Ask smashLAB
It seems that a few questions keep popping up time and again; therefore, we’ve compiled a few and responded briefly below. If yours isn’t addressed here, just ask your question by email.
Why Choose a Digital Agency Over an Ad Agency?
Ad agencies love the “idea” of digital, and often sell it, but they often don’t really understand it. Truth of the matter is, it’s a lot easier—and more profitable—to sell ad space than digital solutions. This is simple fact: a 30-second spot on a major network is easy to price out; a digital solution that connects more organically is harder to assign a cost to.
Traditional agencies are locked in an outdated model. At best they’re retrofitting themselves to try and keep up. Today’s audience is digital, though. They go to the web first, and everything else is secondary. As a result, most need to enlist a digital agency with deep expertise, to establish a digital-centric strategy for their brand. Relying on an ad agency to do this would be like asking to your VCR to stream high-def video.
What Kind of Clients Do You Work With?
Brave ones who want to better connect with their audience, and are willing to take some risks to make that happen.
We look for leaders who are committed to moving forward even if they might upset the status quo. In our experience, this is the price of entry for doing anything meaningful.
If you aren’t quite ready for that, there are tens of thousands of other agencies who’d be happy to take your money anyway.
Is smashLAB Right For My Organization?
You’ll have to decide that for yourself. What we can say is that some love us, while others hate us. We aren’t good “order takers,” so, if you need someone to simply follow instructions, we’re not the ones to call. (Truth is, we’re awfully expensive if you just want someone to press buttons on a fancy Mac.)
As a general rule of thumb, those who like us are seeking to work with professionals who can provide strong, informed, and opinionated insight. They appreciate that they’re paying for intelligence, and want a slap in the face if it’s necessary. Meanwhile, they don’t want to be “schmoozed” by an account manager; instead, they want direct access to experts who actually do the work.
How Do You Work?
We have spent the last decade establishing a highly structured methodology that guides all of our endeavors. In our experience, this approach is one-of-a-kind, and unmatched by our (highly competent) peers. It is quite possibly smashLAB’s most valuable asset, and we continue to refine it daily.
You won’t experience this process unless you engage our digital agency. As open as we generally are, we don’t share these methods publicly. What we are willing to impart is our general working ethos: The smashLAB Credo. It’s a simple set of beliefs that we live by, and work to impart amongst new staff members.
What Is the “One Concept Rule”?
Design is terribly misunderstood. Most treat it as a democratic, consensus-based exercise; therefore, creative agencies work really hard at producing a number of ideas for a given assignment. Then they pair these down to a few (normally 3) that they “pitch” to their clients. At that point everyone weighs in en masse, and the proposed directions get beaten around, mixed-up, and mushed together until the customer is left with a drunken train-wreck of a campaign.
We take a different approach. We lead the design process through something called The Inverted Pyramid. This is a research informed and strategy led process, in which we achieve insight and then generate a single direction that meets our client’s goals. We then refine this approach as we gain feedback. This sensible and structured method leads to solutions that overcome real business obstacles.
What Do You Need
From Us?
In order to start a discussion, we need to know what sum your organization invests in annual marketing. We also require a clear and succinct list of the core marketing challenges your organization faces. These needn’t be exhaustive, or steeped in rhetoric; we just want to know (in plain language) what’s standing in your organization’s way.
We then ask you to do your research. Look closely for agencies that feel right for you, and interview those that rank highly. You’ll need to really trust whoever you engage, so, be sure of your decision before you agree to anything.
Upon being engaged we simply ask for access to all of the stakeholders, timely responses, and candid feedback. In order to do our best, we need to work with decision makers who we can interface with directly. We also need them to be clear about what they need, want, and think.
Can We Send You an RFP?
We’d prefer you didn’t. RFPs (in our business) are largely ineffective for all concerned. They take an inordinate amount of time for us to respond to and, on the client side, they tend to attract the very worst agencies: those who have no choice but to respond to RFPs.
The fact is: engaging a creative agency isn’t as straightforward as ordering some new hardware for the office. It’s about finding someone with deep expertise, who can understand what you do—and who you can trust. If you think we might be the right people, just call us at 604 683 2250 or email hello@smashlab.com. Even 30 minutes on the phone should help us determine if there’s a fit.
How Much Does the Average Project Cost?
We don’t really have an “average project” here. Almost every engagement has its own unique requirements and challenges. And, for that matter, we really don’t like engaging on one time projects. (It’s hard to make a one-night-stand turn into anything meaningful.)
We ask those who are thinking of working with us to have a clear marketing budget determined for their organization. With that number in hand, we can look at what they want to achieve, and determine what’s realistic within that budget.
To give you a general idea, though, it's worth noting that we rarely engage with clients who have less than $50k to invest per year.
Do You Offer Discounted Rates to Not-For-Profits?
Yes, we generally will work at a reduced rate for organizations whose efforts align well with our values. This typically amounts to a 15% reduction on our standard billable rate.
What Guarantees Can You Make Regarding ROI?
We make none. Anyone who does is either delusional or lying. Some will toss about wobbly metrics or vague promises, in order to earn your confidence. These claims rarely mean anything; they are sales tricks.
The proof is in the pudding. Look at our past work and read our case studies. In some instances we’ve helped double sales, in others, we’ve brought focus to organizations and a greater sense of purpose. Need more? Contact us and we’ll put you in touch with some of our clients who can tell you what they gained in their own words.
As for ROI, there are just too many variables to make any explicit guarantees. That’s the truth. If it makes you feel any better, though, consider the fact that any wins we can help you achieve, will keep you from leaving us. As a result, you might consider us “amply motivated.”
