OG+A

The official agency blog of OG+A. Find out more about us on www.oga.co.ke

[ogplusa]

5 Ways That The Advertising Business Will Change Post Covid-19

By Alvas Onguru

This global health crisis rages on. As I Write this, more than 3 million people across the globe have been infected with the Novel Coronavirus and so far, more than 124,600 people have lost their lives to Covid-19. These numbers are rising every minute. The world has virtually come to a halt. Yuval Noah Harari has written, in the Financial Times, a disturbingly dystopian prediction of the world post-coronavirus.

Businesses have been affected in very profound ways. Many of the businesses that emerge from this crisis will have made drastic changes in order to survive. Those businesses that are staying afloat are having to cut costs, including reducing staff salaries and even declaring redundancies as revenues thin out. Businesses that depend on other businesses for their custom are hardest hit. Like those in the advertising industry.

So, what will the advertising agency business look like post-covid19?

1. The rise of the Webinar

One of the trends that will greatly impact the advertising industry is the now almost ubiquitous dependence on the Internet for business, social and personal interactions. The Coronavirus crisis has proven that for certain categories of work, working from home can be extremely effective and one does not need to commute to the office every morning in order to deliver and get work done. Meetings are being held online. Work is performed and delivered over the internet and payments made and received electronically. Consumers too have found out that it is relatively cheaper in time and financial cost to interact online. More and more people will get online to work, shop, chat and get entertained. As a result, online platforms that support these activities will sprout and flourish. Advertising will follow these platforms online. This will accelerate the death of traditional advertising forms as more and more of us consume advertising online.

2. The "Uberization" of talent

Or, as some people call it, the rise of the "gig" economy.

As businesses struggle to stay afloat, more and more talented people will find themselves unable to hold down "permanent" jobs as we know them. These talented men and women will start pitching their skills to the highest bidder. This is already manifest in the advertising industry as some agencies that I know are already managing cost by commissioning work to freelance designers, writers, media planners and even account management executives. What’s more, the preponderance of work online will only reinforce the “gig” economy.

3. The advertising industry will consolidate.

Agencies are taking drastic measures to cut costs to stay afloat. The ultimate survival trick will be agencies coming together voluntarily and pooling resources. The fittest agencies in this game of survival will be those that successfully come together to take advantage of the economies of scale afforded by consolidation.

4.  “In-housing" of suppliers.

Ad agencies rely on a host of third party suppliers when executing the final product. Photographers, film makers, music and sound production experts all come into play at the tail end of the creative cycle. As technology converges, many of these functions become more accessible both technically and financially. Employing continuously emergent technology, the agencies that survive will either build production capability in-house, or partner with companies that are doing this in order to take advantage of the resultant economies and cost savings. This trend is already visible in agencies in more developed markets where a lot of third party production work is being folded into the agencies through M&As or via new startups within the agencies.  

5. The death of the creative pitch.

Even in the best of times, when the ad industry was buzzing and humming along at full throttle, the speculative pitch has always been a controversial way to gauge an agency's ability to manage a potential clients' advertising. In such speculative pitches, agencies are asked to develop speculative solutions to hypothetical problems of which they may not have full knowledge, for potential clients who's key strategic business issues they may not be fully aware. These speculative pitches are often made at the expense of current paying clients from whom time and other resources are taken away for this speculation to happen.

As revenues thin out in a difficult economy, agencies will be keen to avoid the wastage associated with hypothetical pitch processes and start a drive towards thrifty and more practical methods of evaluating agencies' capabilities.

Alvas Onguru is our CCO and Joint Managing Partner. He tweets from  @alvas

[ogplusa]

The Making of OG+A 2.0

One of our collaborative and all-inclusive little in-house project code named "OG+A website 2.0" has finally come full circle with the launch of our new website at www.oga.co.ke

Based on the strategic insight that prospective clients want to see what their communication will look beforehand, the new site is designed to portray our work in its best light, employing large, inviting visuals of previous work.

And so, we selected the "Carousel 5": Five large visuals that best represent ground-breaking or category-defining work across several industries and genres.

These 5 do the job of the "welcome committee" into the website.

Another new feature is the Work section of the site, where another initial selection of 9 bits of work have been converted into video case studies, which keep populating as more video case studies become available.

Finally, as digital media becomes more engrained in popular culture, our social media assets have been collapsed into the Culture section of the site with direct links to our Twitter, facebook and Instagram pages.

Enjoy the visit.

[ogplusa]

Lots of laughter as OG+A upgrades with StarTimes

The challenge

For their 2017 Christmas promotion, pay-TV brand, StarTimes Kenya wanted to;

Increase rate of new subscriptions

Increase % of active subscriptions

Achieve top of mind awareness

Change brand perception from "foreign" to "Kenyan" brand

 The BIG Idea

Further insights revealed that entertainment is about characters, stars, personalities and people. And that audiences identify with and have an emotional connection with their favourite characters.

And so we selected Kenya's funniest man at the moment, Seven Oduor Dede, famously known as the comedian DJ Shiti as the campaign’s anchor man, with the two-pronged strategy of drawing viewers to our communication using their favourite comedian as well as snippets of their favourite shows, while at the same time communicating the Christmas offer.

TV Commercials

Click on the links below to watch all the TV commercials

Family TVC

SpongeBob TVC

Neymar TVC

OOH - Billboards

Brochures

Digital

Facebook

Twitter

[ogplusa]

Rebellion: Is it ever worth it?

