By Garry Wynne, Strategic Director, ABT

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.” Albert Einstein

That is what we do at ABT Strategic Communications. Strategy has become a loaded word in recent years with many different meanings and associations in the creative communications field. To us it simply means that we take time to understand your business issues prior to commencing work - to deliver our clients the most relevant communications solution to their business challenges – on brief, on time – every time.

The purpose of a strategic approach is to find time to “take a breath” and turn the complexity of our client communications challenge into simple, effective communications that move people to change their view of their world. We understand brands need to connect to people on an emotional level to change behaviour over time so ABT has strengthened our strategic offer over the last twelve months to include Strategic & Communications Directors.

Why have we done this? Put simply because:

-       The when, the where and the how a brand can communicate to customers is now determined by the customer.

-       The what and the why of how to reach, talk (yes talk and converse) and connect to customers is where ABT makes a difference.

So why is it you that is different you say?

Philosophy

We are not defined by media but by the task that needs to be achieved. We employ:

A)   Brand Experience Attitude – We recognise that ownership of brands has changed and the customer is in the driving seat. We endeavour to find the right solution that connects emotionally to drive measurable changes in behaviour.

B)   Inside / Out – We recognise that a brand will only connect emotionally if there is consistency across all touch points in what they see, hear, feel, felt and found as a result of engagement with the brand – across all stakeholder groups.

C)    Media Passionate – Media, we love it, that is why we are constantly curious as to the best way to get across the right message to the right people at the right time – however they choose to receive it. From mobile to cinema – live to environments – online, offline, upstream, downstream, in their uptime or downtime…. That’s our turf.

D)   Measurement – ROE(Return on Experience), OTT(opportunities to Talk/Touch), are now more personal and relevant measures than traditional TARPS/OTS/R &F measures

Approach & Tools

We have a box full. It is choosing the right one which is the tricky bit.

Each client receives a qualified return brief within 48 hours of engaging us on a job. This includes:

-       Business objectives

-       Communications objectives

-       Single minded proposition development

-       Key messages

-       Agreed measurements

-       Focus Groups

-       We facilitate group insight and business think tanks and brainstorm through our qualified facilitators

Services

-       Communications planning

-       Workshop facilitation

-       Deep dive analysis of customer requirements

-       Research planning and delivery

-       Creative evaluation

-       Brand strategy development

-       Brand architecture

-       Communications planning (including media evaluation)

-       Measurement and result planning

-       Campaign review analysis

Our Golden Rules

-       Start at the problem not “the solution”

-       Preparation and planning prevents poor performance

-       Open your mind to alternatives – you may be surprised

-       Take a breath – it calms the nerves and clears the air

-       If what we are being asked to do is the answer then have we asked all the right questions?

-       Don’t promote what you cannot deliver either as a supplier or as a brand – you will be found out

-       Be flexible and adaptable in execution – things change – evolve to meet challenges

-       Once decided – commit to action – paralysis by analysis can kill the best strategy with poor execution

-       Reactivity kills creativity

-       Never stop questioning and don’t fail to plan. (You may end up planning to fail)

Peter (PJ) Fulcher-Meredith, Communications Director at ABT has a rant on how not to let your communication habits spoil the message you are trying to get across. This article first appeared in Australian Anthill, the magazine for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. 

Full article

By Gerry Breislin, Communications Director, ABT

Management’s three biggest lies: “We’re reorganising to better serve our customers”, “I have an open door policy” and “Our people are our most valuable asset.” 

The last mantra is so over used that Mark Cutifani, CEO of global mining company AngloGold Ashanti, finds it downright annoying.   

“Buildings are assets; chairs are assets; resources in the ground are assets. How can you include people with buildings and chairs? Everything we do is about people. People are the business; our business is people”

If that’ the attitude of a mining company boss what value do you place on employees in a service industry?  It’s people who answer phones, interact with customers, develop relationships and generally deliver the reliability and delight that leads to trust.  

So if People are so important, why are they often so low on the agenda?  There’s a famous Dilbert cartoon that HR managers should have pinned on their office wall.  In it a manager announces to a stunned meeting, “You know how I said that employees are our most valuable asset? Well, it turns out I was wrong. Money is our most valuable asset; employees are ninth just after photocopiers”.

An exaggeration perhaps but Michael Henderson, Corporate Anthropologist, has identified that over 90% of organisations have a business plan or strategy.  But less than 5% have a culture plan.  This makes most organisations vulnerable to strategic sabotage from their own organisational culture!  

”Employee engagement” has been the buzz phrase capturing the attention of HR managers and executives for several years now, but how many can articulate what it  actually means, let alone implement solutions to address the issue?   And isn’t it an indictment on management that we actually need the results of the latest Employee Engagement Survey (EES) or culture survey to tell us something’s not right.

An AAP report dated 1 April 2005 estimated that “Disengaged workers are costing Australia’s economy about $31.5 billion a year.  A new Gallup Australia study found nearly 20 per cent of employees were ‘actively disengaged’ at work, costing the country billions of dollars…..Employees who are actively disengaged are less productive, profitable, loyal, less likely to provide excellent customer service and are often disruptive.”

