SapientRazorfish
Today in my Integrated Marketing 4600S class, we had several speakers from SapientRazorfish come teach us about what they do. SapientRazorfish is a sub-division of Publicis Groupe that works to transform companies. The brand statement is the following, "SapientRazorfish is helping our clients thrive in a new world with radical customer centricity, a modern digital enterprise, and the kind of agility that makes a critical difference." SapientRazorfish helps clients from start to finish to reimagine and adjust their strategies in order to build the brand and reach customers. The customer is always the core of SapientRazorfish projects, which is crucial for success. In particular I was interested in the Social and Content Marketing Studio, which has 8 different branches: Community Management, Social Strategy, Client Communication, Ad Buying and Budgeting, Copywriting, Creative Development, Industry Trend Watch and Data Measurement and Reporting. I was not aware of all the different aspects and job opportunities within that one division. The girl employee showed a campaign she worked on for Mercedes Benz called #MBSecretSanta. This Secret Santa program occurred through direct message over Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The idea behind it was "Spreading brand love with surprise and delight." This campaign was very successful and allowed customers to engage with the brand itself and give a gift to loved ones. Mercedes Benz connected with consumers on an emotional level by stating, "giving is better than receiving." Overall, this campaign raised brand awareness and loyalty, customer participation and satisfaction, and revenue. In today's digital worlds, consumers are wanting to interact and so brands need to adjust to these needs. The speakers also highlighted the importance of storytelling in advertisements rather than just promoting products and the need for real time marketing via Snapchat and other social media apps.
In correlation, I attended the SPARKSouth event where I heard from multiple speakers within the marketing industry. I learned a lot about the difference between working for an agency vs. a brand. SapientRazorfish is an agency, so they work for multiple brands. The agency-side involves more responsibilities and need for more flexibility because of the different clients desires, which creates more pressure but also more opportunities. The brand-side is more structured and and steady because you are working for the same client, which makes things more predictable. I want to get a feel for both in the beginning of my career because I'm not sure which one I find more appealing. Both have aspects I enjoy and I'm excited to experience them and hopefully discover which one is most fulfilling for my desires.
Crazy how ideas and connections can happen through a direct message these days. I also attended SparkSouth and was very pro-brand as far as my marketing career goes. As we were encouraged to experience all the panels there, going to both the brand and the agency side made me realize I want to get a feel for both as well to figure out where my talents lie and where I am most comfortable and happy. It is easy to look at the corporate side of business and see all the big names and just ignore the agency side, but I feel like I need to dip my toes into the agency side to see what I like doing, and what suits me and will make me the most successful for the business and for myself.
ReplyDeleteEveryone says "start with agency because you will not be able to switch over to agency later if you start in brand." Agency is not for everyone. Agency it cut throat, fast-paced and creative. If you work for a brand you live, sleep, eat and breathe one brand, which may not be overly interesting for someone. It's all about what fits your brand!!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea behind having a secret Santa for a luxury car brand. When I think of secret Santa, I think of getting someone a gift under $30, not a $80K car. But, I guess we all give in different ways. I know the company was only giving away Bluetooth speakers and watches, but the campaign was still successful.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of consumer engagement is really becoming the most effective way of marketing if done right. On its own it creates effective brand awareness. I had not heard of the Mercedes Secret Santa before this post but it is quite interesting. It crazy how doing something like this can generate so much buzz from an gift to just a few people. This reminds me of how KOTEX was able to gain a great deal of buzz from gifting a small amount of Pinterest Users. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis was super interesting! I always enjoy learning about companies like that who do interesting campaigns, especially with how much digital marketing is changing. It's strange since as we get more dependent on social media, I feel like consumers want genuine interactions.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good idea to get a feel for both agency and brand side!! I'm kind of in the same boat - I'm not sure which environment I would thrive best in. on one end, I like structure, so brand side is appealing on that end, but I also like to be challenged, which would come more frequently on the agency side.
ReplyDeleteI also attended these guest speakers, and they got me really interested in working for an agency after I graduate. I really enjoyed hearing about their campaign for Mercedes with Loki the Wolfdog. I thought it was great content for social and definitely was a successful marketing campaign.
