Advertising in Amsterdam

(published on Australian Graphic Designers Association website, October 2003)

Typically seen as a city of flowing lager, sex shows, and readily accessible drugs, one would think Amsterdam offers a young designer the perfect environment in which to flourish.

But the Dutch capital has much more to offer than tourist traps and regrettable nights out. A city of two halves, the life of a local is far removed from any of the above-mentioned debauchery. Rich in culture and history, Amsterdam is a fantastic, central European location for any aspiring global design traveler.

Moving to any country from home is however a challenging and frantic experience. Packing your life up into one suitcase and moving across the world at times seemed insane. Then someone mentioned the words character building. I'm not sure what my reaction was. Still, after a matter of weeks of nervous times and hard work, we were established and had managed to secure an apartment for the year.

Having spoken to MVBMS Fuel Europe prior to leaving home and then having met with the people there, I began as a Senior Designer in their studio, overlooking the Van Gogh and Stedelijk museums here in central Amsterdam.

A division of Euro RSCG and the Havas network, MVBMS Fuel Europe (along with its sibling in New York, MVBMS Fuel North America) has an exclusive arrangement with one client, Volvo (now part of the Premier Automotive Group of Ford, its new luxury car division, also comprising of Land Rover, Aston Martin and Jaguar), producing all of its European and most of its world-wide above the line advertising.

From my experience, there are basically two camps in the industry - local agencies, with very much a Dutch work culture; and local branches of international agencies, with a more International mix of people and languages. Fortunately for me, the office has a variety of nationalities, including Australian, New Zealand, English, American, Dutch and German. So with English being the default, the language has never been a problem (as with the rest of Amterdam - almost all Amsterdammers speak fairly good English).

The studio is around 20-strong, with half in account management, and the other in creative and TV & print production. The studio creates print ads for newspaper, magazine, other press and outdoor applications, as well as TV spots and films - all 'above-the-line' material. The material is produced and crafted, then sent to each country to interpret and implement into their markets.

Being a focal point of the European advertising and design industry, Amsterdam manages to attract some impressive talent from around the globe - for example, our own Creative Director, Lorenzo de Rita, a winner of no less than 7 Cannes Gold Lions for his work on Diesel Adidas and others.

The city itself plays an important role in tempting potential staff from across the Channel and the Atlantic, as well as Australasia. A relaxed and civilized way of life is preferred, and required here, with labour and other laws protecting the employee or individual over the employer or institution.

So what is a typical day here for us at MVBMS? Well, it could be anything involving co-coordinating film shoots in Sweden, photo shoots in the UK, sending files to Japan, designing layouts here at the desk, visiting suppliers and printers or riding around town for inspiration, of which there is plenty. Working with the art directors, copywriters, planners and production staff gives me plenty of contact with different perspectives and ideas.

Too much is made of the lack of quality in Australian design as opposed to Europe and America. Some feel it is behind, or looking overseas too much. I myself left Australia for a bigger industry experience - I doubt I'd have been able to work on a brand like Volvo back in Australia.

But I have found that the same issues affect all creative businesses, whether they are here or at home. And that Australian design is of a high quality, with none of the legacies of history to weigh it down. Something to be proud of I think.

Still, working on a brand like Volvo on a global level is a privilege (despite what we may traditionally think of Volvo drivers). There is a great wind of change sweeping through the automotive industry that demands carmakers develop more personal relationships and experiences with their customers. Volvo is trying to create and shape its own personality through a luxurious and stylized yet quirky approach, and hopefully the new campaigns will help to do so.

So, should you head overseas? Yes, but go for more than just the work. Travel around the continent as much as you can, learn as much as you can - as glamorous as it sounds, a weekend in Barcelona or London is not out of order.

Moving to another country is about learning your capabilities, not just in an office environment, but your ability to cope with the stresses of creating a new life in a foreign culture. I'm sure you'll return with much more than a better folio.


