights that drive
differentiating creative work that
moves consumers to action.

Positioning = Deciding what not to do

The essence of strategy is

choosing what not to do.
Michael Porter
Harvard Business School

Positioning = Deciding what not to do

Positioning = Trade offs

+ Has higher fees

+ Has broader market area
+ Has fewer competitors

Power is with
the specialist.

If you stand for

something, you will
always find some
people for you and
some against you.
If you stand for
nothing, you will find
nobody against you,
and nobody for you.

Bill Bernbach

Narrow
is not the same as small

Narrow
is not the same as small

Narrow
is not the same as small

Of the top 100 U.S. agency brands in 2013, less than

10 are full-service
General creative agencies are moving down the list
as other more specialized agencies are moving up
The top three agencies are CRM specialists
Emerging as largest agency types: CRM, digital, PR
(earned media), health, media, experiential
marketing, promotion

Client

Top reasons clients search for a new agency

Desire to focus on best-in-class specialists
Lagging business results
Creative failed to perform as expected
Agencys failure to update capabilities
Creative differences
Lack of team chemistry
Poor service
Agencys poor project management
Agencys lack of cost efficiency
Agencys lack of desire to facilitate integration
Source: Millward Brown Study on Agency New Business

Most important agency search criteria at credentials stage

Actual knowledge of the industry, understanding our business

Source: Millward Brown Study on Agency New Business

1.
Best-of-Breed Model

Client

1.
Best-of-Breed Model

1.
Best-of-Breed Model

1.
Best-of-Breed Model

1.
Best-of-Breed Model

1.
Best-of-Breed Model

American Express
Nike
Google
Microsoft
Samsung
Facebook
Marriott
Wall Street Journal
Yahoo
Pepsi
Economist
AT&T

2.
Single Source Model

Client

Agency

2.
Single Source Model

2.
Single Source Model

3.
Service Integrator Model

Client

Lead Agency

3.
Service Integrator Model

Brand Agency Leader

3.
Service Integrator Model

Best-of-Breed Agencies

Full Service Agencies

AGENCY FOCUS

CLIENT SIZE

Larger national clients

Smaller regional clients

AGENCY POSITIONING STRATEGY FRAMEWORK

What we do
WHAT

Positioning
Strategy
WHO

Who we do it for

HOW

How we do it

What

What are our core competencies?

In which areas are we truly best in class?
AREAS OF EXPLORATION
Services we offer
Skills we possess
Communications channels we know
Customer points of contact we know
Strategic assets we own
Value chains we know
How and where customers buy our clients brands
Outcomes are clients are seeking
Client benefits we deliver

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

What

Examples of positionings based on

What we do

Who is our best customer?

Who

What markets or audiences do we know best?

AREAS OF EXPLORATION
Categories we know
Distribution and delivery channels we know
Internal and external stakeholders we know
Audiences and market segments we know
Types of brands we know

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

Examples of positionings based on

Who we do it for
Who

TYPE OF INDUSTRY
TYPE OF AUDIENCE
TYPE OF BRAND

How are we different in the way we think?

How

Do we have distinguishing approaches or philosophies?

AREAS OF EXPLORATION
Philosophies or beliefs we have
Methods and approaches we use
Our firsts and milestones
Access to specialized resources
Beliefs about organization, structure, work environment

Examples of positionings based on

How we do it
How

Examples of positionings based on

How we do it
How

Examples of positionings based on

How we do it
How

Examples of positionings based on

How we do it
How

Examples of positionings based on

How we do it
How

Overdeveloped Services
Overserved Markets
Satisfied Client Needs

Underdeveloped Services
Underserved Markets
Unsatisfied Client Needs

A positioning strategy is an opportunity

to be not just authentic, but aspirational

Positioning

is a prospecting strategy

BRINGING THE POSITIONING STRATEGY TO LIFE

Self-Promotion &
Business Development

Staging & Resources

WHO

WHAT

Services & Structure

Positioning
Strategy

Staffing & Talent

Management

HOW

Positioning = The adjacent possible

Positioning = The adjacent possible

Spare parts can be reassembled

into useful new configurations. The

trick to having good ideas is not to
sit around in glorious isolation and
try to think big thoughts. The trick
is to get more parts on the table.
Steven Johnson
Where Good Ideas Come From

Its not good enough to be the best at what you do;

you need to be the only one who does it.
Jean-Marie Dru
TBWA/Chiat/Day

Additional Resources by Tim Williams

BOOK
Positioning for Professionals
eBOOK
Escape the Sea of Sameness:
5 Steps to Defining Your
Agency's Positioning

www.ignitiongroup.com