Ever wonder how our world would look if we all stood for something?

Meaning Uprising or Insurrection, rebellion is a refusal of Obedience or order, openly resisting against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and then manifests itself by the refusal to submit or to obey the authority responsible for this situation. It is important to note that rebellion can be as a collective or individually.

 Characteristics of a rebel

Rebels prefer being independent and do not like being told what to do, they would rather be on the other side – giving orders rather than taking them

Rebels don’t require a situation to be WRONG or BORING to choose another option or viewpoint. They do so because they feel like it even if the current situation seems PERFECT to others. Besides, nobody likes to be restrained in any way

Rebels dislike bowing down to authority so easily or accepting the status quo of the situation without question

 The perks of rebelling

Rebels are generally well-meaning and intelligent, besides being passionate, compassionate and determined individuals

 They have great potential to explore and lead others through uncharted waters

 At times it can be exciting to be around them

 They are original thinkers and show courage in the face of overwhelming opposition

 The enthusiasm of a rebel is very admirable whether or not you agree with their conviction

Negatives of rebelling

Rebels habitually challenge authority wherever it exists, which can have a number of negative consequences

 It can aggravate relationships with work colleagues

Their creativity can be embarrassing for others, such as when it comes to defending or showcasing unconventional ideas (i.e. wearing outrageous clothes or hairstyles to work just to make a point)

Don’t expect a rebel to be on friendly terms with you if you are the kind of person who accepts the status quo

In the extreme, rebellious personalities can be undiplomatic and disruptive

So, how do I do it?

When dealing with rebels at work, home, or in your social circle, understand that these people – like everyone – have a long history that shaped their personalities; their rebelliousness is not impulsive, nor is it designed to give others a hard time just because it’s fun to do so.

Many, if not all, rebels are psychologically driven by a false sense of superiority and wounded sense of powerlessness stemming from early childhood experiences. Their rebelliousness can be seen as a compensatory mechanism. If you understand this, it can help you feel compassion for the rebel.

If you think you can sway a rebel easily with logical arguments, you need to think again; hardcore rebels thrive off intellectual challenges and often have the most convincing viewpoints.

Show the rebel that you respect their views, even if you don’t agree with them. This way you will help defuse, rather than intensify any defiant stance.

When working with a rebel give them space to express their own ideas and use concrete outcomes to show the rebel whether their ideas were good ones or

Are you a rebel?

You know you are a true rebel if you:

Find the mere thought of accepting authority spine-tingling

Have a strong preference for doing things your way

Find yourself automatically nominated for leadership positions in group settings

Stick to your convictions, even if they go against the grain and get you into trouble

Are prepared to live and die alone rather than have your freedom to think for yourself restrained by the needs or desires of a partner?

How can I curb bad rebellion?

Since you value independent thinking and can be persuaded by logic, reflect on the fact that independence and a sense of freedom are not necessarily cancelled out by cooperation and acceptance – neither is cooperation inferior to independence.

Rebelliousness doesn’t mean being irresponsible. You know this, but not everyone sees it that way. Keep this in mind when you express your views.

Living a balanced life is key – learn to strike a balance between compromise, cooperation, and independence.

This article uses extracts from a presentation made by Eliakim Kichoi, a Traffic Manager at OG+A, during our weekly Knowledge Exchange (KXC) presentations.

[ogplusa]

The “notification and likes” pandemic

Yes, is does affect a lot of us. Here’s some tips to staying safe – Online

Social media sites have taken over our lives. How did social media actually influence our life and the society in general? In my opinion, it has had a positive impact.  But it doesn’t mean I don’t see the backside of the coin. 

In 2016, statistics had it that the average person is connected to at least three devices, with this gradually increasing to probably 10 to 15 devices by 2025.

1.    Impact of Addiction to SNSs

Inhibits Creativity and Decreases Physical Activity

Due to addiction to social media, people become alienated from outside life – no breath of fresh air, jostling to interact with people virtually, they often forget to engage with those proximate to them – their friends and family. Addiction to social media also hinders the victim’s creativity as their capacity to think originally is replaced by the ease of accessing information on-line, eliminating the need to use their own perceptions. By hooking people to the screen, addiction to social media also restricts opportunities for physical movement.

Affects Communication Skills

The generation’s obsession with social media has had an impact on the way we communicate. Most of the virtual society relies on abbreviations and emoji’s to express their emotions. Awkwardly enough, and some might argue this, this goes a long way in affecting how we articulate ourselves specifically in writing, all you LOL and TBH people. Humans are social animals and are supposed to interact with each other directly; When people are addicted to social media, although they interact with people they lose the ability to emote due to a straitjacket range of channels of communication.

Social networking should be used to work in a smart way to gather information, communicate, bring people with common interests together.

A False Sense of Connection

According to Cornell University's Steven Strogatz, social media sites can make it more difficult for us to distinguish between the meaningful relationships we foster in the real world and the numerous casual relationships formed through social media. By focusing so much of our time and psychic energy on these less meaningful relationships, our most important connections, he fears, will weaken.

All little too much? Trust me, there’s more…

Privacy

Social networking sites encourage people to be more public about their personal lives. Because intimate details of our lives can be posted so easily, users are prone to bypass the filters they might normally employ when talking about their private lives. What's more, the things they post remain available indefinitely.

