Your agency’s obsession is your agency’s emotional differentiation
The old agency playbook is dead. Clients aren’t signing up for AOR marriages anymore—they’re swiping right for project flings. In a world where every agency says they can do it all, rational differentiation is no longer possible. But emotional differentiation? That is the new goal: what drives your agency, what sets its soul on fire, what is it it obsessed with.
Nail that, and clients won’t just hear you—they’ll feel you. They’ll believe in you.
Thing is, agencies are typically so close to their magic they can’t see or feel it anymore. It’s not their fault, it’s human nature. But I have a way to drag that magic out. Way out.
Here are a few quick examples of the transformative power of obsession.
Heat Advertising
When I worked with Heat Advertising, I found a line on an RFP they submitted that said something like, “We believe in the element of surprise.” I presented that back to their leadership team as a possible “obsession” and their wheels immediately started turning. (case study)
North Advertising
When I worked with North Advertising, I noticed that everything they did was incredibly…real. Real people often were used in ads, no trickery in their execution, and the people themselves working at the agency were…real. So I presented “Real is beautiful” to them, and boom. the agency was transformed. (case study)
Must Be Something
And then there’s Must Be Something. They felt lost and so I started our process. But I quickly came back to them and pointed to their name and said “That’s it.” You guys are the most optimistic problem solvers I’ve ever met. Your name is your obsession! (case study)
a proven (obsessive) process
It’s a simple process, but it can be when you know what you’re looking for.
Will Burns, Agency Consulting
Immersion:
I start by auditing the agency's existing marketing materials (e.g. RFPs, videos, websites, blogs, presentations, etc.) I look for evidence of an obsession. It may not be called out and articulated yet, but it’s usually there. Couple that with 30 minute interviews with agency leadership, employees, pitch consultants, and a few clients, and we’ll find it for sure.
10 ideas:
I will present 10 or so obsession ideas to the leadership team inspired by my research. You will be amazed at how therapeutic these presentations/discussions can be, particularly for more complex organizations or agencies post-acquisition. Each idea gives the individuals on the leadership a taste of what could be. Does it feel right? Can we build upon that platform? Will clients care? And not everyone will agree, of course, which will tease out what each member of the team really thinks. And therapy ensues as the team learns more and more about each other, and how each perceives the agency, through the discussion of real ideas.
Manifesto:
Once we’ve landed on an obsession statement (think, tagline for the agency), I will then write a manifesto to bring it to life and that can be passed around to the agency so they can channel the idea into everything they do. It can be quite unifying.
Whatever the obsession is, we will uncover it and articulate it, so your agency can go BE it with passion. Watch all of your marketing communications from RFP to the website to the presentations to the agency’s culture itself suddenly "galvanize" around this new unifying force.
case studies
North Case - click image
Must Be Something Case
Deloitte Digital Case - click image
Heat Case - click image