Asia The New West

(published Australian Graphic Designers Association website, February 2003)

A recent survey showed that the US, after decades of holding down the number one spot, has slipped to second on the list countries as the best place to invest. And who took over the number one spot? Japan, the UK maybe, or even one of the EU nations? The country in the number one spot was China, part of a new breed of economies on the rise in a region tipped to expand dramtically over the next decade or so.

The rise of the Asian 'Tiger' economies is not a new concept. Much like the market forces of peaks and troughs, the Asian economies (which by the way does not include Australia) have a history of becoming the new fashion in investment. Western companies were initially keen, then ran into the problems that the local customs and culture presented them. But this was before the Global Villlage phenomenon really took hold, and every country saw that it's potential export market was not just it's neighbours, but anyone it could sell itself too.

Even countries like communist China and Russia have recognised this, and welcome foreign - read western - investment (within exceptions; Google's recent problems in China are an example). Now western capital is pouring into countries like China, and into more solid investments such as infrastructure and public works. It's a good sign that the global economy is changing the geographical, political and cultural landscape of China and others.

Much like the empires that have preceeded it, the dominance of the US is sure to be diluted in the coming years. Recent events like September 11 and the ensuing ineffectiveness of the 'War on Terror' has lead experts to predict the end of the American hegemony, and looking to China as the new, up-and-coming superpower. The prediction of the dominance of the Chinese language on the internet in the next decade or so is a testament to people power in the region.

What does this have to do with design? As direct neighbours and suppliers to Asian economies, Australia will have a major role to play in this expansionary stage. Australia's competitive currency and export quality is a major drawcard. The recent announcement of our largest Gas deal with China is the first in a long chain of a potentially fruitful relationship.

As western companies begin to infiltrate the Asian markets with greater impact, designers and brand managers that have both a western background and an Asian perspective will become crucial participants in how these companies speak to their new customers. Companies like Fosters and NewsCorp have been entrenched in Asia for years, with a large section of their operations and revenue coming from this sector.

Agencies themselves must also see it as an opportunity to expand into fantastic design markets such as Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong. Opening an outpost in East Asia is surely a stepping stone into the huge Asian market.

A great deal of research must be done to understand how Asian cultures behave and consume, but the modern brand manager must create a strategy that is both sensitive to the local markets particular nuances, and meet the aggressive targets of the modern day multinational corporation.

It's time for Australia to not only look to the US, but to embrace the Asian markets as the Next Big Thing.


Branding

The term branding in modern terms is a relatively new one. The origins of the word conjure up images of branding cattle or livestock, but the concept is still very much the same in principle. Allocate an identity to an item, with the modern addition of a set of brand values.

So exactly what is branding as we know it today? It is an exact science, a marketing exercise, a cultural concept. Branding is the extension of a company or its product into the mainstream of culture and consumerism. It is not simply a logo, or an advertisement or promotional material. It is almost intangible, unquantifiable, yet is literally valued with a dollar figure within a company's balance sheet.

A brand is made up of all the ways a company executes its strategies and processes in a market place. From the way its employees speak to customers (and suppliers) on the phone, to the quality of it's retail presence, to the events and promotions it sponsors. All visible (and other) manifestations of that company contribute towards a company's brand.

The term branding describes the way a company goes about constructing and maintaining it's brand. All facets of media and market exposure should be considered and detailed in a Brand Strategy Plan, usually an offshoot of the marketing department, although increasingly an area of it's own specialisation.

The way the company expresses itself in print, web, radio, television, cinema, direct mail and other constructed advertising must be regimented and given equal investment. The way staff deal with customers and others must also be thought out and constructed. The way the company deals with the market and it's regulators, and the media that covers it is also to be considered. How the company is perceived by independent press and through it's own PR department should also be 'brand managed'.

A brand is a vital component of the modern business. It can almost be your best asset.