Staying safe 101 (Okay, here’s the actual ‘stay safe’ guide)

•       Use a strong password.  The longer it is, the more secure it will be.

•       Use a different password for each of your social media accounts.

•       Set up your security answers.  This two-factor authentication is available for most social media sites.

•       If you have social media apps on your phone, be sure to password protect your device.

•       Be selective with friend requests. If you don’t know the person, don’t accept their request.  It could be a fake account.

•       Click links with caution.  Social media accounts are regularly hacked.  Look out for language or content that does not sound like something your friend would post.

•       Be careful about what you share. Don’t reveal sensitive personal information ie: home address, financial information, phone number.  The more you post the easier it is to have your identity stolen.

•       Become familiar with the privacy policies of the social media channels you use and customize your privacy settings to control who sees what.

•       Protect your computer by installing anti-virus software to safeguard.  Also ensure that your browser, operating system, and software are kept up to date.

•       Remember to log off when you’re done.

And, safety for the organization? Yes, we’ve covered that too

1. Create a social media policy

Create a social media policy and procedures to protect your company. Make sure to consult all relevant parties, whether that’s executives, IT, legal, security and compliance, or PR beforehand. Clearly define the dos and don’ts on every social channel for engagement and employee advocacy. Include best practices, guidelines, and procedures on how your organization plans to implement training and enforce proper use

2. Establish social media training

Reinforce your social media policy with in-depth training. This will bring any potential issues or gaps in security to light. Social media education is the best way to arm your business against avoidable human error. Walk your employees and advocates through what they can and cannot share, how to use secure social media tools, and what an unsafe link or social account looks like.

3. Limit social media access

Only give publishing access to employees who have been fully trained in the social policy, procedures, and technologies that protect your brand. Give as much or as little access to publishing on all or specific channels, assign team leaders, and approve communications before they are public. Always keep track of who has access to what.

4. Put someone in charge

Social media is a full-time job. At least one person should be fully trained and educated in social media best practices and policies. They should monitor your brand’s presence, listen for related conversations, oversee training, and security, as well as manage who has publishing access. Having someone act as the eyes and ears of social is a big step in mitigating risk.

Still not convinced? Cool, check out the video below you borderline addict, yes you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGU8yjjJXD8

This article uses extracts from a presentation made by Victor Opiyo, an Art Director at OG+A during our weekly Knowledge Exchange (KXC) Programme.

[ogplusa]

How our beliefs drive progress

Fixed Vs Growth: The two basic mindsets that shape our lives

“If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve”

The first step that is important to note is that an inquiry into the power of our beliefs, both conscious and unconscious, and how changing even the simplest of them can have a profound impact on nearly every aspect of our lives.

THE FIXED MIND

A “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we CAN’T change in any meaningful way.

This further leads to the belief that success is the affirmation of that inherent intelligence - an assessment of how those givens measure up against an equally fixed standard; striving for success and avoiding failure at all costs become a way of maintaining the sense of being smart or skilled.

 THE GROWTH MINDSET

A “growth mindset,” on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for GROWTH and for stretching our existing abilities.

Out of these two mindsets, which we manifest from a very early age, springs a great deal of:

• Our behavior

• Our relationship with success and failure in both professional and personal contexts

• Ultimately our capacity for happiness

The come up! This was the process, it is evident from the cues that the ‘Kiboko’ is close by. A clear representation of a fixed mindset being embedded

The other option was being presented with the opportunity to explore and grow

However, it is fundamental for us to stop and think of how these two would look side by side and clearly establish what it is that distinguishes them – making them truly unique

So? Why adopt a ‘growth mindset?’

At the heart of what makes the “growth mindset” so winsome, is that it creates a passion for learning rather than a hunger for approval. These may be draconian standards to positive living and eventual happiness, but, guess what? They still work and well at that!

Its promise is the belief that human qualities like intelligence and creativity, and even interpersonal abilities like love and friendship, can be cultivated through effort and deliberate practice – constantly.

Failure is a NO-NO for these people, it may happen but it dictates nothing! Absolutely nothing! But why?  The thing is, they don’t actually see themselves as failing in those situations — they see themselves as learning.

What does this have to do with me then?

By know, we should be aware that your mind is your own dominion. This idea, of course, isn’t new — if anything, it’s the endgame of self-help books and vacant “You can do anything!” expressions which honestly are getting tired…

However, this is rooted in hard research on how the mind — especially the developing mind — works, identifying the mindsets core drivers and how the can be moulded and eventually reprogrammed which has its limits depending on how deep you let one in

Trapped in the Mental Matrix

Still? Where do I come in?

If you’re indeed understanding anything from this excerpt, then this is a question that should be in repeat mode in the edges of your mind. People with the fixed mindset see risk and effort as potential giveaways of their inadequacies, revealing that they come up short in some way. But the relationship between mindset and effort is a two-way street.

TWO WORLDS EXIST...

In one,

Failure is about having a setback. Getting a bad grade. Losing a tournament. Getting fired. Getting rejected. It means you’re not smart or talented.

 In the other,

Failure is about not growing. Not reaching for the things you value. It means you’re not fulfilling your potential.

Basically, In one world, effort is a bad thing. It, like failure, means you’re not smart or talented. If you were, you wouldn’t need effort. In the other world, effort is what makes you smart or talented

It all boils down to this. A mindset is an interpretative process that tells us what is going on around us. fixed mindsets score the process as internal monologue - constant judging and evaluation. Every piece of info is used to evaluate.

