【前回】「オースティンで光る、クリエイティブエージェンシーの仕事術 「シリコンヒルズ」企業視察レポート①：Greatest Common Factory」はこちら
今回は、「シリコンヒルズ」とも呼ばれる開催地オースティンで、いま勢いのあるクリエイティブエージェンシー5社の訪問レポートを紹介します。
オースティンから世界へ、急成長する地元エージェンシー
PREACHER（プリーチャー）
2014年、大手広告会社などでの勤務経験を持つセス・ガフニー氏ら3名がオースティンで創業、現在40名を超えるフルタイムスタッフを擁するPREACHERは、アドエイジ誌のAgency to Watch honorに選出されるなど、いま急成長するエージェンシーだ。
NYのスピード感と南部の寛容さを併せ持つ
「テクノロジー、クリエイティブ、ミュージック。小さなまちですべてが融合している」。NYで勤めた経験もある戦略担当のガフニー氏は、創業地にオースティンを選んだ理由をこう話す。オフィスに併設されたギャラリーは、地元クリエイターたちに開放するなどし、地域の人びとがクリエイティブに触れる機会を提供している。
こうした取り組みにも体現されるのは、「Spreading the GOOD WORD（良い
言葉を広げる）」という同社の信念だ。創業者3名で「戦略」「クリエイティブ・ディレクション」「ブランドマネジメント」業務を分担し、「シンプル、パワフル、正直」を軸にプロジェクトを進める。仕事を受ける際には常に「ブランドと商品を信じているか」「クライアントを信じているか」を問う。3名全員YESと言わない限り仕事を受けないことにしているのは、「対等な関係を持つことが、信頼につながる」といった考えからだ。
一度プロジェクトが始まれば、最初から最後まで関わるスタッフ全員が参加し、意見を述べアイデアを出す。「初回のブリーフィングでクライアントの話をすべて聞き切ってしまうことが、プロジェクトを円滑に進めるための秘訣」とガフニー氏。最初の段階で失敗する可能性を洗い出し、あらかじめ対策を講じる。「NY時代に磨いた仕事の早さと、南部の寛容さの良いところ取りをしていることも、クライアントに喜ばれる要因」という。
スタッフ教育にも力を入れ、外部のイベントや学びにかかる費用を負担するなど、一人ひとりが複数のスキルを持ち、生かせるようにしている。ガフニー氏は今後のビジョンについて、「新しい仕事の進め方を生み出し、マーケティングの観点で先端を行く企業に成長し、グローバルな仕事を手がけたい」と語った。
A Fast-growing, Local Austin Agency!
PREACHER
Interviewee：
Seth Gaffney, Head of Strategy
A full-service agency established by three individuals in Austin in 2014. Currently employing more than 40 full-time employees. Received Agency to Watch honor from Ad-Age in 2017, and Agency Standout Award in 2018, and is growing quickly. We asked one of the agency’s founders, Seth Gaffney, Head of Strategy, to explain the secret behind the agency’s rapid expansion.
Seth, who has worked for numerous advertising companies in New York and other cities, explained that he decided to base Preacher in Austin because “technology, creativity, music…they’re all intertwined in this small city. I was looking for a new challenge, and I wanted to grow both personally and professionally.”
Behind Preacher’s growth is the foundational principle elucidated by its mantra –SPREADING THE GOOD WORD – and the agency’s fundamental insistence that all their work be “simple, powerful, and honest.” When asked if the agency had any rules for its implementation of these ideals, Seth cited three primary factors for the agency’s success:
1. The duties of the three founders have been separated into three categories – strategy, creative direction, and brand management.
2. Everyone, regardless of discipline, has a seat at the table and a voice throughout the course of a project – ideas can come from anywhere.
3. The agency has clear standards by which it determines whether or not to accept work from a client.
With regard to this third factor, Seth explained that the agency always asks itself two questions – “Do we believe in this client’s brand and products?” and “Do we believe in the client sitting directly across from us at the table?” He elaborated, “These rules are very important to us at Preacher, and we’ve all agreed not to take on a project unless all three members of the management team respond with a yes.”
Citing other key points he always keeps in mind, Seth explained how Preacher actually implements the sorts of fundamental principles that other agencies rarely follow through with: “（We three founders） never act as middle men for the client. The fact that all of our employees enjoy equal relationships （with the client） leads to a greater trust and a more passionate environment. Furthermore, hearing the client out completely at the very first briefing is essential to creating a project that runs smoothly. At that initial stage, when proposals are first being made, we weed out potentially problematic elements of the project, and put countermeasures in place.” Seth also drew from his prior work experience at a large agency, and strove to eliminate those particular aspects of the work that he found dissatisfying. He explained, “Clients are grateful for how quickly we can complete the work – a skill that was honed during my stints in NY – but they also appreciate the generosity that we bring to each project, which is a quality that’s characteristic of the Southern culture.”
In order to support the agency’s rapid growth, Preacher actively encourages its employees to pursue further education. Preacher’s current team includes brand managers, strategists, creative teams, producers, and support/administration staff and encourages each of its employees to pursue their individual interests, with the agency covering expenses for individual participation in outside events and courses. As a result, each staff member boasts a variety of skills.
With regard to the agency’s vision for the future, Seth expressed his desire to develop new methodologies for work, and, from a marketing perspective, for the agency to grow to where it’s operating at the vanguard of the industry and taking on projects from around the globe. The agency has also opened a gallery in its office that features the work of local creatives, providing a space for the public to experience quality creative work first hand. Preacher is poised to be “SPREADING THE GOOD WORD” from its base in Austin well into the future.
