Thanks to David Patrick’s contribution at the Marketing Industry Network event ‘Suit Yourself’ in Manchester last night, we’re feeling rather more secure in our jobs. The focus of the event was whether agencies still needed suits or whether they are simply ‘bag-carriers’ or ‘paper-pushers’(!)

David, as befits a ‘suit’, launched into a robust, well researched, well prepared presentation of the argument for the added value that talented suits bring. Saul Peake of The Other Agency argued that suits slow down the process and that ‘coloured charts’ are irrelevant and a waste of the client’s money. Saul’s other ‘supporter’, John from Unsuitable, another suit-free agency, undermined his compatriot by confiding that they had recently employed two suits and were looking for a third!

Everyone concluded that suits are valuable assets to an agency as long as they are talented, committed and creative. A result as far as we’re concerned!

In a debate organised by the Marketing Industry Network next week on whether agencies and clients still need suits I'll be putting the case that agencies need the right mix of skills to deliver the right service for its clients. The creative product is key -  because it’s that which engages with the clients’ customers and it’s the tangible product that we deliver; yet the creative is just one part of what we as agencies do. And sometimes it’s not even the most significant part!

However that is just missing the point We all know that there’s a lot more to communications than just the creative.

The “actual work” involves lots of bright, committed people who maximise their skills and enhance the skills of their colleagues by getting their bit just right. The colourful graphs and diagrams help to sell in the work, to manage expectations, to predict results before investing, to rationalise decisions, to help the client to achieve internal buy-in and to prepare customer-facing teams for the inevitable response. To describe the “actual work” as just the creative work undermines the value of the thinking process.

Hear me develop this argument by coming along to the event.

This pic was taken at the Aberaeron carnival on 30 August and shows the Welsh are way ahead in thinking up new attachments and uses for client JCB's wheeled loading shovels.

117 miles, fifteen riders, five support vehicles and seven support crew, it took a lot of organising and a lot of determination to get to Aberdovey this year.

Great conditions when we got underway at 6.30am, warm morning sunshine and a light breeze, soon got us speeding along and where well ahead of schedule by lunchtime but there were very challenging big climbs once we got into Wales and didn’t get to the finish line until 7pm.

The views where fantastic and with some very quick and twisty descents our minds where kept from those aching legs.

Pete

As one of the organisers of this special event we'd welcome you to join the cream of the marketing community on Wednesday, October 13th to debate, collaborate on and contest the hot topics that affect our industry.

This year, the joint DMA/IDM annual conference will focus on the four things that marketing professionals have told us that they’re most actively seeking from their marketing community – support, advice, ideas and the opportunity to collaborate.

Held at the fabulous surroundings of Lancashire County Cricket club in Old Trafford, Manchester, the event will focus on digital marketing in the morning and future trends in the afternoon. We’ve brought together experts from a variety of fields including digital gurus, expert practitioners, strategic thinkers and creative planners. Each presenter aims to stimulate, provoke opinion and provide you with ideas that you can implement straight away into your business.

We’ll hear from some of the UK’s biggest brands: Aviva, Toby Carvery, All Bar One and Santander. In fact, it’s a must-attend event for anyone who wants to gain a competitive advantage in today’s rapidly changing marketing landscape.

What you’ll learn - How to manage digital marketing - today’s main challenges - How to develop a strategic approach - finding and retaining customers in the digital arena - How social media can be made to pay - How to analyse your data to take a single customer view.

The benefits for you - Improve your knowledge and hear about successes from fellow marketing practitioners - Gain a unique insight into the latest thinking and stay one step ahead of the competition - Air your issues and get instant answers directly from the experts.

For more info go to the DMA LinkedIn page