On the other hand, in the growth mindset, the internal monologue is not one of judgment but one of an uncontrollable appetite for learning - constantly seeking out the kind of input that you can metabolize into learning and constructive action.

This presentation uses excerpts from a presentation made by Samuel Onyando, a Copywriter at OG+A, during our weekly Knowledge Exchange (KXC) Programme

[ogplusa]

Going green for the team

Going green is not easy, but it is certainly exciting

If left unchecked, not encouraging green culture will be a major issue yet climate change and environmental sustainability has been very critical for organisations. Organisations are encouraged to become more environmentally friendly in their operations. However, going green by organisations has never really taken off. In order to attain the goals of going green, organisations need to create an environment that promotes green culture among the employees. Going green is not an easy process, it is not innate knowledge for most people and has to be carefully cultivated until it is in tune with the culture of any organisation. There are various activities that organisations can get involved in order to grow ‘going green’ culture.

Changing employee behaviour for sustainability

A green culture calls for an organisation that focuses on personnel systems and conductions. An organisation has to develop interventions which improve green organisational performance. This entails managers understanding the attitudes and behaviour of the employees towards sustainability- establishing positive sustainable behaviour. Communication and education on sustainable practices and behaviour are very critical. However, change of behaviour is usually a challenging task. Some levels may lack commitment to sustainability programs. In order to influence everyone to support green practices, the company should have open forums where everyone can give their ideas regarding sustainability.

Employee engagement

Employee engagement is critical for successful sustainability practices. The top management has to establish initiatives that focus on internal grassroots efforts. One way of doing this is by mobilising employees to support programs that support business and environmental sustainability.

Employee motivation

Management has to motivate, influence, and inspire the employees to support and adopt sustainable practices within and beyond the organisation. The officer in charge of the corporate social responsibility should have the ability to motivate all the employees to take part in the CSR green initiatives. Great persuasion skills by the green messenger can help in making the implementation of sustainability program successful.

Teamwork and open communication

Organisations have to establish effective communication channels which ensure that the message being communicated to employees about sustainability remains consistent through the organisation. There is a need to maintain a sense of trust, clarity, and transparency among all the members of the organisation. Considering its reach, the internet is the preferred channel to raise awareness of the environmental issues and support green teams. Establishment of green portals that support the interaction of the employees so that they can share best practices or get guidance regarding the implementation of the ideas that promote environmental sustainability. The green teams that are formed within the organisations should be able to brainstorm and share the best practices, exploring common interests and issues.

It is essential for all of today’s businesses to realise that going green is not a stunt: it is a sound strategy to grow your business

If your organisation is considering going green, here is a link to apps that can help facilitate that:

https://zapier.com/learn/forms-surveys/best-data-collection-apps/

This article uses extracts from a presentation made by Paul Sibuor, an accountant at OG+A, during our weekly Knowledge Exchange KXC Programme

[ogplusa]

A guide to interpreting body language

Have you ever been in a situation where the vibes you get just don't cut it? Then this is for you

Body language is a type nonverbal communication in which physical behaviour, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. However, these signals may be silent messages communicated through the sender’s body movements, facial expressions, voice tone and loudness.

The university of Pennsylvania reported that 70% of communication is body language,23% is voice tone and inflexion, and only 7% is spoken words!

The goal is to be able to match your verbal expressions with your body language and also interpret others

Picture yourself talking to someone with their arms folded. What impression does that give you - does this mean they are feeling defensive? With their arms acting as barriers?

Or does this mean they are feeling superior and are making a judgment?

Fortunately for you, there’s a solution with the answers depending on five points researchers look at when interpreting body language referred to as the 5C’s

1.Cues: When we act, is not a stand-alone thing. We do and say things in a response to what others do and say. These external events act as cues (triggers) that stimulate internal responses. When you see someone with a particular body shape, a good question to ask is, “what just happened that have led to possible interpretations of body language?”

 2.Changes: A very important thing to watch out for is transitions, here body language changes from open to closed information e.g. someone stops talking and there is an awkward silence. When you see a change in body language, look for cues that may have triggered the transition e.g. when someone is lying and is asked a revealing question he looks away. Sales people have over the years perfected this with the ability to watch for a change in body language, such as leaning forward and positive responses to subtle cues which act as indicators of customers being convinced.

 3.Clusters: While body language change can appear as single events, they often appear as a group of different movements that occur together or one after the other. For example, a person may shift their stance, cross their arms, lean backwards slightly. When you combine all of this, they can be an indication of disagreement. This may happen where each has a similar meaning, or where the whole assembly of movements combines for a single meaning.

 4. Character: A person who is more extroverted for example, may display frequent large body movements while an introverted person uses concise gestures. It is easy to confuse personal traits such as exhibitionism and timidity and can easily misinterpret body signals e.g. people act differently in different situations. 

  5.Context: This is a crucial factor to consider when reading body language is the broader context that may influence how people think, feel or act. What is going on in the immediate environment can have a clear effect

 To further test your skills when it comes to reading body language, follow the link: http://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/3764

 This article uses extracts from a presentation made by Sean Njuguna, an intern at OG+A, during our week Knowledge Exchange (KXC) Programme

[ogplusa]

Typography Speaks Louder Than Words

The role of Typography in growing Your Business

In today’s paper (Apr 12, 2017) High Court judge, Justice Roselyne Aburili refused to give direction on an urgent case because the font used was too small. Yes, that’s right. The wheels of justice will stop spinning if you choose the wrong font. Yet despite the law recognizing its importance most people never think about typography. People generally deny that fonts have an effect on them. They’ll probably claim to be immune to them.

