ICOM is the opposite. It’s a real and thriving network that’s made of like-minded agencies, each one of them striving for excellence in their respective geographies.

In conversations we’ve had over the years, we found that we have a lot in common with many agencies in the network, but none stood out more than how much we share with Olomana Loomis ISC, the ICOM agency in Hawaii. 

It must be the sea air.

Working with another agency is tricky. Here are a few things that make or break the relationship: time constraints, creative disagreements, misunderstandings on intent. These stories are everywhere on the internet.

This is not one of them.

Our relationship with Olomana Loomis ISC started as an experiment: can we help out a fellow agency with design work across continents – with a twelve hour time difference, and a different culture, at play?

Spoiler alert: We can.

Here’s what that was like.

Creative relationships driven by both sides

We started working with Olomana Loomis ISC in 2021. At the time, we were already working remotely regardless of the opening of offices and buildings on the island, so when we had to get cracking with a partner who we’d work with remotely, it made no real difference to our workflow. As for Olomana Loomis ISC, they were growing despite the pandemic and needed additional capacity to accommodate their needs in the community. It seemed like a reasonable match.

There was the small matter of a 12-hour time difference, though.

It turns out that the time difference proved to be the  biggest asset in our relationship. It helped that Olomana Loomis ISC were like-minded people who loved their work as much as we do, and that we could work with them in cycles.

The twelve hour time difference allowed us to be more flexible in what we could deliver: overnight, for Olomana Loomis, the time difference turned us into a 24-hour agency where requests were fulfilled like this:

1. Olomana Loomis ISC would send in a request to Switch during our night time.
2. In our daytime, we work on it and send any feedback or questions by the end of our day.
3. During our night, they’d review the work and get back to us.
4. We worked on feedback the day after, while Olomana Loomis ISC slept.

Twelve hours seems like a lot of time when you’re working. With Olomana Loomis ISC, it seems like nothing – like they are  just down the road from us, a team we could connect to seamlessly thanks to that difference.

Starting strong 

The first project we worked on was for one of their bigger clients, a company that needed new staff. Governmental benefits had kicked in in Hawaii, and interest for new jobs was low despite the increased demand. 

Olomana Loomis ISC needed to help their clients showcase what a great place to work their client was, and they needed help getting the ads ready. This is where we came in: we became an extension of their studio. 

They shot the content we needed that would run on their client’s social media feeds.

From that we designed the ads that would be used in the communication.

Their client loved the ads and the campaign performed excellently. A resounding success all around!

What next?

That was the testing ground: the proving project that would show both of our agencies that this relationship would work. It was – and is – a success, and a team effort, and after the first project ended, more came.

We helped them design a brochure, as well as editorial ads. We helped them with bigger projects too – always on the digital or the creative side, using materials that they sent in ahead of time.

By now, we’ve been working with them for a year and a half on projects that are interesting and that have  led to some amazing opportunities.

For example: we’re welcoming two of Olomana Loomis ISC’s team members to Malta for a week, and we’re planning on working on our relationship further while they are here. Each ICOM agency has its own strengths, and ours work well with Olomana Loomis ISC’s. 

Lessons Learned

None of this would have been possible without forming part of the ICOM Network.

But even as part of the network, it takes individual effort to make something like this work. Alan Tang, Olomana Loomis’ CEO, works tirelessly to build connections around the globe. 

ICOM is the key to these relationships, but a key gathers dust if you leave it on the dresser, it’s up to you to get up and open doors with it.

We’re really excited to see what the future of this relationship will bring – watch this space for updates!

The post Working with Olomana Loomis ISC appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

It was only possible virtually. 

The annual ICOM world meeting is a big deal for the member agencies; it’s our chance to connect and learn, to teach what the previous year has taught us and see what we can do differently, do better, do right. 

Hosting it is nerve-wracking, in a good way. 

Attending it changes the way you look at things. 

Missing it is terrible, even if it can’t be helped. With so many agencies in far-flung corners of the world, it’s not always easy to connect and learn, and the one opportunity to do so was waylaid by pandemic measures. 

The 2020 meet-up couldn’t be held, for pretty obvious reasons. 

In 2021, the ICOM World Meeting went virtual. 

Initial caveats

Part of the beauty of the ICOM World Meeting is the ability to network. 

When you take a meeting online, that capacity for networking is a little harder to do. There’s the issue of network connections giving out, the chaos of a multinational online call, the problems of dealing with working from home: it isn’t easy. 

