Comments on: “When someone does a side project it takes away from our strength…”. http://sueunerman.com/2011/08/%e2%80%9cwhen-someone-does-a-side-project-it-takes-away-from-our-strength%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d/ Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:42:45 +0100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Andrew Pascoe http://sueunerman.com/2011/08/%e2%80%9cwhen-someone-does-a-side-project-it-takes-away-from-our-strength%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-1158 Andrew Pascoe Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:31:57 +0000 http://sueunerman.com/?p=660#comment-1158 My earlier comment doesn't seem to have posted / been moderated (yet) - but something else that's come to mind: external directorships are another side project that absolutely worthwhile. That could be either a directorship for a company that's related to your day job (e.g. ex-Googler Lars Rasmussen joining the board of an Australian startup), or an organisation such as a musical or theatre company. My earlier comment doesn’t seem to have posted / been moderated (yet) – but something else that’s come to mind: external directorships are another side project that absolutely worthwhile.

That could be either a directorship for a company that’s related to your day job (e.g. ex-Googler Lars Rasmussen joining the board of an Australian startup), or an organisation such as a musical or theatre company.

]]> By: Sue Unerman http://sueunerman.com/2011/08/%e2%80%9cwhen-someone-does-a-side-project-it-takes-away-from-our-strength%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-1148 Sue Unerman Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:04:33 +0000 http://sueunerman.com/?p=660#comment-1148 Create and MBA are not side projects for MediaCom they are crucial to our strategy of providing the best complete integrated and channel neutral solutions to grow our clients business. Sue Create and MBA are not side projects for MediaCom they are crucial to our strategy of providing the best complete integrated and channel neutral solutions to grow our clients business. Sue

]]> By: ME http://sueunerman.com/2011/08/%e2%80%9cwhen-someone-does-a-side-project-it-takes-away-from-our-strength%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-1147 ME Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:32:36 +0000 http://sueunerman.com/?p=660#comment-1147 Ben, I could not agree more with your final sentiment. Indeed, as we get knee deep in the digital age media agencies need to embrace creative skill sets rather than shun them. Is MediaCom Create not one such side project that is going from strength to strength? Creative agencies such as Poke, DARE, and W+K are embracing media skill sets in a way that is giving them a true USP beyond their self-loving creative directors. Surely the big boys in the media world should be doing the same? It is no longer enough to say "we will buy the space for value, you go make the ad look good'. Ben, I could not agree more with your final sentiment. Indeed, as we get knee deep in the digital age media agencies need to embrace creative skill sets rather than shun them. Is MediaCom Create not one such side project that is going from strength to strength?

Creative agencies such as Poke, DARE, and W+K are embracing media skill sets in a way that is giving them a true USP beyond their self-loving creative directors. Surely the big boys in the media world should be doing the same?

It is no longer enough to say “we will buy the space for value, you go make the ad look good’.

]]> By: Ben Bale http://sueunerman.com/2011/08/%e2%80%9cwhen-someone-does-a-side-project-it-takes-away-from-our-strength%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-1144 Ben Bale Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:49:48 +0000 http://sueunerman.com/?p=660#comment-1144 First off, this is the most metal of blog posts about media agencies I have ever read, I only hope my comment can continue the metal... ness! At some point during the early 90's Metallica decided that mainstream success tasted sweeter than musical integrity. When Jason Newsted left, it seemed to be in protest of the change the band had made. You're probably right that had he been allowed to split his time, his heart wouldn't have been in it and Metallica would have been worse for it. (I do get round to media agencies eventually, bear with me!) Had Metallica been in a healthier head space, Jason Newsted's interest in a side project would not have been a threat to the b(r)and, but rather a chance to grow creatively. They may not have agreed with everything he brought into the next rehearsal, but for them to think that external factors could do nothing but taint their music, seems very insular and limiting to me. Metallica defined themselves as a particular product that they knew would sell, they felt that changing that product could be dangerous for their bank balance and stopped taking risks. As media agencies in an ever changing and growing media space, if we stop taking creative risks with our work, can we really claim to being doing what is best for our clients(fans)? An account lead at a creative agency may not be the best person to ask about paid search strategy, but I believe that learning about it is going to help them improve their core creative work. After all, without side projects we wouldn't have Them Crooked Vultures, Audioslave, The Eagles of Death Metal, Cream, A Perfect Circle, Million Dollar Quartet and The Gorillaz. First off, this is the most metal of blog posts about media agencies I have ever read, I only hope my comment can continue the metal… ness!

At some point during the early 90′s Metallica decided that mainstream success tasted sweeter than musical integrity. When Jason Newsted left, it seemed to be in protest of the change the band had made. You’re probably right that had he been allowed to split his time, his heart wouldn’t have been in it and Metallica would have been worse for it. (I do get round to media agencies eventually, bear with me!)

Had Metallica been in a healthier head space, Jason Newsted’s interest in a side project would not have been a threat to the b(r)and, but rather a chance to grow creatively. They may not have agreed with everything he brought into the next rehearsal, but for them to think that external factors could do nothing but taint their music, seems very insular and limiting to me.

Metallica defined themselves as a particular product that they knew would sell, they felt that changing that product could be dangerous for their bank balance and stopped taking risks. As media agencies in an ever changing and growing media space, if we stop taking creative risks with our work, can we really claim to being doing what is best for our clients(fans)?

An account lead at a creative agency may not be the best person to ask about paid search strategy, but I believe that learning about it is going to help them improve their core creative work. After all, without side projects we wouldn’t have Them Crooked Vultures, Audioslave, The Eagles of Death Metal, Cream, A Perfect Circle, Million Dollar Quartet and The Gorillaz.

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