The measures of success have changed and as a result thereof, brands are looking for partners that can bridge the gap between the plan and the delivery of strategy. In other words, brands desire/have a need for businesses that act as both the consultancy and production house, linking the strategic plan to the action and connecting those two dots with flexible frameworks, not just processes, that brings to life competitive advantage.
Traditional categories like retail have converted into complex markets. Consumer expectations, data security, compliance, and more have introduced new variables that need to be accounted for. With markets evolving at the speed of light, it’s key for brands to gain and maintain traction. That means having short and long term measurable plans that affect their top and bottom line.
The current reality is that businesses are being disrupted by the second, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards the always-on digital (world). In these challenging times, global footprint, local knowledge and the speed at which solutions are launched to market are crucial. Most importantly, brands’ decisions (of what to digitize and what to support with human interaction) need to be insight driven choices, grounded in likely hypotheses that can be tested (or: backed up by research). New business models have the power/capability/ability to accelerate the go-to-market process to unlock market opportunities, while always keeping the human perspective in mind.
Another change we are observing in the market is the reduction of boundaries between brands and partners. Fostering hybrid teams is key to stimulate innovation and growth. With turnover being extremely high in the current business world/landscape—hello Great Resignation—this tight-knit partnership is more valuable than ever. Companies across all industries are struggling to keep information, data and knowledge internal. Highly integrated hybrid teams are an answer to this problem that we/firms are experiencing every day/daily. It’s easy to spot positioning versus actual activation and brands are getting better at seeing the signs of agencies and firms that are “faking” the proprietary talent that’s needed to drive value.
Ultimately, we believe whether we call ourselves a firm, agency or consultancy doesn’t really matter – what matters is why and how we do it! Collaborating hand in hand with brands every step of the way is the new working model. Everything we do has the mission of improving human interactions with brands and therefore generates that unique trust that helps companies to generate sustainable growth. Trust grows companies. We (work with clients in the retail and health industries), identifying the right human insights and activating them with technology that creates powerful digital products and services.