Taking the ICOM World Meeting online wasn’t going to be easy either. Over 60 member agencies in varying time zones logging in at once was going to be a strain on any network, and there was the issue of finding guest speakers, of allowing for time to network, of making sure people could tune in whenever (and from wherever) they wanted without feeling as though they were tuning into any regular international conference. 

ICOM is about connections: from independent agency to independent agency, from advertisers to the audiences they speak to. That connection had to come through. 

It did. 

Format

I’ve been to multiple online events over the past 8 years, and this was up there with the best. 

The fact that we could speak to people from around the world about a variety of topics, and the fact that it was open to entire agencies instead of just agency leaders, was such a good approach to an event that had to deal with multiple audiences tuning in from different countries. 

At Switch, we also commented about what was happening on our internal group chat, and this really helped to get a good understanding of how everyone in the team was processing the same information, and got us some really good insights on the talks. 

Obviously, it was hard not seeing our ICOM friends and that human connection was much softer than it was in person, but the opportunities offered by the virtual format made up for it. If it means that we can have more of these events, I would love to use this format, or some similar hybrid, to open up ICOM to bring in more people. 

Content

There was a lot of good content, so I’ll keep it to just the highlights that stuck with me over the course of two days – otherwise I’ll still be writing this post by the next ICOM meeting! 

• Brent Hodgin and Sir Martin Sorrell served as excellent reminders that we, as agencies, need to be constantly on our toes, pushing the envelope farther and driving clients to do new stuff. We need to constantly bring new stuff to the table for our clients, and make sure that we don’t stagnate, because if we do, we will lose all of our business. After all, the ‘regular’ stuff that we do can be very easily replaced, even if it won’t be as good. 

• Espace-M, C-K, and Quarry complemented Brent and Sir Martin’s presentations perfectly. The tools they gave us are invaluable in making us more useful to our clients. Advanced social listening, SEO, and lead capturing strategies are all tools that agencies can implement internally. At Switch, we already do SEO and lead capturing, but advanced social listening is a new one to us, and one we’ll be trying out!

• Kaya and Richard really made us think about the future of the industry, and of the world, and what we can do to improve. I think that, as agencies, we definitely have a responsibility to try and make things better and to help the world we live in in whatever capacity we can. 

Technicalities

The thing I appreciated most about the ICOM 2021 Virtual World Meeting was how Emma, Bob, and Marc took time in between talks to make sense of everything. You never felt lost or like you didn’t know what was happening around you because there was ample time and space to take in the information that you’d just heard, and the question feature came in very handy to clarify points that you didn’t quite understand or were struggling to understand. 

I missed the networking; that’s a part of the World Meeting that’s hard to replicate in the virtual space. However, I think it worked – it was easier to connect than I thought it would be, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the technology improves over time if we have more virtual meetings. 

Overall, the ICOM 2021 Virtual World Meeting was a resounding success for us, and we can’t wait for the next one, no matter whether it’s virtual or in real life.

The post Thoughts on the ICOM World Conference appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

What were you expecting?

The first time I heard about AD Angels was when Switch became more of an active part of ICOM, and we started seeing the agency around. I’d always heard they were more design and artsy, and mainly creative-driven, so I kept up with their work. 
The first time I met them in person was at the ICOM event in Malta. I spoke to them during the event, but Rik properly introduced me to Annika on the first night, and proposed the idea of an exchange. 

Were you looking forward to doing any particular work?

Not a particular job, but I was really excited to see how their design/art department worked, and to compare and contrast with how Switch worked. I’d worked in design before, but at a web design company; Switch is my first real full-service agency job, and I just wanted to try and learn how people who’d been in the industry longer worked and tackled problems without having to make the same mistakes. 
Fun fact! The exchange coincided with my 6 year anniversary at Switch, the first of April. Once I got talking to Triin, we found that both of us had our work anniversary on the same day!

What were your tasks like?

My one main project was the new design identity of the LEIGO Lake Music Festival, which is a festival that happens annually in the south of Estonia. However, I also helped them with daily work, like creating ads and on rush jobs that came in. 
I also worked on a packaging design for eggs, which were produced in Estonia but would be marketed in Denmark. 
It was quite a short exchange, and for the first two days, I was mostly trying to adjust. The rest of the time, I spent quite a lot of time talking and giving suggestions and hearing what they had to say about the work we were doing, and trying to learn from them. 

What were you worried about?

My biggest fear was actually flying to Estonia; it was the first time I’d flown alone, and that I needed to catch two planes. I was more afraid of arriving late than not fitting in or struggling with language, because I’d spoken to them at the ICOM event so they weren’t unknown to me. 

What were you looking forward to?

