Extracting maximum value from production investment
Who has stood in line outside a multiplex and said, “we must see that movie, I hear it came in under budget.” No one. Ever.
Trouble is – simply throwing money at an idea is no guarantee of success. Money is a precious and finite resource. It’s hard earned and must be hard spent. Buyer’s regret is too late when you have a looming air date.
For over 30 years we have helped marketing companies to navigate that conundrum so they can create the compelling content they need to sell themselves and their products.
70% of media efficiency is still generated by the creative execution
Research by Google Media Lab
We are a marketing production consultancy.
We trade in information asymmetry.
Put simply.
“I hire plumbers to mend my boiler…I could learn to do it myself but it would take a long time and I would be cold” (from the FT)
We are proud to be specialists.
The best jeans maker in the world (Hiut) said – “No kidding ourselves …. No trying to conquer the whole world. We just do our best to conquer our bit of it.” Same with us.
What we bring is a unique approach, judgement and a wealth of experience to help you to avoid disappointment on the difficult journey between conception and execution. It doesn’t have to be painful and confrontational.
Cost in Context
Our friend Rory Sutherland wrote this in his wonderful “Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life”.
Available in all kinds of good book shops everywhere
Cost in Context
Our friend Rory Sutherland wrote this in his wonderful “Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life”.
Available in all kinds of good book shops everywhere
The ‘doorman fallacy’, as I call it, is what happens when your strategy becomes synonymous with cost-saving and efficiency; first you define a hotel doorman’s role as ‘opening the door’, then you replace his role with an automatic door-opening mechanism.
The problem arises because opening the door is only the notional role of a doorman; his other, less definable sources of value lie in a multiplicity of other functions, in addition to door-opening: taxi-hailing, security, vagrant discouragement, customer recognition, as well as in signalling the status of the hotel. The doorman may actually increase what you can charge for a night’s stay in your hotel.
When every function of a business is looked at from the same narrow economic standpoint, the same game is applied endlessly. Define something narrowly, automate or streamline it — or remove it entirely — then regard the savings as profit.
How we work
Every production is unique. It must be treated that way. Apply a template approach and you get a template result. That said, on most projects there are five key stages –
How we work
Every production is unique. It must be treated that way. Apply a template approach and you get a template result. That said, on most projects there are five key stages –
Our consulting process: collaborative, efficient, and focused on the client.
At the heart of our consulting process is a commitment to delivering maximum value to our clients by optimizing their investment in production. Our approach is characterized by four key areas.
At the heart of our consulting process is a commitment to delivering maximum value to our clients by optimizing their investment in production. Our approach is characterized by four key areas.
Cost Management
Ensuring effective cost management throughout the production process, helping our clients to make the most of their budgets.
Time Management
Time, time. Never enough. Our aim is to give our clients the confidence to make well-informed decisions quickly. Even on the toughest schedules we don’t add delay.
Optimizing Deliverables
Our deep understanding of current production methodologies enables us to identify the opportunities to get the most for your money.
Alignment & Resolution
Differences and disagreements arise during the production process As an objective and independent advisor, we facilitate resolution by promoting trust and transparency. Our experience and reputation go before us. We are old enough and ugly enough to usually get away with telling the truth even if it is not always what people want to hear.
From the initial consultation to project completion, our consulting process is centered around collaboration and client satisfaction. We work closely with our clients, providing tailored guidance and support at every stage to ensure a seamless, successful production experience.
Clients
Clients
We are proud of every one our clients, from established global brands to ambitious start-ups eager to make their mark. Our passion is to help companies of all sizes grow and succeed.
We don’t solicit testimonials but we like this, from 2023.
“I wanted to drop you a note thanking you for all your efforts getting our campaign made. Your contribution is always invaluable to us in these campaigns, but never more so when we find ourselves in the kind of sticky situation we did this time around, so it’s a big thanks to your input and counsel that we managed to get the ads made at all.”
The nature of our work means we often partner with creatively driven agencies. They appreciate our expertise in areas like dispute resolution. Cooperation not confrontation is always the best way forward. Our commitment to honesty and transparency has earned us the trust of both clients and agency partners alike.
We focus on our strengths and leave creative opinions to the experts. We avoid interfering to make a quick win without considering the long-term consequences.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What can you add on social production when the budgets are already very low?
Sometimes it is enough just to be the grown up in the room. We have inherited projects which were financial and legal timebombs. Costs were cut by failing to cover usage and having no robust contracts.
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When do we get you involved?
As early as possible. This is a chart we made for a top 5 FMCG company – it emphasises the key point that production is a process and not an event. The reality is that by the time the budget is presented you are locked in as your options have shrunk and you are effectively committed.
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What can you do to help beyond individual projects?
We encourage our clients to involve us on broader production planning. There are clear benefits in moving beyond a short-term project approach to putting longer term strategies in place.
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Do you only work on moving image productions?
Moving image is our speciality. It is often the single most difficult and challenging part of any client output. We work extensively on photography, ideally as part of a 360° approach. Beyond that we have a network of trusted associates across the world who can advise on every aspect of production.
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Can you advise on insurance?
Insurance is a regulated financial service. In the past some people were unaware that it is illegal to give advice on regulated products unless you are registered with the FCA. We have a deep understanding of all production related insurance and so can give guidance whilst following the rules on recommending financial products.
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Can you recommend alternative production suppliers if we want to decouple any aspect of our production?
Yes. We try and ensure that any advice we give is 100% objective. We have never had any financial relationships with any suppliers so no secretly splitting commissions. We work with our clients on production supply reviews, preferably with their procurement teams.
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Can you advise on sustainable production?
There are valuable industry initiatives which promote sustainable production. Our involvement is not about point scoring. We work closely with agencies and production companies to advise on the least damaging alternatives. Our top learnings are work collaboratively; plan for success from the beginning; and put sustainability at the top of the agenda.
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Isn’t film becoming less relevant?
Creative guru David Kolbusz, who knows of what he speaks, said, “Often I see people say, ‘film is dead’ and it’s all about the internet. But actually, what is the internet now? We consume media through Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and for the most part, you’re consuming film,” he says, referring to the reels and short-form videos on these platforms. “Really, it’s that there are certain aesthetic choices you make if you’re filming purely for those formats, but it is still film-based.”
“The future of film and its centrality to non-traditional ideas is still huge.”
Need help extracting the best value from your investment in marketing production?
Get in touch now