High speed advertising world requires fast paced results

The advertising industry is often touch and go. Sometimes agencies are given weeks to come up with an innovative campaign or nail a brief, while other times, clients expect agencies to deliver the goods within hours.

While it is apparent that advertising agencies need to adapt and react to this ever-changing environment, the question remains, what does it take to produce a campaign or finalise a project that has an extraordinarily tight deadline?

Expect to deliver above and beyond the expected

The first step on the journey towards efficiency is establishing an experienced and knowledgeable team that can produce immediate results.
Ebony+Ivory’s Managing Director, Paul Middleton emphasises the need for a team that includes a range of skills and experience. “This ensures that if we are tasked with a brief that has a short deadline, we have the knowledge and expertise in copywriting, creative direction and management to truly understand the task at hand, and deliver.”

“This is a group of people with years of experience who can churn out the best results,” he adds.

An example of one of the fast-paced projects that Ebony+Ivory has produced is a digital media strategy for Brand South Africa’s Human Rights Day event. With less than one week to generate and go live with a digital media strategy, the integrated agency came up with a digital campaign which aimed to showcase the importance of Human Rights Day by reminding South Africans about the struggle it took to attain democracy and the significance of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa that protects those rights.
By embracing creatives who have experience, not only in their respective fields but also those who have the skills to uncover the ethos, tone and creative style required for these multi-faceted briefs, Ebony+Ivory is able to deliver fast and effective results.

Unlock the in-house team’s pulling power

While it is evident that an agency needs a team with knowledge and expertise, Middleton also highlights the importance of having this team in-house.
Having an internal body of innovative individuals that includes graphic designers, copywriters and project managers, creates an efficient force – one with which to be reckoned.

This is a group of people who are able to communicate, collaborate and ensure that the task at hand is completed.
Middleton says, “We follow an integrated approach, ensuring that the right minds are involved in the developing and the thinking for each and every brand.”

This integrated approach is implemented on all client briefs which assists in ensuring that deadlines are met. For instance, when a financial services client had a tight deadline, it looked to the agency, briefing two major publications in on a Thursday morning for rapid design and layout.
While for some, this might have seemed like a daunting task, the collaboration from the Ebony+Ivory team made the tackling of this project possible and a first draft of the 88-page Consultation Paper was completed in the same day.

Creators committed to the bigger picture of the work

Advertising agencies also need employees who want to contribute to the bigger picture. Having a team that are more than just their titles creates an environment suitable for growth and development.
“At Ebony+Ivory our copywriters are not just writers, they are creative directors, our graphic designers are conceptualisers and client service and our management team are innovators,” says Middleton.

With a 52-year history, the integrated African-owned agency, Ebony+Ivory has assembled a dedicated team that strives to take care of all a client’s advertising and marketing needs.

“We work with urgency to deliver seven-star service,” says Middleton.

This is a team that have been cherry-picked because they share our vision to nurture client relationships and deliver results every time, he adds.

This in turn ensures that whether Ebony+Ivory are given a week or a day to produce results, the in-house team that has the experience and expertise, play their part in guaranteeing that expectations are exceeded and the work goes beyond what is required to deliver the best results.