Mostly in getting answers from people who do things differently and have similar experiences. Honestly, i just wanted to learn from them, and gain more experience through them. 

Was there anything about how the agency worked that you really liked?

Every Monday, all of the agency sat down around the table and they went through the jobs and meetings they had for the week. It took around an hour but it was a good way of keeping everyone in the loop, and they were very tight-knit. 
Also, once a week they stopped for lunch ten minutes early and made lunch for each other, and all ate at the same time. 
There was a real sense of community there that I really enjoyed. 

What were you most excited to show off about your country/agency?

I didn’t really go up thinking that I would be able to give something – I was really focused on what I could get out of them! During ICOM, I found out that AdAngels worked in a slightly more ‘old-school’ way than Switch did, using a model that Switch had used before, so I was interested in comparing and contrasting these models, and try and bring some of Switch’s techniques to them as well. 
I also took them figolli and kwarezimal – sugary Easter sweets – as a gift though. 

What did you learn at the end of the experience?

One thing that stood out to me was that we share the same frustrations and problems, but we tackle them in different ways. Sometimes I think you can fall into doing something in a particular way because you’ve always done it that way, but I don’t think there is one right way to solve a problem, and this experience really showed me that. 
I learned that in a week you can get really, really close to people; I felt unbelievably welcome and never believed I’d feel so welcome with people I’d only known for 40 hours. 
And I answered my own questions about understanding how other agencies work. That was really interesting. 
Next, we pulled Rik in to give his take on it. 

What does the agency get out of having an exchangee there?
Having Triin over was great because it brought in a new way of looking at things, and getting outsider perspective on our processes is always hugely useful. It was also fantastic to be able to bring in a new set of skills for a week, and to meet new people from the network, and a longer period like this allows us to get to know each other better.

What’re the benefits of exchanges?

There are many benefits for the agency – the obvious one would be to have a happy employee who gets the opportunity to travel and experience a new environment. 
However, there are many other benefits. 
For example, it gives the employee the opportunity of trying out a working experience in another country, another culture, another agency. I’m pretty sure that those questions always run through people’s minds, so I’m very happy to be able to offer the opportunity to our people. 

Was it hard to set up this exchange and plan what you would have the exchangee doing?

It was easier than expected to set the exchange up, but then again we were lucky enough to be organising it with an agency which has an excellent cultural fit with ours. Planning what the exchangee would do was easier than you’d think because we had asked her what she’d like to explore, and what she was good at, and we scheduled some work around her replies.

Would you do the exchange again?

Yes. We would definitely like to look into organising further exchanges down the line, maybe even making them a regular thing.

Would you do something different for the next exchange?

I think I’d push for a slightly longer exchange, even if just for a fortnight instead of for one week. That would give the people travelling enough time to understand the host agency better and get more time on projects. 
I also think we should set up exchanges where there’s more transfer of knowledge, so instead of exchanging people who are like for like at the same time, maybe it might make more sense to have an exchange of people who could bring new knowledge into the other agency, or an exchange where someone can learn more from the other agency.

What are the benefits of the ICOM network in general?

There are too many benefits to mention in a single sentence, so I’ll just say that it is one of the best investments we make as an agency every year. We learn, we make friends and we exchange business. It’s hard to imagine a better network.

Interested? You should think about it too!

It’s hard to think of not being connected. When you think of an ad agency, it’s easy to believe that it would run by itself, and that competition is rife across the board. However, more often than not, the way the industry is changing means that connection, not disconnection, is important, even among agencies. Having a programme like the Agency Exchange in action makes it easier to bring in people with different realities, different opinions, and different experiences to what you can find in your own country, which is not an opportunity you might get very often. 
Plus, it’s always great to have new people in the office, so hit us up if you ever want to see how Switch works behind the scenes!

The post On the ICOM Ad Agency Exchange: Rik and Andrea appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

What were you expecting? 

I’d heard of Switch through the ICOM newsletter, and also through my colleagues, Annika and Kärt; they’d praised Switch, and the people working there, after they attended the ICOM conference in Malta last year, and I was eager to learn more about the agency. Then I found out that it might be possible, through the Agency Exchange Program, to go and work there for a week! 
At first, I was a bit afraid that I would not be good enough for them, and I was really worried about what they would expect of me. I’d never worked in another agency on an exchange before, so I was concerned that I wouldn’t be a good fit. 
However, my aim was to learn something new from the experience, so I really wanted to do it, regardless! I’ve always felt that it’s important to step out of your comfort zone, and a change of environment is always a good source of inspiration. 

Were you looking forward to doing any particular work in Malta?