To say that effective communication is a mandatory for employee engagement is a no-brainer.  What needs more consideration is the differentiation between communication and information. 

Using traditional channels like e.mail, newsletters and the Intranet can be an effective way to create awareness.  But if your communication is around a major change issue these channels are unlikely to result in actual changes in attitudes and behaviour.

That’s because most of these formal communication channels are a one way street.  Sure there’s the Q&A session with the leadership team but when did that last get a 100%  ‘Excellent’ rating on the post conference evaluation sheet.   

Let’s face it, nobody really likes ‘formal’ communication.  Executives aren’t usually very good at it, and most people are more likely to change their attitude and behaviours once they’ve talked things through with people who they’ve developed a long and trusting relationship, like family, colleagues and their immediate manager.

A 2006 report into employee engagement research, published by The Conference Board in New York (conference-board.org), concluded that in all studies, in all locations and within all age groups, it was agreed that the strongest driver (for employee engagement) was “the direct relationship with ones’ manager”. 

So if the key to effective communication is to establish meaningful conversations between leaders and managers, between managers and their direct reports and between groups of individuals, shouldn’t we be looking at how and where lots of conversations are taking place right now?

Example 1: My kids (13 & 15) have grown up talking to ‘friends’ on line.  My son wants to buy a new spear gun but so far he hasn’t been to any shops.  He has however spent hours on chat lines asking questions and watching videos up loaded by other users.  

Example 2: I’ve just got a new iphone (my daughter says it’s wasted on me!).  I’ve discovered there are thousands of applications I can download straight on to my phone from the Apps Store. (Over 3,000 at last count, 600 of which are free). Some are really useful business tools and some are just cute ways of showing how cool your iphone is.  The interesting thing is that on the App Store, along with developer’s blurb, there’s a list of reviews (good and bad) from people who’ve already used the applications. 

Imagine this sort of feedback in a corporate context.  Imagine getting staff to share their thoughts on the latest corporate strategy or initiative!  Or better still get them to collaborate and share ideas that would drive the business forward.  It may surprise you to hear that most of the senior leadership of IBM are frequent users of Social Networking software and they’ve had a VP of Social Computing Software for two years.

The world of Web 2.0 and the Social Networking phenomena is certainly an area worth exploring and those traditional channels will still be part of the mix, but perhaps the best way to sum up is in the words of Jack Welch, former chairman of General Electric.  

“It’s not a speech … or a videotape.  It’s not a newsletter. Real communication is an attitude, an environment. It requires countless hours of eyeball-to-eyeball back and forth. It’s a constant, interactive process aimed at creating consensus.” 

We all know employee engagement is a key to unlock profitability of an organisation.  But with a myriad of personalities, motivations and core values, a one size fits all policy to employee engagement is not going to work.  You need to ask yourself; is your goal to get the most out of people or the best out of people?  You typically can’t get both.

ABT’s ever resourceful resource manager Beatrice Claflin shares her thoughts on what makes a candidate interview-worthy.

This article first appeared in B&T, Australasia’s highest circulating Marketing, Advertising and Media Magazine.

my_job_pitch.pdf

ABT Art Director (and occasional agony aunt) Neil Edwards gives ‘tough love’ advice for overworked and under-worked-out agency staff.

This article first appeared in B&T, Australasia’s highest circulating Marketing, Advertising and Media Magazine.

the_career_couch.pdf

This feature first appeared in Human Capital magazine. For more information or to subscribe visit www.hcamag.com

Journalist Iain Hopkins talks to Peter Fulcher-Meredith, Communications Director ABT about whether employee engagement is the elusive magic bullet that is the key to successful business. The indications point to a resounding ‘yes’.

zombies at work.pdf

In this feature article from Marketing magazine, April 2008, reputation management adviser Gerry McCusker talks to ABT CEO Antony Gowthorp about why internal branding campaigns work.

branding_the_cow_article

On Wednesday 2nd July 2008 at RSVP Sydney, the team from ABT will reveal how to bring brands to life from the inside out. This session will provide practical information on how to connect across all stakeholder touch points, including events, internally and externally.

ABT CEO Antony Gowthorp believes turning branding activity inwards can enhance employee loyalty and reduce staff attrition.

Clients across a diverse range of industries tell us that recruitment and retention are critically impacting on workplace stability in 2008.

Acute skill shortages are exacerbated by better-informed employees looking to secure the ideal balance between their work and social lives. With a more competitive and mobile recruitment market, today’s businesses need to more creatively address the challenges of staff attrition or defection.

In a talent-squeezed market, it’s the intangibles that attract and retain staff. Employees are asking; do the company values match mine? What does my employer stand for apart from shareholder value? Am I valued as more than just a cog in the wheel? Am I proud to discuss who I work for?

While some businesses are tempted to simply throw money at salary packages, others are realizing there are significant benefits in promoting the company’s brand values within the corporation with the aim of creating a more engaged, satisfied and loyal workforce.

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