How Connected intentionally focuses on new ideas and innovation.
This article originally appeared on LBB.
Given the rapid rate at which the digital landscape evolves, media agencies can quickly stagnate and get left behind in the dust. Proactively engaging in exploratory conversations is the secret to keeping things fresh. As a full service media agency, we are constantly seeking out new ways of bettering ourselves for the sake of the work and our clients. We view business as a voyage of discovery.
Connected is run by digital natives, a reputation we have earned through guaranteeing our digital-led approach is influenced by the most up-to-date analytics available. Discovery work is a crucial stepping stone towards keeping things moving forward, and we are obsessed with finding new and inventive ways to connect technology with the latest data points to implement effective marketing solutions.
As an agency we have accomplished many great feats because we remain focused on forward motion. We are proud of our extensive tenure of clients and staff, some of whom are still with us after 11 years. Our clients stay with us and take us with them when they move because we build strong trusted partnerships based on integrity, mutual respect, and delivery of results: we do what we say we will do. We are always evolving, fuelled by new ways of thinking and connecting technology with relevant data.
Motivated to help other digital natives keep things fresh, we are sharing the ways in which Connected maintains momentum and stays inspired!
Cultivating ‘Challenger’ Culture
At Connected, we are eager to maintain our reputation as a ‘Challenger’ company. One of our brand values is ‘Unexpected(ness)’ and we implement this in day-to-day processes by making sure we never assume and always ask why. As a business, we are constantly moving and seeking new ways to innovate and do things differently.
One of the ways in which we cultivate this ‘Challenger’ culture in-house is by partnering with the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) - who also happen to be a long-standing client - sending our team members to relevant courses throughout the year. Attending these events often results in big outside-the-box ideas, and encourages us to constantly think outside of the agency.
Our team members recently explored the topic of ‘Switch Thinking’ – a course designed to facilitate changes in the way we think, from critical to creative, analytical to abstract. We’ve been rolling this knowledge out in our agency recently and are now locking in an internal workshop with the facilitator, Dr Ken Hudson, for early next year for our whole team.
Technology Takes Centre Stage
We pride ourselves on offering big agency smarts and technology with independent agency innovation and flexibility. Just because we are small(er) doesn’t mean we don’t offer the very best technology and solutions.
In the last few years, we have invested in Salesforce and Datorama which has completely transformed our business and our clients’ businesses. We know, from market feedback, that we are delivering market-leading analytics products.
We also set up internal task forces to focus on new innovative products and the ways in which they present opportunities for our agency and our clients. Most recently, we have put together an in-house AI Task Force team, which allows us to monitor the progress of AI systems and brainstorm the best ways to bring these new tools into effective action on behalf of our clients.
Working with the Right People
We hire based on the values that inform everything we do: honesty, integrity, drive, and care for our business and for others. When we started hiring, we were looking for specific skills to fill specific roles but now we focus more on attitude and experience.
We are a small, tight team with a strong sense of belonging. Six of our eight original team members are still with us today. Our business has grown and transformed a great deal over the last decade and they have all grown with us. We are proud of the framework and objectives that we implement in-house and the ways in which our self-driven team members strive to reach new levels of professional development within our industry.
Going Above and Beyond
We are very results focussed which means we are looking beyond media to see what is potentially limiting results and growth. Our clients need more than media management from us and it's important for us to employ the right support structure to support our clients beyond media buying. We don’t shy away from offering additional support in other areas such as ideation around promotional periods and product positioning. Over the years we have launched many new service offerings based on client needs and in the last 12 months we have developed a creative arm for our business. By embracing all aspects of the pipeline, our strategy sessions are much broader than campaign or creative strategy and can expand to consultations on the broader marketing and business challenges facing our clients.
To learn more about who we are and how we deliver innovative results to clients such as Sanitarium, Forbes Australia, Canon, Australian Institute of Management, Apex Tool Group - get in touch!