I didn’t really know what to expect, so I just went in eager to do anything. My main job, while I was there, ended up being for eCabs, Malta’s leading cab company.

What were your tasks in Malta like?

Because it was such a short exchange, I was mostly working on designing a social media structure for eCabs with the core Switch team involved with that client. Their process was really interesting to watch, and I feel like I learned a lot from it, both theoretically and technically.

Were you afraid or intimidated by anything in particular?

Social media! As a designer, I don’t really have a lot of opportunity to work with social media. Given how quickly social media changes, and how  necessary it is to stay up to date with all the latest developments and to be able to respond quickly, I was looking forward to working with a social media company.
The language barrier was also a bit of a challenge for me! I’m not used to communicating exclusively in English within the work environment, but the team made me feel right at home, and communication wasn’t an issue. 

What were you looking forward to?

I was really curious about  how everyday work was done in another agency, e.g. how meeting and brainstorming sessions take place, and how tasks are divided.
As mentioned earlier, social media is something which I felt I needed to learn more about, so I used the exchange at Switch as an opportunity to expand my knowledge in the field.

Did you learn anything about the way the agency worked that you really liked? Or anything that you found strange but that you got used to?

I really liked working with the internationally diverse team at Switch, and it gave such a great opportunity to see things from different perspectives! As a general rule, everyone at the office mostly speaks in English so they don’t leave out their coworkers, however occasionally you could hear Maltese and Lithuanian, too, being spoken.
Another very interesting experience for me was taking part in the ‘Traction Talks’ events that were organised at Switch, where they host an evening of discussion at their office. Seeing everyone out of office hours and getting to network with the Switch team was really enjoyable!

What were you most excited to show off about your country / ad agency?

Mostly, I was drawn to Malta because of the similarities between Malta and Estonia. Both Malta and Estonia are really small countries with really different cultures and customs, and we need to be smart and innovative to stand out and stand with bigger agencies. 
As a result, every project worked on is made with passion and commitment, which then also inspires people to aspire and seek improvement.

What did you learn, at the end of the experience?

Switch employs very focused and devoted people who love what they do. During my stay, I got a lot of ideas on how to develop professionally and do things better. The people there helped me develop my skillset, and I was so inspired by the beautiful Maltese nature and environment. I am very grateful that the project became a reality and I think that it was a very rewarding experience.
 
Next, we caught up with Annika Avikson, Triin’s colleague, on what she thinks of the Agency Exchange program. 
 

What does the agency get out of having an exchangee there?

Some freshness, a different outlook on how things are done, and added creativity, but there are more benefits than these. 
It also gives you a reason to do extra activities with the team, go to places and have some fun. It was lovely getting to know Andrea as besides being very talented, he was also very sweet.

What’re the benefits of exchanges? 

I think it is a great staff incentive, as well! On one hand, it is always beneficial to learn how other agencies work and see other agency cultures, but it is also a possibility to travel to new places. Personally, travelling is always inspiring!

Was it hard to set up this exchange and plan what you would have the exchangee doing?

It is so much easier than one might initially think! 
As we did the exchange simultaneously so as not to lose “manpower”, the most difficult task was to find a time that would suit both agencies. After that was settled, it was really easy: all we needed to do was purchase plane tickets and find a suitable apartment through Airbnb. We decided that we’d be rather spontaneous with regards to work, meaning that Andrea just engaged in projects on the table at the moment. 
And he really dived into them and we were really happy with the work he did.

Would you do the exchange again?

Definitely. We also loved hearing about, and learning from, what Triin had experienced at Switch. We actually have implemented a few good ideas from the way Switch puts together presentations.

Would you do something different for the next exchange?

Ideally, I’d make the exchange a bit longer than one week, but other than that I think everything worked out well. 

What are the benefits of the ICOM network in general? 

ICOM has a great culture of sharing – sharing clients, sharing ideas, sharing experiences, sharing lessons learned. It is great to know that we have real partners all around the world who can always help us and help our clients;  it is such a great value! And then there are also the conferences where we get to hear from inspiring speakers and learn about new cultures and places.

One week is a very short amount of time, however having Triin in the agency did teach us a lot about how we work, and how important it is to have fresh input from new people, especially for long-standing clients. It can be difficult to gain a different view on something that you’ve been working on for so long, so having someone new to the agency allowed us to think about our process of work a little more deeply. 
Would we do it again? Absolutely! The way forward is always through opening yourself up to new experiences, and there’s so much more we want to learn that using a program like the ICOM Agency Exchange scheme makes sense. That fresh perspective opens up a lot of avenues for creativity, and that’s something we can never have enough of. 
Thank you, Triin! We enjoyed having you at Switch; come say hello next time you’re on the island! 

