The Making of Amazing Advertising Agencies
Decimal: The Making of Amazing Advertising Agencies
The definition of what makes anything “great” is usually quite relative, and in a room filled with people, it is rare that you will find two people who agree on one definition of “greatness”.
However, there are some experts who claim they know what it is that makes for exceptional advertising, created by phenomenal agencies.
With this in mind, we look at what some of these characteristics are, and what an advertising agencies actually has to offer in making your brand great.
Dictionary.com on Advertising Agencies:
“An agency employed by advertisers to plan, design, place, and supervise their advertisements or advertising campaigns.”
The British Version:
“An organisation that creates advertising material, contracts for publication space, and sometimes undertakes market research on behalf of its clients.”
The first acknowledged ad agency was started by William Taylor in 1786. Of course, there was also James White in 1800 that started an agency in Fleet Street, London. This evolved into the infamous “White Bull Holmes” recruitment agency that went out of business more than a century later. Volney B. Palmer started the first American ad agency in 1850, claiming the innovation of placing its clients’ ads in various newspapers. James Walter Thompson, of James Walter Thompson Company, started the first “Creative Department” by providing hired writers and artists to create its clients’ campaigns on their behalf.
These were the firsts of many agencies, and since then the fight for greatness has become a very real and serious one. These days, an ad agency is a service-based business employed to create, plan and handle advertising efforts on behalf of its clients. The agency is usually independent from its client, giving it an outsider’s perspective in the client’s communication effort.
A full-service, or Through-The-Line (TTL), agency generally offers the following services:
- Advertising and Marketing Strategising
- Graphic Design, Copywriting and Printing (including Brochures, Packaging and Various Media channels)
- Media Purchasing
- Web Marketing
- Social Media Management
- Tracking Results for Brand Identity Management
However, any TTL agency can offer these services. When choosing a creative partner in brand building, consider these 5 characteristics, according to advertising specialists:
- The Right Services: When you’ve broken a bone (or a brand), you need more than one type of medicine to heal the problem. The same is true for branding. You need an agency that understands total-branding solutions for any situation. An agency that has experience in traditional advertising, digital marketing, social media solutions and inbound marketing techniques. An agency that understands your needs better than you do. An agency like Decimal that has over 50 years combined experience in Marketing, Advertising and Branding Solutions
- Fresh, Creative Ideas: It is what is expected from any agency these days. While businesses work to get their financial strategies and forecasting spot-on, ad agencies are expected to be innovative and clever. These are the agencies that come up with out-of-the-box-ideas and produce genius campaigns that not only win awards, but win ROI too. Decimal Agency has a complete team of hand-picked creative geniuses that don’t just think out the box, they’ve re-packed the box and wrapped it in interior-decorator style designs.
- A Clear Process: A Creative Agency worth its weight in gold, doesn’t only come up with innovative ways to tell your brand story. It does so in a calculated, strategic way that will help your brand grow to its potential. Partner with a creative agency that realises the value in a comprehensive strategy that produces measurable results. Decimal Agency is proud of its strategic, proven process that has yielded great results for national and international brands
- Strong Project Management: Design is a lot, but it is not everything. Advertising is not just about preparing the message, but also about delivering it to the right people. This requires a team with the experience and processing skills to make realistic and reasonable requests deliveries. A good creative agency will make your life easier, not more difficult. With a dedicated traffic management team, Decimal Agency sets realistic goals and deadlines that the whole team work hard to meet, based on years of experience and effective time management.
- Measurable Results: If your agency understands goals, metrics, analytics and benchmarks as much as they understand composition, vectors, alignment, attention to detail and pantones, then you’ve hit the jackpot. Progress towards your goals should be measured every step of the way through tracking, analysing, research and asking the right questions at the right time. Decimal understands that reaching your goal is our goal, and we are as focused on your success as we are on our own.
Decimal is noted as one of the fastest growing agencies in South Africa, and is definitely a legend in the making. Contact us now for more information on how we can grow your brand to legendary status!
