The SIG Column – 16 March

Sports marketing agency Octagon has come under fire of late with some
external perceptions of the agency raising question marks over its abilities,
views this column gave a voice to a few weeks ago. In response, Octagon invited
Sportindustry.biz into its offices to answer its detractors through an exclusive
review of the agency’s operations. Here is what we found…

“From the outside looking in, as voiced in this column a few weeks ago, there
appears to have been some negative perceptions of Octagon circulating recently.

In response to this, the agency’s management team, led by managing director
Nick Massey, invited Sportindustry.biz into the Octagon offices for a unique
view of the business from the inside. This provided the opportunity to make a
judgement of the business based on factual evidence, as opposed to external
industry hearsay.

The outcome of this review of the agency’s operations certainly flew in the
face of the rumour mill. New business. Retained business. Client satisfaction.
Product and service diversification. All the performance indicators suggested an
agency, at worst, ticking along nicely, at best, making strides in a quickly
evolving industry.

All of which begs the question, why are there external perceptions of the
agency that create a question mark? 

Putting to one side the inevitable flurry of industry gossip, which any
agency – particularly one the size of Octagon – will always face from its peers,
and the answer perhaps lies in the nature of its business and its approach to
self-promotion.

To begin with much of Octagon’s work has to remain behind closed doors
because of the nature of some of its projects e.g. strategic consultancy to
global blue-chip clients. In these circumstances it is inevitable that Octagon
will never promote them because they are confidential. Such a situation makes it
difficult for Octagon to promote much of its good work although it is not unique
in this scenario given that many of its rival agencies face similar
difficulties.

Massey states: ‘Many of our clients make specific demands on us restricting
our ability to talk about the work we undertake for them.  This is entirely
understandable because of the gravity of the projects. There is no way they
would want us to hand any competitive advantage away’.

Some of the negative comments levelled at Octagon focussed on the notion that
it had become a box-ticker, effectively doing everything required without
breaking creative barriers.

An examination of the projects under management offers up examples which do
not support this view. One such project is the HSBC ‘Wee Wonders’ campaign which
has effectively brought a host of young children into golf through its creative
programme and created a legacy of participation for the future.

Massey has particularly strong views about creativity’s role in delivering
value for clients. Indeed he believes, creativity is merely one element of the
process which leads to innovation and, ultimately, the delivery of client value.
The other element is insight – an area where Octagon has made a global
investment in its Passion Drivers project, from which, it states, it has derived
unique insights into the relationship between fans and sport. 

Massey states: ‘I believe there is magic in the way creativity is combined
with insight. To derive innovation, which is the key, you need both.  Applying
innovation to our client’s business will ensure we deliver value to them’. 

Octagon has brought to bear this type of thinking for its global clients
where it believes this combination of creativity and insight is a key
differentiator in the agency’s ability to deliver for global brands on a
multi-market basis. Massey cites Octagon’s work with HSBC and MasterCard,
amongst others, as demonstrating the positive effect of this approach.

Massey is also under no illusion as to where the agency’s focus should be and
is at pains to state that pandering to industry chatter is certainly where it
should not be. He would rather focus energy on ensuring Octagon’s clients are
happy. A look at the agency’s high scores on its client satisfaction surveys
suggests the focus is bearing fruit. He is also clear that he does not want
Octagon to spend its time educating the industry, preferring a focus on the
application of Octagon’s creativity and insight for the benefit of its clients.

There are those who would disagree with this single-minded approach but for
Massey it is the only way forward.

He states, ‘My number one priority is to Octagon’s clients.  Without them we
wouldn’t exist.  I never lose sight of this fact’.   

There’s no doubt that a degree of the perceived negativity of Octagon has
stemmed from past issues. The sale of the motorsport interests, the troubles of
its parent company IPG, the restructuring of the Octagon business, have all
created a perception of unrest that still lingers to those outside of the
agency.

While the current management team cannot be lambasted for past issues, it can
be argued that changing these perceptions will not be easy. Additionally,
because of the role Octagon plays in the industry, there are those who believe
it should be more vocal. To that point, Massey admits Octagon will take a more
pro-active approach but re-iterates that focus will not be shifted from clients.

From the evidence seen, the agency has a clear business model moving forward
but only by communicating this over time will any negative opinions be turned on
their head. The trick will be to do this whilst maintaining the client focus
which Massey holds so dear.”