Or...

Learned commentators all seem to be asking Big Questions these days.
However, in the greatest period of uncertainty we’ve known they’re
struggling to provide us with any defi nitive answers. So perhaps, after all we’re looking to the wrong people. At My Agency we don’t think we have the answers either.

But we know the people who do.

Fans are the economic engine beind every business built on brands. Fans are willing to invest their money, time and loyalty. They become the embodiment of brands and, when motivated,they are the most effective recruiters of new fans. Fans are therefore the strongest and most certain economic indicator we have. And why creating fans for your brands must be your number one priority.

Big Questions Number 2

A couple of weeks ago, The Grocer ran a small but interesting like piece.

ASDA delisted I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter as part of its Less is More initiative, which sort to cut down on product duplication. At the time, chief merchandising officer Darren Blackhurst questioned the logic of stocking it alongside Utterly Butterly. “What’s the point of stocking both? It’s only marge! He said.

However fans did not see it quite the same way.
The recent re listing was the result of customer feedback said a spokeswomen for ASDA. “we have listened and we have re-introduced it.” (Source: The Grocer 20th June 2009)

It is another example of "fan power". Scroll down to check out what happened to Tropicana earlier in the year.

Without fans brands die. They become commodities. With fans they live and anything becomes possible.

The big question...

There was a fascinating economic / business think piece in The Times on Monday. It was written by Dr Gerald Lyons, Standard Chartered’s Chief Economist. Lyons was confident (in common with many such pieces right now) in stating that the indicators are suggesting that the end to the recession is in sight.

Thank God.

What struck us was the missing link between “the signs” and real people doing real things. It was captured in Lyon’s fundamental concern: “but where is demand going to come from?” He called it “the biggest question”. However, he left it unanswered.

My Agency has a strong point of view on this. We think that the key to stimulating demand is for brands to nurture fans. Fans are the economic engine driving every brand. They invest the most time and money and loyalty into brands.

Energising, motivating and activating the fan base will at the heart of the economic recovery.

And that is why creating fans for brands is every marketeers number one priority.

Hope for the Govt?

So we received this back from The PMs office this morning. You may remember that we proposed a fans for brands campaign in order to attract a new generation of prospective party candidates. We'll keep you posted on any developments.

An open letter to Mr Brown

27th May 2009

Mr Gordon Brown,
10 Downing Street,
London SW1A 2AA.


Dear Mr Brown,

My Agency is an advertising and marketing communications agency. We Create Fans for Brands. We do this because fans are the engine that drives successful brands.

Following the reaction of the public on BBC’s Question Time it is stating something of the obvious that right now the brand, Member of Parliament is rather short of fans. In fact, so short of fans that there is a significant impact on democracy. Fewer people will vote. Fewer (quality) people will want to become MPs.

Even in these straightened times we think you should give serious consideration to funding a Creating Fans for MPs campaign.

This campaign would showcase the vital work conducted by MPs that the public doesn’t know about. It would also be a call to action to recruit a new generation of candidates.

Advertising is part of the solution. Other “content” such as TV programming, a road show touring libraries, social media all have a part to play.

We have some ideas on what this campaign might look like. Who can we show? How can we move this forward?

Kind Regards




Nick Wright

My Agency helps BBC producers think multiplatform

A couple of our guys were invited along to coach at a really interesting training day put on for BBC producers. The idea was to help producers think move beyond broadcasting programming to developing ideas and concepts that engage and connect with a fan base across many communication platforms.

The BBC is a mature digital news and entertainment brand, which has had great multiplatform – web, red button and mobile - success with www.bbc.co.uk and the iplayer. With recent programme strands like ‘Bryony makes a Zombie Movie’ ‘Lily Allen’ and ‘Born Survivors’ though, they’re demonstrating a real commitment to push beyond simply creating supporting websites or putting programmes onto new devices. By providing these new forms of multiplatform programming that empower their audience to represent themselves, be heard and reflect issues that are genuinely important to them, the BBC can begin to liberate themselves from the linear schedule, collaborate with audiences to create content and provide more participative experiences.

To deliver on this commitment though, multiplatform thinking has to be at the centre of the programme making process, so ideas don’t always start with or even centre on the TV experience. Which is where Crosswise, their multiplatform lab tasked with providing training and support, My Agency and an intensive day of rapid prototyping comes in.

The aim of the day was for BBC producers to demonstrate what they had learnt from the Crosswise training course by working in teams to develop an idea for a multiplatform programme and then pitch it to BBC 3’s commissioning editors. Granted that’s not a lot of time for a lot of work, but they were given the support of a Crosswise mentor, our senior designer Paul McDermid and Digital Creative Director Alistair Knight to help refine and bring their ideas to life.

During the day the teams scoped out their ideas, looked at the audience need, user experience, benefits, competition and discussed their ideas with real audience members. Paul and Alistair each worked with a team, using their knowledge and experience around creating engaging interactive experiences to get them thinking about how and why the audience would interact. They then hastily pieced together concept maps and key visuals to support their pitches.

Despite being very intense, the day proved to be a great success, with all the producers managing to develop new and exciting multiplatform ideas that the editors loved. Both our guys thoroughly enjoyed the day and meeting everyone from the BBC. Big thanks to Simon Smith for letting us get involved.

Brand loyalty from beyond the grave

If you are a fan of SV Hamburg you now how the option of being buried by the footie club next to the stadium. I haven't come across this before but when i was working for Oxford United we'd get a few requests for ashes to be scatered. In fact one such request came from my extended family. My uncles ashes are scattered at the Kassam Stadium. And for those with a morbid interest, the homily was delivered by the Club Chaplain in the first team dressing room. All very surreal but touching none the less.