Decimal Gets Original with Native Advertising
Decimal Gets Original with Native Advertising
“Ambiguity: open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations;equivocal”
In the Advertising Industry, this is better known as Native Advertising.
When social media first graced us with its presence in the early 20th century, the idea of paying for content on these platforms was frowned upon. In fact, it became the black sheep of the social media family.
But the ugly duckling has evolved into a beautiful swan. Native advertising has taken on many forms, evolving from “editorials”, radio programmes and branded TV shows to promoted tweets and Facebook sponsored stories. These days, native advertising is on the tongue of the entire ad industry and, in some cases, is even referred to as the rebirth of advertising.
Why is native advertising so popular? Well, it works...
IPG Media Lab and Sharethrough recently conducted a study that surveyed 4,770 consumers of B2C brands like Southern Comfort and National Geographic and found that people:
- View native ads 53 percent more than traditional displays;
- Have an 18 percent higher purchase intent after viewing native ads as compared to banner ads; and,
- Are 13 percent more likely to share native ads as compared to regular banner ads.
More than 92% of social media influencers say that have, or would consider accepting compensation from an advertiser to promote a brand through their social accounts.
In fact, traditional outbound marketing has started taking a backseat to this controversial method of reaching consumers. According to a survey, 72% of clients have actually requested native advertising as part of their marketing solution.
However, when native advertising is done poorly, the results can be as bad as it is good when done correctly. It is all about execution.
Wasserman shares the cautionary tale of Atlantic Media and the native-advertising industry’s first big flop: An article commissioned by the Church of Scientology that “read like warmed-over PR.” The target market was irritated, and the media had a field day. The negative publicity caused havoc, and a lot of corrective action had to be taken.
However, when done correctly, the consumer doesn’t care that the content is paid for. The advertising is giving them something entertaining to spend their time on. In fact, they even have the need to share it, reaching a bigger target and building your brand.
The increase in social media spending noted by E.J. Schultz notes the following: “The increase in social media spend is justified by the 24/7 demands today’s consumers place on brands. It’s important to adapt to the shift in customer expectations, but it’s also necessary to be realistic: You can’t be respond to every inquiry in a timely manner.”
So, what does native advertising to do with Decimal Agency?
As a TTL (Through the Line) agency, Decimal employs a professional, informed and successful method of native advertising, combined with more traditional methods. With over 50 years of combined experience in the marketing industry, Decimal constantly finds new and innovative ways to reward your consumers with actions that build trust, faith and strong relationships.
Decimal Shares: Viral Videos
Viral Videos
Name: Budweiser - Lost Dog
By: Budweiser / Anomaly
Reach: 44 699 311
Name: T-Mobile - #KimsDataStash
By: T-Mobile / Publicis
Reach: 14 770 579
Name: BudLight - Super Bowl 2015
By: Bud Light / Energy BBDO
Reach: 10 610 316
Name: BMW - Newfangled Idea
By: BMW 2015 BMWi3 / KBS
Reach: 8 411 962
Name: Toyota - Superbowl 2015
By: Toyota 2015 Toyota Camry / Saatchi & Saatchi
Reach: 8 158 682
By: Pepsi / Mekanism
Reach: 7 292 981
Name: Snickers - The Brady Bunch
By: Snickers / BBDO (New York)
Reach: 6 901 932
Name: Microsoft - HoloLens
By: Microsoft
Reach: 4 975 728
Name: Skittles - SettleIt
By: Skittles
Reach: 4 912 169
Decimal has Blogger Brain
Decimal has Blogger Brain
"Because a great blogwriter, in the end, is someone you want to be friends with."
South Africa’s online advertising industry is worth R319 000 000, and still growing.
Online retail generates R688 000 000 in sales.
There are roughly 26 000 South African blogs, read by over 600 000 people.
Money? Blogging? See the connection here…?
Frequent blogging seems quite easy, inexpensive and really effective in attracting more customers to your business. However, this inbound marketing device is more than just a quick money-making strategy, and can cause quite a brain-drain if not done properly.
