I’ve talked about the way that established mental models can blind us to possibilities when doing strategy. We diligently apply logical reasoning to the facts within the framework we use to make sense of them, and we arrive at perfectly sensible strategic conclusions. But because we accepted that framework
Okay, I am back to fighting-fit form, or at least not bed-ridden and feeling sorry for myself. I want to cover two completely unrelated things today. Firstly, the effect of brand on agency strategy; and secondly, potential diseconomies of scale that agencies might face. Let’s remind ourselves
How can we question what we can't see?
After the last several articles, we now have a general strategic picture of the agencyland industry. I’ll quickly sketch out that big picture and then talk about one more concept before we move on to exploring ways to reframe the challenge. You can imagine being able to sketch out
So we’ve talked about niche strategies for agencies. The opportunities there are to outcompete broad agencies for particular segments of clients or needs, and the big challenges are attaining some minimum economies of scale and staying focused on focus. In some ways, niche strategies result in higher profits through
So we’ve talked about the Five Forces framework for thinking about obstacles to profitability in the marketing agency industry. And we’ve talked about the difference between operational excellence and strategy. And we’ve talked about some key dimensions along which agencies differ. Let’s go back to Michael
How can we visualise the varieties of agencies in the industry? And why does one particular group enjoy advantages the others lack?
The broad-strokes differences from one agency to the next.
You have to do things right as well as do the right things.
How profitable can marketing agencies be?
Brand building in a time of recession
Well, I’ve spent a month writing on this topic and I probably could go on. But I’ll sum things up a bit more concisely than the meandering thinkenings of the last four weeks. What’s the problem I was addressing in the first place? I think there is