The Distinct Agency Approach

Creativity, Agility, and Strategic Evolution to drive business advantage

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At Distinct Agency, we understand that even the more accomplished business directors, business owners, and entrepreneurs face moments of uncertainty, questioning themselves and their strategies, especially with the markets’ recent fluctuations due to unforeseen events such as the pandemic and the resulting global economic slowdown. It has been a tough couple of years for SME’s, but there’s a positive upturn on the way.

The journey of running a SME business is both thrilling and challenging, and the truth is, waiting for the "flawless plan" to implement the next ‘big’ phase, often leads to stagnation. But in the here and now, that flawless plan is hardly a thing, even though the desire to plan for it is.

It’s just about impossible to have everything figured out. You can aim for that illusive flawless plan, but experience keeps showing us that you don’t need a 5-year roadmap or even a 12-month blueprint. Of course you need your bigger plan, but how are you going to get there? 

What you do need is to identify a strong service or to productise, a creative and agile strategy, and the tenacity and desire to keep moving forwards. Now, your business can evolve in a direction of your choosing. But remember, you need to keep things fluid and always be ready to change your plan along the way. This term is overused at times, but adopting a ‘creative’ approach will help to achieve those business goals.

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A brief look at some iconic brands:

• Lamborghini: Is synonymous with sexy supercars yet it started out making farm equipment.
• Apple: Began with personal computers and diversified into ‘connecting humans’ –  the realm of smartphones, tablets, and wearables.
• Samsung: Soared to fame after it swapped dried fish and groceries for smartphones and supersized TVs.
• Puma and Adidas: Founded by brothers who originally ran a shoe company together – but went their separate ways to grow into competing global sports brand giants.
• McDonald’s: Originally sold hot dogs not burgers. Now, not only do they sell some of the most iconic fast food convenience, they’re also one of the world’s largest premium property owners.
• Netflix: Started as a DVD rental service and transformed itself into a streaming behemoth.
• Ben & Jerry’s: Was originally going to be a bagel company before it pivoted to action-packed ice-creams.
• YouTube: Originally launched as a dating platform called Tune In-Hook Up before becoming the global video-sharing site we know today.

Being able to identify when a plan isn’t working is the trick, and the willingness to practice agility is the creative fix. The named companies above didn’t succeed by sticking to a rigid plan – they thrived by embracing creativity, taking risks, and adapting to new opportunities as they arose.

They also didn’t drop their marketing endeavours, which seems to be one of the first cost-cutting exercises SME’s engage in when times are tough. This is a typical kneejerk reaction to what seems like a smart move at the time, but what SME’s then struggle with is getting back up to speed with their brand’s visibility due to perceived market absence. Remember, perception is reality, and if you’re nowhere to be seen, customers will slowly replace your brand with another brand that has remained active within their mind-space. The giant brand that is Coca-Cola has learnt this lesson from past experiments. Now they spend an average of $4 billion on branding each year. It pays off, though – 94% of the world’s population recognise the red and white logo.

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The key to sustained success? Embrace creativity and agility:

• Always be ready: Because you never know what comes next…
• Keep yourself in the know: Follow trends, stay updated, and try to anticipate what the market may need now, and in the near future.
• Keep probing: Are you offering a customer “need” or “want”? Are you solving a problem? Is your product or service better than the competition’s – or is it just another service? Either way, keep asking those uncomfortable questions to ensure your business is where you want it to be.
• Don’t wait for the ‘right time’: It’s a myth that keeps you from progressing.
• Are you blaming external factors?: Rather relook things and focus on what you can actually control.
• Prioritise action: Take bold steps toward your goals.
• Repurpose your marketing strategy: If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it. 

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Here’s how Distinct Agency helps you drive growth:

• Let’s Reflect: Most businesses lose their focus because they’re too occupied with what others are doing, therefore reacting rather than proacting. We help you to refocus on the core of your business.
• Let’s Explore – Identify New Opportunities: We help you explore new avenues to uncover what’s next – whether it’s solving new problems, productising current services/products, or entering untapped markets.
• Let’s Simplify Your Strategy: We refine your brand strategy to focus on your current customers and how to reach them more effectively, keeping your plans creative, flexible and adaptable.
• Let’s Take Action: We break down your strategy and concepts into actionable, manageable and achievable steps, ensuring that every move propels your business forward.
• Let’s Embrace Change: Our approach keeps you open to evolving strategies, trends and methodologies, as new opportunities will emerge.
• Let’s Celebrate Progress: We encourage you to enjoy every win, taking comfort in the fact that perfection isn’t the goal – but that continuous growth is.
• Let’s Support You: With Distinct Agency, you’re surrounded by a team of creative minds and strategic thinkers who offer guidance, inspiration and a positive ‘can-do’ attitude.

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Over the years many clients have asked us how to be agile, creative, how to change when resistance exists from both internal and external influences. Our mission is to live in the zone of being comfortable with discomfort, on your behalf, for the betterment of your business. Remember, the business landscape is in constant flux, therefore the most constant is change, and this is easily forgotten. 

Research has shown that some business owners lost their business due to stubbornness, the lack to change or to be open to redirection. Over 83% of SME businesses close their doors within the first 2 years due to lack of support, outside creative thinking, ability to be realign and restratgise. At Distinct Agency, we’re here to ensure your brand not only keeps pace but leads the way with creativity, agility, and strategic innovation.

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