Typography is 95% of design and without it, ‘communication’ would merely be a word in the dictionary – still not warranting your attention probably due to use of the wrong font type. Imagine reading a magazine, checking out a website, playing with an app or watching the news without text? As much as we overlook it, the choice of font, the typefaces we use in our presentations and ads have a tacit effect on our target audience.

 There 4 things that typography can do for your biashara:

1. Convey Emotion: When used correctly, type can convey an intended mood. For instance, using serifs like Georgia gives your brand an air of traditional sophistication. On the other hand, san serifs such as Arial & Century Gothic are associated with objectivity and being modern. To set the tone for your communication, it is imperative to choose the right font.

 2. Keep the reader’s attention: Craig Ward said, “Bad typography is everywhere. Good typography is invisible” Typography is utilitarian in that it shouldn’t call attention to itself, but rather give this attention to the message being conveyed. Allowing the reader to focus on the content and not the formatting is key. Like salt in food, typography is often noticed when it’s lacking or it’s too much.

 3. Establishes information hierarchy: A font can completely change an intended message depending on how or where you use it. Using different font sizes, your reader is able to establish what information should be given the most attention. Your core message becomes clearer even at a glance.

 4. Creates & builds Brand Recognition: As we had established earlier, most of your communication will be text heavy. For your audience to recognize you at any place or time you must be consistent with good typography. Here is an example; in 2009 PepsiCo’s orange juice brand Tropicana underwent a major rebrand, changing its classic font to a hip, sans-serif font.

Within 2 months, sales were down by a humongous 20%. This cost them millions of dollars in revenue. They quickly changed back to the original.

 To help you on your typography journey, here is a short video on basic typography principles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrNi9FmdlxY&t=108s

 Deciding on a visual direction can be hard. Don’t hesitate to bring in the professionals if you’re not totally sure where to start! We are not only capable of helping you, but excited to work collaboratively and figure out the next big step to strengthen your brand. Drop us an email at [email protected] or give us a call on [phone]

This article was written by Michael Kiruthi, an Art Director at OG+A.

[ogplusa]

This is why I’m always late

It's not always rudeness or being abstracted - it could be something more deep-seated 

I love headlines like this. They make you feel like the person who wrote the post and you have a mutual friendship. A kind of shared understanding on why a particular thing is the way it is. So when I stumbled upon the headline “Optimistic People Have One thing in Common: They are always Late” I had to stop what I was doing and nod my head at every single point.

 It so happens that late people are the best kind of human beings. Not only are we an optimistic bunch, we are filled with hope.

We see the bigger picture because we have learned to live in the moment. We live longer due to this optimism. I’ve never felt prouder of being late.

“People with a tendency for tardiness like to stop and smell the roses. Life was never meant to be planned down to the last detail. Remaining excessively attached to timetables signifies an inability to enjoy the moment.”

But wait. I hate late people. It’s one of the things I like the least about myself. I’m late because I’m insane.

There are 2 types of lateness according to Tim Urban of the Wait But Why blog:

·        Okay Lateness which doesn’t negatively affect anyone. Like being a bit late to a birthday party of your colleague's second child.

·        Not-Okay Lateness which does negatively affect other people. Think, being late to a meeting or anything that can’t start until one person has arrived.

We all have been okay late sometimes, and it doesn’t hurt anyone. No big deal, right? But the second type of lateness, no one should be okay with being not-okay late. People who are chronically not-okay late either don’t feel bad about it (such people are the worst) or feel horrible about being late and hate themselves for it. The former are extremely narcissistic and unappealing. There is nothing more to be said about such people.

However, the latter, who we shall call C.L.I.Ps (Chronically Late Insane Person) don’t think that their behaviour is fine, yet they continue to do it. They constantly chastise themselves for being late, yet it continues to happen. A reliable way to identify a CLIP is a bizarre compulsion to defeat themselves—some deep inner drive to inexplicably miss the beginning of movies, crush their own reputation at work, etc. etc. As much as they may hurt others, they usually hurt themselves even more.

Here is an example of how a CLIP’s mind works:

I’m sure every CLIP has his/her own way of entrapping him or herself, but some recurring reasons are:

1.     Denial of how time works: We underestimate how time works and things tend to run over the allocated time slots. We remember the one time it took us 15 minutes to get to work from home, forgetting that we take at least an hour every other day. So when we leave with thirty minutes on the clock, we think that for once, we might be early.

2.     We are averse to change: Transitioning from one activity to another is difficult. The next task might even be more enjoyable, but the process of stopping what you’re doing, organizing what you need for the next task and then starting the task feels like stubbing your small toe against furniture.

So that’s why we are always late—because we are insane. Don’t excuse the CLIPs in your life. So my advice to people with CLIP friends is to understand two things that will help you not get frustrated;

·        Thing 1: Stop waiting for them. Go into the movie without them, go get dinner without them, go to the gym without them, etc. This is a pretty unfriendly thing to do mind you. But it will help them realize that constantly being late is also an unfriendly thing to do because it indirectly implies their time is more important than yours. 

