common practice to make claims of ‘all things to all people’ and when our clients asked if we could do something (and we knew we couldn’t) tendency was to just say yes and worry about it afterwards. By collaborating, and being transparent about the collaboration, you can bring to the table experts that are the best in their field and then present as a united, specialist front, without having the overheads of having the discipline in house. There is also much power in collaborating for new business, new clients, new suppliers, even staff. I know of very successful models where agencies are sharing staff and working together, opening networks and supporting each other. I feel that it is important that we broadly embrace these models and practices for the common good of our wider industries. This is particularly relevant when we are faced with tougher economic times and sometimes it’s just not practical to have a certain skill set on staff. 01.
Take creative services, as an agency we always outsource these, as we find we get the best ‘look’ for the job we are doing. What I need for a technology client is very different to what I need for my retail fashion clients, and I can achieve much more by working with the relevant teams to deliver the best outcome for my client. The key is in finding the like-minded partners that you want to collaborate with and then working on the terms, so that there is no ambiguity. There may be no other reward than the sharing of information but if there is to be some sort of financial remuneration, this needs to be openly discussed and agreed upon before any sort of arrangement is entered into. When it comes to direct competitors, while they do pose potential threats to our businesses, coming together in the spirit of industry-wide initiatives to raise awareness and give back is vital. As an Executive Committee member of the Australasian Promotional Marketing Association (APMA), I see first-hand the benefits a combined and collaborative approach brings to our members who are all working in the same space and competing.
The power of these sorts of industry bodies and groups to bring about industry change, launch education programs, host networking opportunities, raise awareness among key target audiences including media and clients and even lobby government is phenomenal. While I am not of the ‘collaborate or perish’ school of thought, I do believe that collaboration is a powerful tool that should be embraced. If we increasingly take a collaborative approach to the daily operations of our businesses and in promoting and enhancing our industries, we will be all the better for it.