The post On the ICOM Agency Exchange: An Interview With Triin and Annika appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Lewis Communications – Tiffin Motorhomes

A home is more than just a house – sometimes, it’s a house with wheels and 600 horsepower. Tiffin Motorhomes’ premium range of on-the-go memory makers are impressive in their own right, but when you combine the Class A Phaeton, or one of their other luxury motorhomes, with the creative powerhouse of Lewis Communications you get a result that’s designed to stun. Tiffin Motorhomes have used Lewis Communications for more than a decade now, and their latest campaign built on the Tiffin tagline ‘Made to Move You’ included a series of posters designed to remind people that a Tiffin Motorhome isn’t just any vehicle, it’s a luxury holiday-making vehicle, and the pinnacle of road-trip adventures.
Lewis Communications’ approach was a nostalgic, glowy campaign built around luxury and stunning natural environments. The sleek, silvery motorhome featured in a series of posters, highlighting what holidaying potential could really be like when you’re driving a vehicle designed to turn into a spa as soon as it was parked. The pictures selected and run aren’t just beautiful, they’re an ingenious ‘this is what you could have’ glimpse of the future for anyone in the market for a home on wheels. Bonus: The poster campaign was so universally well received that it won Platinum at Graphis’ 2019 edition of ‘Advertising Annual’.  

Lopito, Ileana & Howie – AT&T

When it comes to brand rivalries, AT&T and Sprint are pretty up there, and earlier this summer, AT&T released three 90 second shorts to poke fun at their competitor’s single-track offerings – you can’t surf the internet or send data while on a phone call when you’re a Sprint client, which might work well for day to day life, but in the zombie apocalypse?
AT&T’s debut thrillvert (noun, an advert that also doubles as a thriller movie) starts out with a teenager running desperately for her life from a shambling mound of the undead. She desperately locks the doors behind herself, and stumbles into the bathroom to make what could be her final call and, well, we won’t spoil the ending – check it out below:

Why do we like this? Switch is all about a good joke and movie-slick photography, and highlighting a feature that wouldn’t normally be a problem using a ten-thousand-to-one scenario is the kind of ‘so crazy it has to work’ idea that we always love to go for.

Rethink Communications – IKEA

What can we say about IKEA’s 2018 campaigns? A lot! When IKEA retired their polished-to-a-shine ‘Long Live the Home’ campaign, they launched a search for the next brand agency to take hold and shape their new campaign. The theme was ‘a better everyday life for everyone’, and Rethink Communications saw the opportunity, grabbed it, and ran with it. Every campaign they’ve run under the ‘a better everyday life for everyone’ umbrella has been marketing gold, but the DRÄG campaign is notable just for the fact that it’s probably pretty difficult to make clothing out of a Knappa pendant light. More than that, though, IKEA and Rethink Communications took on the challenge of normalising and creating a better world for anyone, and everyone involved in the DRAG Pride advert looks like they’re having a blast. Check it out yourself below:

Artificial Group Boutique Creative – MOL

How do you announce a relaunching like MOL? You hire Artificial Group Boutique Creative to create an advert so poignant and universally adored that it won silver at the Cannes – yes, that Cannes – Corporate Media and TV Awards.
Hungarian gas and oil company MOL changed up their points programme Multipont, and they wanted to make a big announcement so current and new users would know about it. Artificial Group Boutique Creative scripted and shot the life and times of Arnold, a coffee addict whose world turned upside down when he discovered that – shock, horror! – he’d run out of coffee, and what was he to do? Multipont to the rescue!
‘Arnold’ isn’t just beautifully shot, it’s also genuinely funny and endearing – just take a look below, and see if you don’t root for Arnold to be united with his one true love by the end.

Brainwave Communications Ltd – Motorol

Good design is good design, and Switch loves an aesthetic, so naturally Brainwave Communications Ltd’s ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5 DRIVE’ campaign was a hot favourite in the office. It isn’t just the slick, smooth style – it’s the fact that Brainwave Communications Ltd worked in culture and background into their Kenyan-based campaign by basing their designs on the five most significant animals found in the Kenyan landscape. Going off the fact that driving in Kenya is legendarily difficult, Brainwave Communications Ltd built beautiful, glossy, animal-meets-machine contraptions that made tongue-in-cheek references to both Kenyan driving conditions and the fact that Motorol’s range of lubricants was designed for those driving conditions.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so if you’re ready for a magnum opus, check out these beautiful posters below:

Wait, what about—?