·        Thing 2: If you don't choose Thing 1, you don't really reserve the right to be frustrated (once their lateness becomes a clear pattern). That's because if you keep waiting for them, then you clearly value them more than their chronic lateness detracts from their value. Meaning, their presence, albeit untimely, is still valued more than their absence. Focus on that value.

-This essay uses extracts from a presentation by  Michael Kiruthi during our weekly Knowledge Exchange (KXC) Programme

[ogplusa]

TO READ THIS OR NOT TO? YOU DECIDE

The Strange Ways We Make Decisions

We make decisions every single waking moment of our lives. These range from choosing what to have for breakfast to whether you need to recruit new employees for your company. Decisions range from the trivial to the profound, and we often consider our decision making processes to be rational. But, how often do you make the right decision?

 To examine this let’s have a look at the 3 types of decision-making processes. These are:

•   Intuitive decision-making model

•   Rational decision-making model

•   Recognition-primed decision-making model

 Intuitive Decision-Making Model

You probably know someone who is very aware of their feelings or instincts and uses them as guides to decision-making. These types of feelings are instinctive and rely on intuition and not facts. In fact, intuition is the ability to have a grasp on a situation or information without the need for reasoning.

People use this type of decision making when facts are unavailable or when decisions are difficult in nature. Like that time you had to order something first at a restaurant you’d never been to and didn’t recognise anything on the menu. Or when you’re lost on Thika Road and have to make a choice on which direction to take. 

Military schools historically utilise rational, analytical models. It is also long been recognised, however, that once the enemy is engaged the analytical model may do more harm than good. History is full of examples where battles have more often been lost by a leader's failure to make a decision than by his making a poor one. Stalin's early indecision at the German Invasion in World War II cost millions of lives and untold destruction; a war which could have been over much more quickly dragged on and left Western Europe shattered and financially exhausted.

         "A good plan, executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week. “

These days the military are educating the soldiers of every rank in how to make intuitive decisions. Information overload, lack of time and chaotic conditions are poor conditions for rational models. Instead of improving their rational decision making, the army has turned to intuitive decision models. Why? Because they work!

In running a business, quick decision making in uncritical situations will enable you to make better decisions later when facts are unavailable.

 Rational Decision-Making Model

This is when individuals use analysis, facts and a step-by-step process to come to a decision. Rational decision making is a precise, analytical process that companies use to come up with a fact-based decision.

Steps of a rational decision-making model

Step 1: Try to clearly define the nature of the problem. This first step is very important.

Step 2: Gather relevant information. This step involves both internal and external “work.” Some information is internal: you’ll seek it through a process of self-assessment. Other information is external: you’ll find it online, from other people and other sources.

Step 3: Identify the alternatives. Use your imagination and additional information to construct new alternatives. In this step, you will list all possible and desirable alternatives.

Step 4: Evaluate whether the need identified in Step 1 would be met or resolved through the use of each alternative. As you go through this difficult internal process, you’ll begin to favour certain alternatives.

Step 5: Choose among alternatives once you have weighed all the evidence, you are ready to select the alternative that seems to be the best one for you. You may even choose a combination of alternatives.

Step 6: Take action by beginning to implement the alternative you chose in Step 5.

Step 7: Review your decision & its consequences. If the decision has not met the identified need, you may want to repeat certain steps of the process to make a new decision.

Recognition-primed decision-making model

Psychologist Dr.Gary Klein has been studying decision making for many years and he suggests we use an intuitive approach 90% of the time. His recognition primed decision-making model describes that in any situation there are cues or hints that allow people to recognise patterns. Obviously the more experience someone has, the more patterns they will be able to recognise.

Based on the pattern, the person will choose a particular course of action. They mentally rehearse it and if they think it will work, they do it. If they don't think it will work, they choose another, and mentally rehearse that. As soon as they find one that they think will work, they do it. Again past experience and learning plays a big part here.

There is no actual comparison of choices, but rather a cycling through choices until an appropriate one is found. Obviously, people become better with this over time as they have more experiences and learn more patterns.

As business people and creatives, it is imperative that we immerse ourselves in our fields and go both deep and wide. We will be able to recognise more patterns (going wide) interrogate them and thus make our decisions quicker and more accurately.

As Malcolm Gladwell put it in his book, BLINK, “ The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding.”

- This essay uses extracts from a presentation by Cynthia Kahura during our weekly Knowledge Exchange  (KXC) Programme.

[ogplusa]

Last week's KXC by George Kinyua highlighted the fact that online presence is moving from "nice to have" to an essential component for any business.

Last week's KXC by George Kinyua highlighted the fact that online presence is moving from "nice to have" to an essential component for any business.  

[ogplusa]

Is IQ alone the basis of one’s smartness? Well, Last week’s interactive Knowledge Exchange programme led by Jessy Muhia sought to show other kinds of intelligence in addition to intellect.

[ogplusa]

Is IQ alone the basis of one’s smartness? Well, Last week’s interactive Knowledge Exchange programme led by Jessy Muhia sought to show other kinds of intelligence in addition to intellect.

[ogplusa]

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

Fresh brew — coffee of course — wafts in the studio air. Typically, I would part of the stampede rushing towards the kitchen but I’m here, trying to finish this up before all the “fiends” finish the all the good stuff. ‘Njaanuary’ blues are a wrap but I’m at my desk having Monday blues - the day before Valentine’s (spare me)

At lot of creative stuff happened in the studio last year, clients were happy, bridges were made…some were burnt, nonetheless we thrived. The dudes learnt how to be creative, outside the studio too (congrats to Mr & Mrs. Njihia, Mr & Mrs. Sibuor) — you see! Thriving as usual.

