Doesn't strategy drive you crazy?
I recently found myself at a group dinner that included several great minds on the subject of digital culture. Among them, I had a chance to catch up with Ben Palmer, a buddy of mine that is the mad scientist behind The Barbarian Group. Amidst our usual pleasantries, he asked me a pretty pointed question that went something like this (paraphrasing):
“You guys just do pure strategy, so it must drive you crazy that you think about stuff up in the clouds all day and then nothing gets done? Or if it does get done, it’s executed poorly?”
It’s a damn good question, and certainly not one that we’re foreign to hearing. But upon reflection I thought it deserved a more careful answer than what I was able to spit out at a dinner party, so here goes…
First off, I think there are people who are very hands-on, and people who are very minds-on. Hands-on people need to create, it’s not enough for them to imagine. Minds-on people need to explore/learn and are happy to go off to wonderland purely for the joy of using their noggin. The world needs both (think Einstein vs. Doc Brown), and sometimes, you’ll meet someone that can wear both hats. Those people are way fun and I count Ben among them.
But that got me thinking… Undercurrent is clearly a minds-on culture of consulting, and much of what we do, even when it is concrete (such as a digital measurement model, or a recommendation around a departmental re-org) is still pretty theoretical, unless (and even when) it’s actually set into motion. In that way our clients often have to change internally to put these things into practice.
And that’s the fundamental reason that I believe our people are not frustrated beyond belief to work in and around digital strategy all day, every day. Because while many interactive agencies (and agencies in general) are in business to make STUFF for their clients, I think we are in business to make CHANGE at our clients.
It’s really hard to spot it, especially if you’ve only been consulting with a brand for a few months, but the relentless presentation of sound strategy, good ideas that focus on every aspect of their business, and a digital worldview that offers them a chance to look at the world differently, can change a brand and its brand team forever.
So hey, if they don’t build our idea of the moment, that’s okay. I’m just hoping they buy our point of view for the decade ahead. You know?
