Building a creative culture and reputation

Summary

The opportunity

Red Bee was originally known as BBC Broadcast, a division of the BBC.

In 2005, as part of the BBC’s review of it’s commercial business, it was sold to Australian private equity consortion Macquarie and renamed Red Bee .

Part of the deal included a guaranteed amount of work from the BBC for a period of 10 years.

Whilst initially great news, unfortunately over the years the lack of commercial pressure had led to a level of complacency within the agency and creative standards were slipping.

New senior clients in BBC Marketing, themselves from tier 1 creative agencies expected better. This meant that the two other roster agencies Karmarama and Y&R, both of whom had amazing creative reputations were getting the lion’s share of the opportunities.

In October 2010 I was headhunted from my role as European Executive Creative Director at LA based agency David&Goliath to raise the creative standards at RED BEE.

The response

Building a culture of creativity and ambition

Celebrating ambition and enthusiasm

The first task was to uncover the untapped and unrealised creativity that exists in every organisation.

I invited everyone in the company regardless of job description to take a simple copy test.

The top 3 entrants would get intensive training from industry superstars, be featured in Creative Review magazine and get their pick of any upcoming creative briefs.

I included our new BBC clients in the judging panel. I wanted them to see not just the ambition, but the raw talent that they were currently overlooking.

A lot of people stepped up and took the challenge. That told me who had ambition and enthusiasm.

Those that chose not to step up told me a lot as well.

The 3 winners, 2 of them not at the time considered ‘creatives’ were celebrated and rewarded as promised.

This let everyone know what kind of behaviour was going to be valued in the organisation. We wanted ambition, creativity and most important, fire in the belly to do amazing work for our clients.

Creating a culture where creativity can thrive

All creative leaders (including myself) were sent on rigorous leadership training courses to ensure that they understood:

• If they believe that they’ve got the right people, then show that they believe in them.

• Leadership is not about driving the train, it’s about laying the tracks. Setting direction for their people and then getting out of their way.

• Leadership is about listening more and talking less.

• Ensure that great ideas can find a way to come to the surface.

Creativity as a driver of innovation

Once creativity had been visibly prioritised, the whole organisation embraced innovation and experimentation.

Hierarchies became less important. Open dialogue regardless of job title was encouraged and knowledge sharing celebrated and rewarded. It didn’t matter where the idea came from, what matters was that it came.

Problems were approached and solved from new perspectives leading to creative workarounds where traditional methods were failing.

Continuing to develop future media technology and platforms, we had a list of amazing firsts.

New ways to deliver relevant, valuable connections between brands & audiences.

Wanting to own the conversation around the future of media led to a series of webcast speeches and discussions, in partnership with The Media Guardian, by genuinely inspirational and often scarily brainy people under the title 'Tomorrow Calling.'

The title I took from a line in a favourite science fiction novel 'what if tomorrow came calling and no one listened?…’

Our list of innovations grew.

So we celebrated them to the whole world, consequentially boosting new business enquiries and high value staff applications.

Our people felt valued and celebrated.

Safe and secure in the knowledge their ideas were heard.

Engagement and motivation went through the roof.

So did the quality of our work.

We won awards. Lots of them.

Most importantly, our clients and the sector as a whole would see RED BEE in a new light.