Goodbye the long lunch

Originally posted in NZ Marketing September-October 2011.

For the past half-century or so, things have remained relatively the same in ad-world. The egos, the too-many-Chiefs-not-enough-Indians, the bloated expense accounts – there has always been a set way of doing things, boxes people fitted into, and a rigid process few dared to challenge.

But while things have remained static in ad-world, consumer behavior has changed at an alarming rate. And not only have consumers changed their behaviours, the very landscape upon which advertisers work has also been radically transformed. Agencies are feeling rattled by all the ‘new’-ness: new technologies, new ways of thinking and brand new processes for navigating this modern world.

Marketing directors are telling traditional agencies to change, and change quickly. But because this evolution is so fast, many will go the way of the dinosaur. They won’t be able to stomp around with their heads in the stratosphere, occasionally moving in for a quick kill. They’ll simply disappear.

The truth is that what’s really needed is a whole new genetic make-up to tackle this shifting environment. Like crocodiles and lizards, who were small and nimble enough to survive the extinction that claimed their larger, noisier cousins, it’s the smaller, more streamlined agencies that are perfectly poised to respond to the demands of this rapidly-evolving consumer world. They know they have to deliver great, measurable results to survive.

Tenfold Creative is one of these new breeds – a small, owneroperated agency that has barely turned two years old, but already racked up an impressive list of clients.

Freshmax Mahana Red Apples.

Brendon Gleeson founded Tenfold in 2009, based on an intimate knowledge of, and experience in, multi-national agencies. But he could see the writing was on the wall for the old guard. It was the height of a recession and Tenfold needed to deliver its clients smarter solutions, creating exceptional results with budgets that were stretched to breaking point. There would be no point claiming ‘market conditions’ were to blame for a campaign failure. The trick was to somehow turn up great results despite market conditions.

Right off the bat, Gleeson dispensed with the big-agency lifestyles he’d seen in his former posts. Transparency and accountability were his guiding principles. An indie agency like Tenfold would rely, he decided, on a trusted relationship – a partnership – with clients, striving for immediate results as well as keeping an eye on long term success.

Egos were not part of the picture, and clients’ needs would always take centre stage. “We immerse ourselves in the brands we work with,” he says. “It’s absolutely vital to gain the level of insight needed for creating better results. It also leads us to think about opportunities for our clients on a 24/7 basis – and it speaks to a level of passion for our client’s business that always produces results.”

Jennian Homes, New Zealand’s most awarded builder, says it has benefitted greatly from partnering with an owneroperated business. The company, which engaged Tenfold to assist strategise its rebranding last year, was so impressed with the work created, it awarded the agency its creative development and the delivery for its major television campaign, which resulted in the repositioning of the Jennian Brand through the new Stars TVC currently airing.

Jennian Homes Stars TVC.

For the Heart Foundation, a long-term relationship with Tenfold ensures their annual appeal continues to build on previous years’ successes. “Strategy-driven creative gets us the results we need to continue our life-saving work,” says Heart Foundation chief executive Tony Duncan.

The 2011 Tenfold-created campaign introduced new tactics for recruiting volunteers, which included tools to engage with groups and organisations to encourage volunteer participation. The strategy was supported with advertising, brochures and community-based point-of-sale. “The response was incredible with over three times the volunteers we had last year,” Duncan says. This important increase in volunteer support helped achieve an 11 percent rise in street appeal donations with 10 percent less marketing spend.

“Tenfold made contact with us at an opportune time,” says Sunbeam New Zealand general manager, Christine Johnston. “We were looking to move to a new agency and their no fuss approach, along with a good knowledge of our segment of the appliance industry really appealed. The experience has all been a good one for Sunbeam as Tenfold have adjusted very easily to our needs. They have produced some excellent creative and are responsive, and timely along with meeting the budgetary constraints we require.”

Heart Foundation Annual Appeal.

And one of Australasia’s largest fresh produce distributors, Freshmax, joined Tenfold early on and hasn’t looked back. The agency has delivered a string of successful promotions and developed world-class brands, including the “Deliciously Divine” Mahana Red apple brand. The apples and their distinctive branding are currently creating huge interest throughout New Zealand and North American markets.

“It’s refreshing to have a marketing partner that’s as passionate about our product as we are,” says Sarah Lawrence of Freshmax.

And passion that can be applied directly to the bottom line of any business is what more and more companies are after, says Gleeson. Unlike being a client stuck with a traditional, bigname agency full of dinosaurs that are all roar and no action, a client with a nimble, clientfocused agency like Tenfold will find itself navigating markets full of challenge and opportunity with ease.