Unlike other forms of writing, blogging creates a very personal relationship with your consumers. You are inviting an audience to comment, share, analyse and judge what you are saying, and how you are saying it. It is because of this immensely personal relationship that you need to be a blogging-genius to get the results you want.
Jared Kisten, Social Media Manager at Decimal Agency, believes that you don’t focus on having a great blog; you focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.
So what makes a good blog?
1. A Brain-doused Content Plan: Your blog says a lot about your ability to plan, and random blog posts will show how little effort you’ve put into communicating with your consumers. You need to follow a strict content plan, based on long- and short-term social media goals.
“Have a single focus about a topic you really enjoy, and put a little of yourself into it,” says Kevin Donahue, co-creator of Fanblogs.com
2. A Sense of Purpose: Think about the problems your consumers may have, and consider the questions they might ask. Now, answer them.The more practical and informative, the better. Solve their problems.
“A problem is a chance for you to sell a solution.” Jared Kisten, Social Media Manager at Decimal Agency
3. Something to Say: It is important to develop a clear, confident voice that speaks with personality. Put yourself into your writing, speak to your consumers and make it personal. Write as if you’re talking to them. Sure, they’re not talking back, but only for the moment. Soon they will. So talk as if you’ve got their ear, and as if they’re listening but just chomping at the bit, waiting for their chance to respond.
“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” Neil Gaiman
4. Unique Selling Point: Just like your brand, your post has to be a unique, individual and entertaining. Amuse your readers, tell them stories. There are thousands of blog posts on the internet: give your consumers a reason to choose yours
“What is genius but the power of expressing a new individuality?” Elizabeth Barrett Browning
5. A Clue: You have to know what you are doing, why you are doing it and how it needs to be done. Online advertising changes on a daily basis. If you aren’t familiar with the technical terms of blogging, you are probably spending valuable resources on a dead ROI. I fyou don’t know what Google is, you better Google it soon.
“You have to constantly be up to date with the latest trends, otherwise you will lag behind and become completely irrelevant.” Says Kisten.
Jared Kisten, our Social Media Manager here at Decimal Agency, has over 5 years experience in Online Marketing and Social Media, with over 5 leading brands, including Mimmos, Drimac, Hi-Fi Corp, Incredible Connection and Soviet Denim. Jared takes care of everything from online strategies, Social Media performance to blog and website maintenance for top brands. As part of a full-service agency, Decimal Agency can offer a complete Blogging package based on expertise and know-how. Our digital solutions produce tangible results that gets your brand on the tips of everybody’s fingers.
Decimal: To the Highest Standards
"If you’re tired of being taken advantage of, maybe it’s time to try the one cellular network that gives you more," states the new Cell C advert that is causing more waves than a tight perm.
The advert begins in a supermarket, with a man paying for his shopping. A dog then mounts the man’s leg and starts, indiscreetly, “humping” it to the tune of Blondie’s “One Way or Another”. The scene changes from the store to a parking station, garage, clothing shop and the man’s electricity-less apartment, the dog enjoying his leg all the while.
The ad went viral in just a few hours, causing quite the controversy and, by 17 June, 50 people had already filed complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The next day, that number had more than doubled.
What does the ASA have to do with this trouble-causing (yet brilliant) advert? Well, according to wikipedia.com:
“The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa, (abbreviated ASA) is an independent entity organised and financed by members of the marketing communications industry of South Africa. Its purpose is to manage South Africa's voluntary, self-regulating system of advertising”.
In other words, the ASA enforces the Code of Advertising Practice, which is the guiding document of the International Code of Advertising Practice, prepared by the International Chamber of Commerce. It’s complicated.
But this basically means that if you don’t follow ASA’s rules, you can kiss your brilliant ad campaign goodbye. And according to half of the South African population, Cell C went beyond breaking the rules.
Stuart Stobbs from FCB ad agency that worked on the ad said that they are standing behind the advert as they do not think it is offensive to anyone.
