As you may or may not have noticed last week, we received the rather appealing title of Automotive PR Agency of the Year 2016 at the inaugural Newspress Awards.
Winning an award is always a fillip to the agency, however, none of that would be possible if it weren’t for you – our clients and my two favourite words: ‘challenge us’.
We’re only as good as the chances we’re given by you, the belief you have in our way of thinking, and the willingness to try something new.
If I look back over the last near-fifteen years of Performance Communications, we’ve been blessed with clients that have had the confidence, will and very often, ‘balls’, to accept the challenges we’ve laid down.
Thankfully, they’ve been rewarded with stories, campaigns and projects which are not only memorable but have delivered those all important business outcomes.
For my sins, I’m a great believer in what Jack Welch, the legendary CEO of General Electric used to say: “Don’t overbrain things to the point of inaction.”
Which is why, in the fast pace 24/7 news world, we often need to throw ten balls in the air in the knowledge that 2 or 3 may not hit the bulls-eye, but the rest will. It’s a philosophy adopted by Steve Jobs, James Dyson, Alex Ferguson and Jeff Bezos to name a few.
As the communications landscape continues to evolve, the spine of good storytelling will remain, yet the method of delivery, the need to try the embryonic, challenge the business, explore and experiment is only going to grow.
From ‘real’ influencer strategies to integrating Snapchat, from the power of brand partnerships to a much reduced reliance on the press release, from silos to integration, from vloggers to brand publishing…the message is clear….we all have to challenge what we do to remain at the top of our game.
So…as Wayne Gretzky once said: “I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.’