Look, if we had to write about every project that Switch watched and loved and dissected and rewatched and ranked up thousands of messages on WhatsApp for, we’d be here all of January and still wouldn’t cover the first week of 2018. Being part of an international network like ICOM means that we get more than just the bog-standard appreciation of something pretty; we understand, and we know, that behind a single second of arthouse-style film shouting is many, many hours of sourcing and prop sourcing and costuming and makeup, even more hours of storyboarding, so many more of post-production and reshooting and discussion over creative choices, and when one of our brother and sister agencies does well, we sit up and take notice, we take notes, we file it away under ‘I wonder what we can do about it?’
Being a part of ICOM means sharing in those ‘eureka’ moments that elevate a brand you were working with from garden variety to house-name, and this year, so many ICOM Network agencies went above and beyond what brand agencies normally do. Getting to see those projects take flight was insurmountably important for Switch, too – that’s what we aspire to do too, and the biggest takeaway of ICOM’s top projects is that it takes a village to build a successful ad campaign; no matter how minute a change is, it takes an entire agency to make sure that what they’re putting out makes the client happy, and themselves happy.
This year, that’s our resolution – but more on that later.

The post On the ICOM Network's Top Projects of 2018 appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Wednesday

We kicked things off with a welcome dinner within the soft gold light of the dining room at the Phoenicia hotel, where the under-30s had their first chance to mingle. While the small-talk was stilted at first, some good food and wine went a long way to greasing the wheels, and very soon, people were happily chatting about the projects they were working on, and sharing their experiences within the digital marketing world.

Thursday

Thursday morning was the unofficial inauguration of the new Switch offices, and our guests were the first to experience it. Ensconced in a warm, sun-streaked space, the group started the morning with a session by the Bootcamp Mentor, Martin Henley, who broke the ice with interactive games to help everyone get to know each other a little better.

When everyone was comfortable, and enjoying their newly formed friendships, Martin introduced the tug-of-war. We were separated into teams, and had to do their best to overbalance the other team. As early as it was in the morning, energy initially flagged, however competitive spirit soon kicked in, leading to a neck-and-neck battle for victory.

After the athleticism, Martin gave us a task: create a new religion, a new government, and a new social media through communication exercises. The caveat was that Martin, wielding an electric buzzer, was well within his rights to stop the discussion at any opportunity – whether the team was done talking or not.
Let’s just say that he seemed to enjoy using his buzzer more than we reckoned he would, often stopping the teams mid-way through a sentence and forcing them to rethink what they were saying! It eventually became clear that he was looking for the group to discuss, rather than elect a leader to talk for them: the more people interacted together, and bounced off of each other, the more time they gained to argue their point. In the end, there was no definitive religion, social media, or government invented, however the teams were sparking each other, inspiring each other, and ready to dive into the next task. Mission accomplished.

After a quick lunch served up by Danny’s, it was time to meet the client. Matthew Bezzina, the co-founder of eCabs, gave us a brief introduction to his business before posing a problem that his company was facing. This was the crux of the bootcamp: the under-30s team had to propose a solution to this problem within just a few hours.
Fortunately, Martin’s earlier exercises had the teams raring to go. Teams argued until they were hoarse, kept the conversation going over dinner at Fat Louie’s that evening, and went to bed early – tomorrow, they’d be debuting their solution to Matthew Bezzina, Martin, and all the Agency Leaders. Gulp.

Friday

The Switch offices were crackling with energy as all 3 sub-teams worked to make sure that each presentation had a definitive message running through the core of the solution. There was only time for a quick run-through before lunch, after which everyone was set to meet in Valletta for a treasure hunt around the capital.
This is where things were shaken up a little further: this time, the younger attendees were mixed into teams with the agency leaders – the objective was to seek out all the items on the treasure hunt list, and beat out every other team to win.

Happy, and exhausted, the under-30s returned to the City Lounge terrace to present their solutions to the ICOM agency leaders – and Matthew himself of course.
On Thursday, the problem seemed insurmountable: five hours to solve a problem that had been happening for months? Even Matthew himself admitted that he didn’t think they’d manage much – but sure enough, he was proved wrong. The bootcamp team pulled together to present a solution that was viable, cost-effective, and out-of-the-box – exactly what they were briefed to do from day 1.

What I Learned

ICOM and Switch wanted to showcase that experience doesn’t just come from age; sometimes, it comes from working in a field which demands out of the box thinking in order to stand out from the crowd. Our agencies’ executives are part of our teams for a reason – they’re smart, sharp and do great work. Why not let them flex their muscles outside of their comfort zone?
As the Agency Leaders themselves said after the presentation – the future is looking bright. Extending future ICOM Meetings to younger members will definitely become a standard. After all, there’s far too many benefits for everyone involved to stop them from coming together!