ReplyDeleteI also attended this guest speaker and agree with Caroline that they sparked my interest in the agency side of Marketing. Up until now I have been made to feel like I am supposed to start with the agency side which naturally makes me want to do the exact opposite. While I am still undecided on where exactly I am hoping to end up, the guest speaker definitely did open my eyes a little more to exactly what goes on, on the agency side making me interested!
ReplyDeleteI am also in MARK 4600S and was able to hear from Sapient Razorfish. I completely agree with you! Their ideas were so creative and interesting that it definitely sparked my interest in the agency side of marketing which I had not previously thought of. The social strategist really got me thinking that maybe that is something I need to look for when applying for jobs. Also, I really enjoyed their Mercedes Benz secret Santa campaign as well as their campaign with Loki the dog and his owner. They really made their campaigns relatable to consumers and I really enjoyed that.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog post, I think it's a great idea to get a feel for agency and brand side. As a junior, I am very torn as to which environment I would work better in. I love the campaigns SapientRazorfish did for various companies such as the Mercedes Benz Secret Santa, I think this side of agency can be challenging yet ever changing and full of creatives. That side of marketing work is very tempting and interesting. On the other hand, like I too learned at SparkSouth is how structured brand side corporate marketing can be. It's definitely a hard decision to make but in the end there are benefits to each!!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I also went to SparkSouth! Going into it, I was almost 100% positive I wanted to work on the brand side. I enjoy stable hours and a good work-life balance. However, since the conference, I have been absolutely lost. Everyone there got their start on the agency side! I really do not think I would fit in it that environment but now I'm not sure if I have to start there to give my career a chance at growing!
ReplyDeleteI love the concept of doing a campaign that relies on people going through direct messages. I did not hear the speaker myself, but I do know from personal experience that I don't always like to engage with brands on my public account because I feel bad filling my friends' feeds with promotional content. Going through direct messages avoids this and pushes the brand - so it's the best of both worlds! This makes me want to take that class next semester.
ReplyDeleteReally good post! Once I decided to declare marketing as my major I was pretty lost about what I wanted to pursue and after attending SparkSouth I think it definitely helped me get a better picture for each. It's so important to understand what each career path in marketing has to offer, and events like SparkSouth are invaluable for people like me who really were unbiased about either. The agencies you talked about from your 4600 class really seem like they have an awesome strategy going.Ultimately I want to try both out before I settle into one or the other, however it's been cool hearing from agency and brand side about the ins-and-outs of their industries.
ReplyDeleteWas the Secret Santa Mercedes campaign actually giving Mercedes Benz cars away for free? I think that is what is assumed when reading but I would be very surprised to hear they gave out multiple free vehicles. Some employees of Razorfish are coming to speak to the UGA chapter of the American Marketing Association in a panel this evening. Excited to hear about some of the thinks you highlighted in your blog!
ReplyDeleteI always wondered how agencies worked, and you described it very well. I think working for agencies is definitely for the more creatively inclined. Being able to be flexible in dealing with different brands seems like a really fun job, and is a big part of why I chose this major too.
ReplyDeleteI heard the same speaker. I really enjoyed their approach to marketing. I like looking at agencies rather than brands because agencies get to really focus on a central idea but tailor this to individual brands. People say that brand give you a more well rounded look. You are truly a part of a company and see everything that goes into it. I think that over time though, the same could be true of a agency. Each agency is really a specific brand, for Sapient-Razorfish, they offer everything digital and social media. As a company, they work with some clients for so long that it is almost as if they are integrated into the company. I personally am interested more in the agency side. I want to be able to work for different clients so I can see how different industries operate.
ReplyDeleteI also attended SparkSouth and enjoyed hearing from them! I am super excited and hopeful to join the agency side, as well. I want to learn a bunch of different industries while I am young and have to stamina and energy. Best of luck to you!
ReplyDeleteHey Anna! Great and informative post. I attended SparkSouth as well and loved getting to hear differences between agency and brand sides of marketing. I definitely think I want to get a good feel for both out in the field because I still don't know which one is for me. I think it is important to develop skill sets on both sides. Good Post!
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