What makes Insurgency a little different - Chapter One

As Insurgency is going into its 4^th year (3 officially, 4 less officially) we have a chance to look back at the clients/partners we have had, the prospects we have talked to, and how we have positioned ourselves to really suss out what makes working with us so unique asa group.

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Initially, we thought of ourselves as problem solvers. Client X would come to us with a problem, and the ask of us was to solve it. The what and the how varied client to client, but it typically had a digital first lens to the solve. And then we would settle in to do the solve. Typically, successful (not always mind you), but clients were kept informed and learning on all steps along the way.

What we have learned though over the years is that the solution and the proposed plan were not the superpowers we seemed to yield. Rather it’s a series of traits (that have since been pointed out to us) that seem to follow us on our journey. We are picking on the word traits because it’s not exclusively process oriented, or even results oriented, but how the world of our insurgents think.

So, as we introduce this series to you, we welcome you to learn more about the various traits we think make up our union. They are not for everyone, but they work for us, and seemingly those who choose to work with us.

Trait #1 – Honesty

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This one seems like a bit of a throw away but let’s break it into parts and lead with the belief that we are all in business to win. However, or whatever winning looks like, we never go into thinking “I do not want to win”. Winning (or hitting objectives if you will) varies depending on what the business goals are, but usually the goals are pre-defined.

Now here is where the honesty element kicks in. Some groups out there get the request from a client, and then they seek to respond to the client. They do it from the creative lens, they do it from a technical lens, they do it from a comms/PR lens. And usually, with next to no judgement, there is an element of make the client happy.

Insurgents do not follow that thinking all the time….

When we get asked a question, we tend to ask a lot of questions before digging into the ask. Why? Because we want to understand the reasoning, the motivations, what is missing, what is not missing so we can craft a solution to the actual problem. And now here comes the rub. We tell the client/prospect the truth BEFORE we go and do anything.

Depending on which team member is involved, the politeness and professionalism will vary, but the unfettered truth does come out. It’s not always pretty mind you, but at least we ALL know where we are starting from.

So why does this matter?

First and foremost, we need everyone to be upfront of what we are trying to solve. Absent of that and not everyone is on the same page.

Second, we need to know what has been done to try and resolve the issue? And to be brutally honest. Why? Why bother trying one thing when it’s been done to death and not working? Change it up and see what other results you may get. And if you (client) keep trying it the same way…why?

Third, sometimes the issue is not really a marketing/advertising/comms issue but could just be a way the-client-is-set-up issue. Meaning the left hand and the right hands are not talking to one another. So do not spend the time/energy/money on resolving something with tactics that have nothing to do with the actual problem.

Examples….give us some examples please….

Client X wants to tell the world that they have the largest database of users because of being in business for north of twenty years.Insurgency gets involved. Sure, the number of entries is correct, but the entirety of the database does not leverage the clients’ services. In fact, some of those have not come back to the site in ten plus years. Honesty? You may have the largest numbers, but no way to confirm if they are actual/still in business/legitimate. Spend some time figuring that out before spending money to engage/grow your audience.

Client Y is being yelled at because they need to promote a new seasonal product (its not selling reports retail). Circumstances (covid plus a national heatwave) makes the Insurgency team raise a few eyebrows. We ask a lot of questions. We send our friends/family members into retail across the country. NONE of the product is available on the shelf. Same with online. Go back to the client and share the findings. Turns out Insurgency was right…issue with internal reporting. Allocated the funds for the campaign to another pressing issue.

Client Z is engaging a new partner and retiring an old one. Can Insurgency take on the role of web management for the new partners? Sure. Who is handling the copy today? Internal resource. Most CMS (Content Management Systems) are set up similarly…maybe you do not need Insurgency for all the support? Let’s investigate the systems together. Confirmed, client can add a page to the existing site structure. Maintenance fees saved and client empowered.

Being right is not always about making the most money you can or billing the greatest number of hours. For us, it’s about showing someone the path. We are always there to support, but time is limited ,and money has limitations. Reach out to us if we can help you maximize both.

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