Anyway so as the curtains fell on 2016 (what a year btw), the OG+A team decided to ‘tembea Kenya’ and we headed out to the foothills of Mt. Kenya. The location was Chaka ranch for a chilled out day — at least that’s what we thought.

(Of course on our way we managed to spot some of the creative work we had done)

So the guys at Chaka had some team building activities lined up for us, the coffee lovers and junk food enthusiasts were happy until they found out it entailed physical exercises— you should have seen the dismay everyone’s face. Throughout the activities, you could tell the guys who had been keeping fit throughout the year…Nobody.  We were certainly not ready.

During the tower challenge, Alvo thought it was the tower of Pizza attempting to reach the top to claim that prize — bragging rights. It soon become the leaning tower of Pisa. Just like Newton, most guys discovered gravity on that day as they came plunging down the tower.

 All in all, the two teams managed to cream most of the challenges that were laid upon our path (during the mid-morning session), without a doubt no weapons forged against us prevailed. One thing was that the time we spent catching our breath after the activities was way longer than the time we took doing the exercises, #truestory

You could easily tell the instructors were getting irritated but heck! The idea was for us to have fun – let off some steam… Besides, they (the instructors of course) weren’t with us ‘tingain’ all those late night and weekend briefs… God damn, what a year it was.

 The cave obstacle brought out the primitivity out of most guys in the OG+A team. It was just as intense as the others as it literally sucked the life out of ‘some’ ogplusarians. As guys went in one by one, part of the team was not emerging from the other end * no pun intended* owing to its complicated twists and turns.

In the spirit of catching our breath, we managed to abscond the afternoon activities lined up for us - guys were finished and famished!

Batteries re-charged, off to the tracks! All the carismatic motor heads we excited, carefully selecting their machines of choice. Poji tried to bring the ‘ninja samurai’ alter ego to life on the tracks (yes we were all surprised). He disbursed tweets like tenders from his phone as his quadbike rode itself *no pun intended* ‘misplacing’ his phone in the process, again, the ‘perks’ that come with being the social media guy. No worries though, the guy just made Steve Jobs smile wherever he is — Poji is now part of the IPhone team.

Our team celebrity ‘Vicmas Luodollar’ competed against himself as he netted in all the balls with precision, edging his team forward. Nobody came close, he was simply on point!

One challenge required guys to literally hit each other with hammers (spongy of course). The scheming was obvious on the faces of the OG+A team, talk about ‘kumaliza mwaka na mtu’. Fortunately for all of us, our accountant was missing in action on that particular day - he would have finished everyone off as is seen on Mortal Kombat or the Tekken video games. Stix showed everyone what he is made of by making sure he was the last man standing, clearly our accountant made his presence felt through Stix on that particular day.

 (Antony in action!)

(The satisfied look on Antony’s face afterwards…)

(Mike with @Jumpman23 ambitions. Do you think the made the shot?)

 (Swish! Of course he did… One time!)

 Kichoi the Pytho pack leader found his place sometime in the evening which he spent with his team, myself included (I am not embarrassed at all) *High 5’s Kichoi*. Guys chowed down as the cold breeze from the mountain hit us. Nobody felt the cold until we regrouped on WhatsApp the next day, wondering why our bones were aching and so severely at that. Must have been the team building activities mixed with the cold air.

 As we slowly descended back into the smog filled city — that’s Nairobi btw — after an eventful day, we couldn’t help but notice the dynamics on the highway and how they operate — on the other side. Despite maintaining the speed limit, we were stopped at every police check (literally all of them) as overloaded pick-ups cruised past us. At some point the cops were even waving at the pick-up drivers who promptly waved back, perhaps just to say hi *sips tea…Coffee*

Maybe after thorough research it can be a story to be told another day.

[ogplusa]

This article was written by Samuel Onyando, a copywriter at OG+A

[ogplusa]

[ogplusa]

In the beginning was the idea…

(Or: an unconventional review of John Hunt’s book, ‘THE ART OF THE IDEA’)

 John Hunt worked with Sam Nhlengethwa to create a fantastic book that is at once a meditation and a guide on the concept of ideas, how to find them and what to do after you find them.

His book makes for a fun and interactive illustrated read that is structured around 20 observations.

Here are some of the notes I made on each of his observations.

 1.     YOU GET SUNRISE OR SUNSET PEOPLE

-          Great ideas come from quiet people who take stimuli from their surroundings, but work in solitude with their mind.

 2.     LEMMINGS HAVE PLANS TOO

-          Do something new every day: get out of your rut and learn something new, whether it be a skill, a new word or a new way of doing something you’ve always done.

-          Beware of habit; it will make a slave out of you. Teach yourself to know when you’re stuck in a rut.

-          Changing only when you have to change usually means it’s too late already.

-          There’s a great comfort in tracking the footsteps of those in front of you. That way, you don’t have to worry about where you’re going.

-          Embrace the chaos.

 3.     IDEAS HAVE MOODS

-          Many great ideas happen when you’re not trying too hard.

-          Nothing new will happen if it first has to pass some internal sameness test.

-          People are scared to float or accept an idea that’s not wrapped in its completeness. It’s critical, therefore, that as ideas take their first steps in the real world, they’re made to feel welcome.

