Last time, we talked about the agency habits we embrace that reinforce our core values. Those habits set us apart and make us what we like to think of as “the un-agency.” It’s since occurred to us that we have more to say on this subject. (Don’t look so shocked.)
What really prompted our further thinking was a viral video that brought into hilarious yet painful and somewhat disheartening focus the absurd and unmistakable sameness of all the TV commercials addressing Covid-19. You can see it here. Go ahead and give it a look. We’ll wait.
Ugh, right? It’s as if all the copywriters, art directors, editors, composers, account directors, and clients involved watched the same how-to webinar. As an antidote, here are more truths about Mahalo that make us different from agencies sailing their boats on the Sea of Sameness.
We never take a same stuff, different day approach to the work. Instead, we’re committed to true innovation – creating work that we think transcends the everyday. When we’re creating or honing a PowerPoint deck, we treat it like its own story. It’s a unique audience, with a unique speaker who has specific goals for the presentation. We work hard to differentiate every piece, even on a small scale. On a larger scale, when we’re helping a client create a memorable presence at an event, we treat it as its own engagement. It’s a new year, with different messages to impart, a unique audience journey to craft, a different show altogether, with different desired takeaways. Recycling ideas doesn’t have a place in our pursuit of innovation. Neither does doing what everyone else is doing.
Before we create something in VR, we explore whether the material lends itself to VR storytelling in the first place. What are we saying? Will it make an impact in this way? Will the audience even find it relevant? Half of the marketers in the sameness video (here’s the link again) fail this test. Yes, these are unprecedented times, but do I really need to hear that from Samsung? From U-Haul? How, exactly, is CarMax going to “be there for me?” How is Hyatt, when I’m quarantining at home?
The digital marketing space is rife with innovation, which is a great thing and one of many elements that makes this field so exciting. But our agency doesn’t push trends just to add a certain kind of piece to our portfolio. You won’t find the digital marketing equivalent of a pet rock or the Macarena on our website’s Work page. Authenticity is just as important, if not more so, than innovation. We want your project to be true to your brand – so it has legs to last beyond the sizzle, gives you greater ROI, and makes you look smart for making the investment in the first place.