Let's take a look at Coca-Cola, one of the world's premium brands and one of it's most recognisable. No more than manufacturers of a carbonated, flavoured drink, they have established a brand over decades of intense marketing and promotion, building up associations with their target markets (eg. US troops in WWII seen drinking Coke on the hilltop stirred a patriotic reaction back home in the US with a stampede to the local store) that enhanced it's standing and demand in the marketplace, whilst it's recipe for the actual drink remained unchanged.

It is this branding that designers and branding consultants specialise in. A brand management consultant can help in many ways, from determining your brand strategy right through to executing the strategy in all mediums. They are a worthwhile service to a company's 'Brand Future'.

Branding and brands are a part of modern business. Ignore them at your peril. An investment in your brand can give you a head start, and with the right associations and market placements, can become the very basis of your business.


Multi-skilled Designers

More than ever, todays designers and art directors are required to be skilled in more than one area of specialisation. With the rise of the interent and digital media, and ever-increasing competition in the services industries, a designers own personal brand must be laced with mulit-skilled attributes that can be transported across borders.

Now a designer must be at the very least aware of design and art principles, it's history, new media, marketing, sales and presentations, project and people management and his/her place in the business landscape. To be skilled in some of these areas makes them in demand. To be skilled in all of them makes them hot property.
To have a print and web background is almost standard, particularly for web designers who have come from more formal backgrounds (eg. from a design degree).

It's a call to our tertiary institutions that students learn more about many things, as well as learning one area in depth. At my time at the NSOD at Swinburne University, a very highly regarded design school in Melbourne, there was as expected a great focus on the principles and methods of designing itself, which is to be expected - the standard of teaching at Swinburne is very high.

But not enough time was devoted to the skills which most designers will be asked to call on through their careers. Basic marketing and brand skills, project and time management, presentation and people skills, sales and business principles. As people who quite often work in micro and small businesses, or start and run their own, these skills are often overlooked until they're needed.

So, the basics of design schools should remain the same, but some consideration should be given to the other areas of the industry that we all come into contact with at some point. Let's create all-rounded members of the industry, rather simple technicians and operators. It can only be of benefit to any prospective employer to have a like-minded individual as a sounding board.


Education

For many years, designers have felt undervalued as a profession. Even now, when you tell someone you're a Graphic Designer, to a man in the street it either means you draw pictures, or design logos. Well in the average design project, these tasks are often included. But with the rise of the 'Creative Class' as a legitimate sector in business, a designer is being asked to wear many hats, the most important one being that of Brand Management.

But whilst us precious designers feel the need to whinge about how no-one loves us and we're the ones always pulling the long hours because the client underappreciates us, we must look to ourselves for the answer, for we only have ourselves to blame.

How often, when starting a relationship with a client, or a project for that client, do we tell the client exactly what tasks we're capable of, and the logistics involved in completing these tasks? Not often enough.

There is a need for two things - for all designers to be willing to explain and share with a client what they do, and the way they operate; for all clients to have an open mind and be educated on what our ever-growing industry does.

It is the responsibility of the design associations of each country or design centre to initiate these interactions between designer and client. Industry standards still apply despite the diversity of the creative fields, and some basic principles can be explained on a macro level.

The Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) warmly welcomes clients of designers to become members and participate in events and debates on the direction of design. This should be encouraged and taken to the next level.

A few years ago a collegue of mine had an idea. Simply produce a small brochure on the disciplines and approach designers take in any design process. Give this to the client for them to study. This is a valid idea, one which some designers may disagree with - there's no pigeonholing in our industry thanks - but an idea that would benefit clients enormously. Distribute these brochures to all AGDA members to give to new and existing clients, and let them read for themselves about the roles designers can play in their business.

The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) already have such a brochure, and is written in a way that is understandable for any client of any background.

It's time we opened ourselves up to our clients, and let them share in what we do, so that the end result is one we both understand and appreciate.


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