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Remaining viable in trying economic times would seem to have to do entirely with how much coin is in the coffers at the end of the day. With agency accountants shaking off that collective shiver up their spines at the very mention of shrinking advertising budgets and the trickle down from brand to agency and further on down the line, it would seem that the bottom line, is in fact, the bottom line. That of course, is only half the story.
For eight years Bridges Media Group in Chicago has remained one of the top full service production and post-production houses nationwide. More surprisingly, for the past two years as the market has slipped and stuttered and companies everywhere scramble to simply remain relevant, Bridges has experienced an excess of 100% growth in revenues and continues to offer a full complement of services and solutions to their clients. The secret to their success is not some impenetrable mystery, but simply a strong company philosophy of remaining diverse and fluid, riding the wave of shifting paradigms and new technologies in an evolving era.
“We have always been a nontraditional company in terms of the media and the way we work.” says Selena Hood, executive producer at Bridges Media Group. Using a “Concept to Completion” approach, the Bridges philosophy offers agencies and clients the opportunity to work with a seamless creative team through the entire development process. While Bridges is still capable of operating in a more traditional capacity, offering their team to simply shoot or edit a piece, the option for full integration has won over clients looking to streamline their process rather than visiting five or six shops in during the course of development. “They saw how seamless it could be to work with a team in preproduction, that same team on the shoot for production, and that same director as the creative lead for post production. No one’s dropping the ball on the creative because they’ve known what the creative goal was since the beginning.” Hood adds.
As technology continues to advance and consumers evolve, adapting to their increased connectivity, Bridges Media Group strives to stay ahead of the curve, constantly adjusting to the needs of their clients. “I heard someone say, and I can’t quote it quite correctly, but he basically said, ‘Advertising is not dead, but the old model is dead.’ And I believe that.” Hood continues, “I don’t think that advertising is ever going to go away, the :30 second spot is never going to go away and it shouldn’t.” Still, while there’s no denying the validity of the traditional campaign, she adds, “You have to have an integrated campaign, with traditional media supporting your digital media and digital media supporting your traditional media.”
“The traditional business philosophy used to be ‘know your customer’, but because we must now anticipate what consumers are going to choose, it has now become ‘know your customer’s customers’.” says Hood. “Both from our standpoint and the agencies we work for we would all say that the biggest challenge is presenting that person with the right options. The options are endless.” Whether online or offline, for Bridges, the ultimate goal being to offer the consumer the opportunity to not just be presented with information, but the ability to engage, on their own time, in a unique experience with the brand and its values.
Although it may be a healthy philosophy for a changing time, it has not been without some resistance. “It’s a challenge to give up control of your brand and put it in the hands of consumers. It’s really scary for brand managers and reasonably so. We’re really lucky to work with agencies who have helped the brands that they promote and deal with in under
standing those advantages in opening up that door.” Hood adds, “Letting your consumers have a little bit of control of you brand, gives them ownership and actually, in the long term, gives them buy in.”
More than luck however, Bridges Media Group’s relationship with a wide client base affords them the opportunity to work beyond the :30 and :60 second spot and the ability to offer flexibility by operating within a wide range of familiarity. By not being locked into any specific type of format, they are able to offer clients the solutions they need outside of the traditional realm. Also, as very early adopters of new technology and equipment they are able to, as Hood puts it, “work faster and efficiently so the time that we’re spending is on being creative, not making sure that the program’s running right and waiting on renders.” That efficiency in turn acts as a pitch tool to bring clients into the interactive realm by showing them “how we’re not just a vendor to them by producing the content they ask for, but actually a partner, offering them solutions before they ask so they really see we’re vested not only in the work we’re doing for them now but in the relationship they have with their clients for the future.”
Beyond more than adaptability and company philosophy, Bridges Media Group’s creative team are the recipients of countless awards. This year they brought home the 2009 Bronze Telly Award in the category of “Retail Store or Specialty Store” for their work on the CouponCabin.com “Swivel” spot. Being that the marketplace in constant flux and the realm of advertising is reaching from the television and into a more personal, connected level with consumers, staying fresh and creative is no easy task. For Bridges Media Group, this is less of a dilemma than a challenge of their abilities. “I think right now there’s a lot of uncertainty about what’s going to happen next, but that’s awesome.” says Hood. She continues, “What can be more exciting than working in a business at a time when everything about it is changing? Our job is to reach consumers, tell stories, and solve problems and every day there’s a new way to do that. What can be more exciting than that?”
In the end, being on top and remaining there is not dependant on a single variable but an entire host of business decisions. Hood attributes the continuing success of Bridges to “a mixture of really hard work, really dedicated team members, smart business planning, and I think just a little bit of grit.” She adds, “What we’re doing seems to be working and I’m excited to keep growing our team and keep bringing new people and new ideas into our realm be it through our staff or through our associate creative people that we partner with. Bringing more and more people into that mix is something that we’re always looking to do so that we can keep growing.”
- Added: 7/15/2009 11:45:42 AM
-Kevin Jeong
