Why should creative agencies be the only ones reaping the benefits of working duos? Wavemaker’s Rebecca Drummond and Marco Del Castillo make the case for media agency pairs.
Tomorrow, our industry will shut shop and head to the inaugural MFA EX effectiveness expo to hear a raft of inspiring speakers from different companies, disciplines and perspectives. The day has been set up to collaborate as an industry and shine light on the voices within. A day to hear new points of view and discover effective ways of working to keep up with the speed and scale of disruption accelerating in today’s landscape.
To disrupt and innovate, means to break the rules that have traditionally kept us boxed in.
For us, that means working as a duo in media. We took the dynamics of a creative duo and brought it into media, and have seen the effectiveness of this partnership to our business, clients and peers. We put this forward as our Inspiration X talk, for the two of us to present.
The talk was accepted to be presented tomorrow, but the Inspiration X criteria stipulated that only single speakers were permitted to present…a talk about duos! After several back and forths with the MFA on entry criteria terms and conditions, there was no budging. It was one or none. So in the spirit of being a duo, none it was.
As the Zuck would say, to innovate you need to “move fast and break things”, so for that it’s worth, we present to you, the first (unofficial) MFA Inspiration X talk for 2019.
It Takes Two To Alley Oop
In basketball, the never-ending debate is always, who was the best player to ever play? Jordan? Kobe? Lebron?
There’s a problem with this question. It assumes that each superstar was solely responsible for bringing home the championships.
But the thing is, none of them could do it alone. They had these guys – Scottie Pippen, Shaq, D Wade.
MJ, Kobe AND Lebron were all ringless before these guys came to help.
If you want to play your best, create your most effective work and win more often, you’re going to need some help. No matter how good you are.
So why is it that strategists tend to work alone? Why do we rely on a single person to determine how we are going to string together the next series of plays?
Sure, some time alone can often allow you to dig a little bit deeper. But often it can lead you down a rabbit hole that is difficult to get out of.
We’ve all seen a strategist emerge after a couple of days with an insight that has just missed the mark.
The issue is, when you don’t pass the ball, you can end up with nowhere to move. In basketball, they’d call this a five-second violation.
Having a friend to pass the ball (or idea) to, gives you a new perspective of the court. A new angle to attack the problem from and a new skillset to draw from, ultimately increasing your chances to score.
The latest NBA offseason has seen a mass exodus of the superstar, moving towards the dynamic duo. Stars from each corner of the competition are realising that the way forward is to find a friend and share the ball.
We think the same should go for strategists, in creative and media.
After stepping into the shoes of a creative and completing AWARD School, we realised the creative agencies were onto something. There is proven effectiveness in the copywriter-art director partnership. So, we thought we’d bring this dynamic back into our media agency.
But don’t be fooled. These partnerships aren’t a 1+1 = 2 solution.
It’s not just about doubling speed or efficiency. It’s about bringing two minds together to generate a new perspective or idea that neither would have been able to alone.
This is where 1+1 = 3
In basketball, dynamic duos are shifting the odds for their teams. Those sought in pairs during the 2019 offseason instantly moved their team up to favourites for the championship.
For us, there are so many obvious benefits to us that come from working in a partnership. Such as…
Building and advancing ideas, faster.
Or avoiding creative ruts.
We can’t always have a hot hand. Some days we won’t be on our best game.
Missed a shot?
I got you.
A partnership means holding each other accountable to drive the best result. This requires both sacrifice and trust.
It comes down to our diverse skillset and perspectives. Together we have 15 years’ experience, on over 20 categories and 40 clients. We know a little about a lot. And we know when to pass the ball or take the shot based on expertise.
But this isn’t about us. This is about how we drive effectiveness. Through the impact to our business, to our clients, and to our teams.
It’s still in early days, but since teaming up eight months ago, but the results so far are positive. We are seeing success in our win rate of five out of six pitches; working as a duo took us to the finals of this year’s Young Lions; and we are seeing the impact in the reverts to client briefs.
We are shifting the way people are working in our agency. A second duo has just been set up in our agency, and we’re looking forward to seeing how that works.
It’s time we all start playing for the team name on the front of the jersey, instead of the individual on the back. Because an alley oop is much more entertaining than a jump shot.
Rebecca Drummond and Marco Del Castillo are Strategy Directors at Wavemaker Australia.
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