The post On ICOM under 30s: Innovation and Integration appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Richard

Just like he feels every time he makes it to an ICOM event, Richard loved watching agencies rally together and energise each other, and came back with the drive to do better. The zeal to do things differently, and to innovate and collaborate with agencies that are both larger and smaller than Switch, is always inspiring. Meetings tend to be catalysts for innovation, so when the opportunity arose to host a meeting in Malta, he wanted to make sure we innovated the innovative. This was done by adding two new events around the main event, the first was inviting members of the local business community to a panel discussion held by global agency leaders and the second was the addition of a boot camp for a selection of the brightest minds under 30 years old in agencies who were participating in the event.

Vanessa

The intergenerational panel discussions helped to bridge the experience of under-30s marketing team members with the older generation, and watching them come together and share their ideas was fantastic.

Ed

Ed’s been a guest at quite a few ICOM meetings, however this time, Ed felt that the collaborative spirit of ICOM was the crown in the entire event. He states that walking away from an ICOM event leaves you feeling like part of a larger experience, full of ideas of ways to innovate and do better, and change up the way you work; full of ways to learn and to educate and to move forward. All agencies everywhere had the same experiences; ICOM helps us remember that. What most impressed Ed, though? The attitude of the under-30s. In his own words: ‘I can’t wait to pass on the baton and tell them, ‘go’.’

Andrea

The design team always works as a family – but the preparation for the ICOM event really got them working into close-quarters. The designers pooled their efforts and swapped jobs around to meet deadlines before they were deadlines; helped renovate the offices downstairs; pitched in to help source suppliers, ordered food, and made the time in the day to make sure everything got done. 
At the event itself, it was Spencer Heijnen’s talk that really made an impression: conflict management and resolution through positive reinforcement. By guiding the agencies through an exercise where everyone laid bare their anxieties, it allowed the agencies to see that at the core, their fears and their struggles were universally understood. Furthermore, watching the ways other agencies worked gave Andrea further insight into how Switch works, how we can re-assess where Switch is going, and how to improve the agency. It helped that the ICOM event felt like one big family gathering.

Antonella

The event gave Antonella a chance to test her comfort zones. By being the photographer for the under-30s, she got to go around with them for 3 days, and work on her photography skills and her confidence. Furthermore, because she was primarily with the under-30s, she got to talk to them about the similarities and the differences between agencies.
As for the ICOM event, she was the only designer present during the workshops, which gave her the opportunity to try and understand what designer roles in agencies consist of. The team-building exercises also allowed her to study how people from different cultures interacted with each other (Switch has about six nationalities and eight languages between us, so culture shock is an experience we’re familiar with) and worked to understand and optimise the way they worked together in a new environment.

Ernesta

The only Switch representative on the winning team in the treasure hunt (an even more impressive feat since she’s at her home away from home in Malta), Ernesta thought the ICOM meeting was a great opportunity to better round out her skills. From communication improvement activities to developing new strengths, the event gave her the tools to deal with real-life client challenges. The standout event was having to find a solution for Matthew, eCabs’ founder, who presented an existent problem for his business which needed a solution in less than 5 hours for a presentation to the agency leaders. Coming together and developing a strategy to help energised Ernesta, and built her competitive spirit so that, come the treasure hunt in Valletta, she gave it her all despite social anxiety, and came out on top.

Melissa

Melissa loved the opportunity to organise a conference for agency leaders, and to watch the attendees react to the events she’d painstakingly planned, but her favourite part of the entire event was the office visit. A little secret between us: the Switch offices are still under construction, with the entire office slated to move in December. However, for ICOM, we wanted to showcase the best of what Switch can do, and what better place to do it in than our new offices?

Teri

Everyone struggles with feeling inadequate in their jobs, but Teri found the Anxiety Party really helped to put it into perspective. Based on the talk by Spencer Heijnen, Teri found the exercise originally developed by Google Ventures to be a fascinating insight into the way every agency leaders shares very similar anxieties about their work. Better yet, she managed to get valuable advice on how to immediately deal with and harness the problem. More about this next week!

Astrid

Astrid planned and orchestrated a lot of the events for the ICOM members. From helping to build an app to guide them around Valletta to organising a farewell dinner to send the ICOM members on their way, Astrid was in the belly of the ICOM beast for the entire duration. What she took away from the event was that there’s never enough planning. Sometimes, events that were put forward have to be shifted around or changed. As a result, Astrid felt that orchestrating the ICOM event was a good foundation to really hone her organisational skills. While she couldn’t participate in the ICOM event from the beginning, Astrid still managed to feel as though she had a lot to contribute as an ICOM member by giving her opinion.