“We absolutely stand by it, I think we wouldn’t have created the ad if we didn’t believe in it and I think it’s talking to the truth in South Africa,” he said.
“We do feel we are being taken advantage of, that we are being ripped off in many places,” he said.
The ASA has since requested a copy of the ad, but no decision has been made. However, it is not easy to make a ruling when it is difficult just to understand how Cell C crossed the line. Especially since Cell C voiced the general disgruntled feeling of most South Africans.
The ASA guidelines are divided into 9 sections:
1. Medicines
2. Cosmetics
3. Slimming
4. Agricultural Product Standards Act 1
5. Sales and Services Act 25 of 1964
6. Research
7. Independent Broadcast Authority
8. Miscellaneous
9. Acts Affecting Advertising
Under the 9th guideline alone, there are a further 65 points to consider before launching your brilliance, a few of which Cell C is being accused of ignoring. These include airing a commercial during family prime-time that is not suitable to children, airing a commercial that is in bad taste and airing a commercial that hurts South Africa’s fragile political sector.
At Decimal, you can be assured we take these guidelines very seriously. With Decimal, creativity doesn’t mean losing your credibility, and we comply to the highest standards possible. After all, we know the devil is in the detail, and detail is Decimal’s domain.
We have worked with many clients, across the board, and have delivered creative campaigns that have gotten people talking: in a good way, including campaigns for Soviet, Mimmos, Drimac and Newscafe. We push our imaginations to the brink to bring you the best branding campaign that will only build your brand’s reputation.
Some people believe that any publicity is good publicity. At Decimal we believe that good publicity is good publicity. What do you think?
Smoothie Time
Decimal Smoothies
Ingredients and Method:1. 1 banana
2. 1/2 paw paw
3. Some liqui fruit (your choice)
4. Blend until smooth
5. Drink enjoyably
This is all we wrote.
You shall now have a Smoothie.
Cannes: From the Lion’s Mouth
Cannes: From the Lion’s Mouth
There is less than a week to go before the world’s biggest ad festival, and the excitement is palpable. Copywriters, Designers, CEO’s and Ad Geniuses are getting ready for a week’s worth of talks, networking, seminars, and of course, some very coveted awards.But what is all the hype about?
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is celebrating its 62nd year. Originally inspired by the International Film Festival, SAWA (a group of worldwide cinema screen advertising contractors) felt that the makers of advertising films should be given the same recognition as their peers, and so the International Film Festival was born in Venice, September 1954.
Today, winning a Cannes Lion award is invaluable to both individuals and businesses. The award recognises talent and creativity on a global scale, and with over 40 133 entries this year, it is not an easy award to win. The Lions are a much-needed chance for the industry to recognise and celebrate the last year’s hard work, creativity and innovation in the Advertising and Creative Communications industry, and to toast those who have gone beyond and above their craft. However, it doesn’t hurt that winning a Cannes Lion award can drive business, making the monetary value for an agency very high.
So, who’s leading the creative pride this year? Here are the top 10 entries fro Cannes 2015:
1. Beats by Dre: “The game before the game”
2. United Nations World Food Programme: “805 Million Names”
3. Leica: “100”
4. Ikea: “Experience the BookBook”
5. Always/Procter & Gamble: “#LikeAGirl”
6. Under Armour: “I Will What I: Gisele Bündchen”
7. ZDK Centre for Democratic Culture: “Nazis Against Nazis: Germany’s Most Involuntary Walk”
8. John Lewis: “Monty the Penguin”
9. Optus: “Clever Buoy”
10. Du: “Too Insulting”, “Too Distressing” and “Too Informative”
Here at Decimal, we know a good thing when we see it, just like we know a good campaign when we come up with it. By concentrating on the details, getting the strategy right, and practicing the art of creative communication, we create campaigns that not only win awards; they grow investment too. And so, we wish the Cannes Lions entries for 2015 the best of luck with the awards, and a thrilling, learning experience during the entire festival. We’ll see you there next year!
