Gareth Kay: Starbucks Spends More on Training a Barista

Was at the BOLO digital agency conference in Arizona in October this year and was listening to Gareth Kay, Chief Strategy Officer at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners talk about different difficult issues the industry is facing and what he believes agencies need to do – and how they need to think – if they are going to be meaningful contributors to a marketer’s world.

He shared a number of points with the agency principals attending that I think might prove of value to you, the marketer.

Just having this perspective – from the eye of the agency – can help you better manage the relationships you have and help you find better agencies they next time you’re looking for one.

Here are a few of the highlights:

– If agencies don’t change, they will become irrelevant.

– He suggests that agencies need to reclaim their radical roots because there are too many dangerous minded, sensible suits in agencies.

– He stated that only 5% of brands make a noticeable positive contribution in the lives of individuals.

– He suggested that as few as 10% of marketers think agencies are doing a good job evolving services for the digital age.

– And one of the more frightening stats was the fact that Starbucks spends more on training a barista than agencies spend on their hires.

– He suggests agencies need to make “hacks”, not ads and agencies need to tear problems apart and then put them back together.

– And he proposes putting different people together in different ways to get different ideas.

– Less pushing back…more pushing forward.

– Cut your way to greatness…too many channels…focus.

– Restriction is more powerful than proliferation.

– Put people first.

Make of it what you want…just some fresh thinking that more agencies need to do to keep themselves relevant and your business thriving.