-          Ideas love to bounce off each other.

-          The real value of an idea is to see how far you can push it.

 4.     WE ARE ALL EQUAL BEFORE THE IDEA

-          We tend to ask the same people in the same space to come up with something new. This is wrong.

-          Ideas have no class system.

-          Declare an idea democracy.

 5.     LOGIC IS KRYPTONITE

-          With regard to logic, always ask yourself: “Whose logic said an idea will or will not work, and in what set of circumstances was that logic applied?”

-          Remember, the word “Illogical is not necessarily negative.

-          Give logic a seat down the table, right at the tail-end of the idea. Don’t introduce it too early into the idea-forming process or else it will kill it.

-          Keep logic in its place.

 6.     I GOOGLE THEREFORE I AM NOT

-          Information is not an idea.

-          We’re in the business of trying something new.

-          Information is not insight. Insight is the high fibre we get from information and 90% of the time, the immediate precursor to an idea.

-          Insight appears when you look for meaning instead of looking for facts.

  7.     TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS OR THEY WILL GO AWAY

-          Fewer and fewer people are paying attention to what their gut is trying to tell them.

-          Sometimes you know before you know why.

  8.     INCREMENTAL CHANGE IS FINE IF YOU’RE A GLACIER

-          If you’re going to leap you might as well quantum leap.

-          Big ideas have a “what if?” quality.

 9.     EXPEDIENCY IS NOT AN IDEA

-          A good idea should not be compromised.

-          It’s difficult to have an idea in a place that stands for nothing.

-          For ideas to work, they have to bounce off something of substance. If they are just walked through one compromise after another, they lose their power.

  10.  EMBRACE DIVERSITY, IT’LL HUG YOU BACK

 -          You want people in the room who don’t think like you.

-          Don’t have an intellectual country club; don’t have intellectual incest.

-          Diversity is multi-source intelligence.

-          It’s much easier to create something new if the building blocks are different.

 11.  AN IDEA IS A PARADIGM SHIFTING MOMENT THAT FORWARD PROJECTS FUTURE POTENTIAL IN AN INITIALLY ETHEREAL BUT PROGRESSIVELY TANGIBLE MANNER

-          Don’t be the person who doesn’t really want good ideas but just wants to discuss them at length.

-          Original thinking comes from making an idea simple.

-          Talk about ideas and then think them through. Always.

 12.  NEVER PUT LIPSTICK ON A GUN

-          If the premise is false, the whole idea structure will fall.

-          Hype is not an idea. Hype, by nature, is built to fizzle away. An idea, on the other hand, is built to lead. And to last.

-          Remember, the packaging of an idea is *not the idea.

 13.  THINK ABOUT THE THOUGHT POLICE

-          Beware of the high priests of conventional wisdom.

-          Conventional wisdom borrows from habit and being a slave to habit keeps you stuck in a rut.

 14.  THIS JUST IN, WE’RE MORTAL

-          Ideas, like people, die. They have a life span.

-          Only the strongest ideas survive.

-          Speed, properly managed, is your friend. A tight time frame creates FOCUS.

 15.  IDEA APARTHEID IS DEAD

-          Ideas hop from one to the other, shamelessly borrowing from everywhere.

-          Everything is at intersection with something else.

-          You can’t connect different things together if what you’re seeing is always the same.

-          It’s not where the idea comes from; it’s where you’re taking it to.

 16.  NO ONE ORDERS A BOUQUET OF BEIGE FLOWERS

-          If you can’t change the room, change the things in the room.

-          Even a change of view can help bring something original into existence.

 17.  ENTER THE POLITICIAN, EXIT THE IDEA

-          Remember:  

Politics: art of the possible. 

Idea: art of the impossible

 18.  WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE DON’T KNOW UNTIL WE DO WHAT WE DON’T USUALLY DO

-          Keep feeding your mind the unusual.

-          Often, an idea just reveals itself. This revelation is nothing more than an accumulation of all the fresh stimuli that’s been allowed to collect.

-          By keeping your mind fertile, even the tiniest seed of thought has a good chance of growing into something truly extraordinary.

 19.  IDEAS DON’T TRAVEL WELL THROUGH BUREAUCRACY

-          The world rallies behind a cause, not an instruction.

-          It’s your job to be curious.

 20.  IT’S NOT THE CIRCLE OF LIFE, IT’S THE CIRCUS OF LIFE

-          Much of our existence is in the slack of knowing what we’d like to do and the lack of courage to do it.

-          Remember ambiguity is not confusion.

-          Sometimes it pays to revel in the options as you go about pruning them.

-          On inspiration: we know it exists, we just have to learn how to call on it.

Esther Luhumyo is a copywriter at OG+A.

[ogplusa]

Vita, Shangwe and lots of stylish rugby brush strokes!

When the Mwamba Rugby Football Club once again asked us to  develop communication to promote the 2016 edition of their annual George Mwangi Kabeberi Memorial Sevens tournament along with supporting collateral material, the brief landed on Creative Partner, Michael Araka’s desk.

Michael combined his remarkable illustration skills with messaging that evokes Mwamba’s heritage as an African rugby club, resulting in this campaign, comprising three teasers and the final reveal poster, written in Swahili and brought to life with striking visuals.  

You can view the development of the campaign at https://www.behance.net/gallery/41314521/Kabeberi-2016-Kenya