ICOM EMEA 2018 has been a whirlwind event for us. Between dip-dying pencils to sourcing the perfect outside speakers, Switch has been go-go-go for weeks trying to make sure that the people who came to the event enjoyed themselves to the fullest. We had people working inside the office and behind the scenes with us; we set up treasure hunts around the Maltese capital, and intergenerational discussion panels; it’s been exhausting, fun, and illuminating.
We wouldn’t have it any other way.

The post On ICOM EMEA 2018: Communication, Companionship, Collaboration & Culture appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

First of all – what am I talking about?

Switch is the only Maltese agency that forms part of ICOM (www.icomagencies.com) – the world’s largest network of independent agencies. This network covers most of the world’s markets and includes some of the largest independent agencies from the territories represented.
The network offers incredible benefits, we get to ask people for help when we’re stuck creatively, we get to use resources from other agencies when we’re out of our element with a particular subject and we also have the opportunity to pitch for cross-border business together, and send employees on exchanges.
One of the most powerful parts of the network, however, is the meetings element of it. Twice a year we’re invited to meetings – one’s global and one’s regional. At these meetings, we have three days during which everyone pitches in as much as they can about a particular subject to help everyone else improve in that area.

Let’s go back to October

Last October we were invited to the European regional meeting in Budapest, and I headed over together with a colleague of mine for three days that would probably help us improve our business (and that of our clients) immeasurably. The theme of the meeting was creativity, and, while this might seem obvious for a meeting of (mostly) creative agencies, the approach to it was fantastic.

We learnt a lot about how creativity can help agencies like ours, however there are some lessons that we learnt that can be applied to most businesses – and today I’d like to share them with you. Even if you might think that creativity might not apply to your particular area of work, I’m sure you can glean a lesson or two from what we learnt.

Applying creative processes to innovation

One of the most powerful workshops of the meeting was set up by Ravid Kuperberg, one of the partners and trainers at Mindscapes, who are creativity trainers based in Israel. Ravid and his team believe that you can crack creativity by making it process-driven. They help brands all over the world increase their products and revenue through the application of creativity.
From a very practical perspective, however, he gave us three ways of looking at problems differently, no matter what their nature is:

• Ideas are modular:

His theory is that when we look at a problem in its entirety it might seem far too complex. If we learn how to break down problems into smaller parts, some parts might solve themselves, and others will seem far simpler to solve than others. Once you’re done, putting all the solutions together will give you a much better solution than if you tried to solve the problem as a whole.

• Think inside the box:

When you try to think outside the box you’re actually making life much harder for yourself and your team. Instead, try being creative with the box itself. Study the parameters that are set by the problem in front of you and use these in ways that are unexpected.

• Break objects into sub-parts:

When looking for new ways of coming up with new ideas (new business, HR issues etc) be sure to break down anything you can into to the smallest units possible. Don’t look at a car as a car – look at every bit of it that you can study and try to figure out ways with everything. Down to a tyre thread. Everything matters. Someone once said that if you improve 1% day you’ve improved by 100% in under 70 days (assuming that you can keep the improvements in place). So look at small incremental improvements, not big ticket ones that can be disheartening.

Applying creativity to grow your business

The other part that really stuck with me is how we tend to look at our business in a very linear way. However, if we look at all the components in our business we can find that we have the skills, the resources and the capacity to run businesses that might not be as related to our core business.
This allows for a scope of growing exponentially because it removes the traditional limitations of business development. Artificial Group, the host agency of the meeting in Budapest, experimented with this and found that they had all the resources in-house to successfully launch a new brand of beer. True, they did not have a brewer in-house, they had to outsource that part of it, but most brands outsource manufacturing anyway nowadays, so that didn’t make much of a difference.

And in the end…

The bottom line is that there are many lessons to be learnt here. First of all network for all you’re worth. The more people you meet and discuss with, the more you can learn and the more you gain. Apply creativity and creative processes in every aspect of your life – it’s not just something that a design studio should be concerned with. Creative thinking can help us solve problems that seem to have no logical solutions.

One year on.

October is just a few weeks away, which means that we’re gearing up for the next regional meeting. This one means a lot more to us than usual – Switch is hosting, and everyone’s coming to our favourite island for our next dose of inspiration. We’ll be sharing lots more about this year’s event in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.

The post The power of a network is learning | ICOM appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.