Inside Ogilvy Labs: Being An Expert By Partnering One

Ogilvy Lab

One of the biggest challenges facing the advertising and marketing industry is the renewed expectations from agencies in their role as partners to marketers. The advent of digital is questioning the once absolute experts in communication and connecting with consumers, as new players, who may just have a better link to the consumer, are entering the scene.

Ogilvy & Mather has taken cognisance of one fact – agencies, in their current structure, cannot be all-knowing. As marketers looks for solutions that break the mould Ogilvy has attempted to bring innovation in-house with Ogilvy Labs. The team right now comprises three members and one of the key tools on its belt is partnerships.

Giving a background on how the division guiding principle, Gemma Milne, Creative Lab Technologist, Ogilvy Labs said, “We don’t have experts in everything. We are big network and everyone probably assumes we can do anything but that is not true. We don’t have machine learning or drone pilot divisions. What we have is a lens on start up industries, funders, government officials who are innovating on the back of technology.”

Ogilvy at present has two initiatives that allow it diversify its offerings to marketers – a Start-up Accelerator and a connection with Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN).

In the start up accelerator, the agency has forged bonds with companies that specialise in advertising and marketing technologies. In the true sense of a partnership, the relationship enables ad tech start-ups to get Ogilvy’s inputs to improvise their products and services, and allows Ogilvy to stay on top of the developments in the industry that can improve its offering for its clients.

“The Knowledge Transfer Network also works with the likes of start ups, entrepreneurs and academic funders. It covers 12 different industries at present. This partnership gives us an inside vide of many different industries,” informed Ms Milne while speaking at the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity.

She explained that the way Ogilvy approaches these relationships is to put its clients at the centre, and look for mutual benefits. “We have many different clients, operating in many different sectors. It is important for us to understand their markets, products, businesses and consumers. These partnerships should assist us in achieving this objective in some form. At the same time, while we benefit from the relationship, the companies we partner with should also benefit from us.”

Another way in which Ogilvy has looked to approach innovation is through an on-ground endeavour called Lab Days. Essentially a platform that brings together experts on topics that are making a difference to the new-age marketer, Lab Days allows Ogilvy to work more closely with the new breed of technology companies. “Lab Days is a great opportunity for us to opens up ideas, new thoughts and opportunities for our teams in their conversations with clients. It brings in the connections with companies that are doing well. Additionally, it may just also bring a whole new revenue stream to our business,” said Ms Milne.

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