Great question. And right off the bat, we can confidently say that if we did niche, would you even be here reading this FAQ? Wouldn’t it have been the mother of all coincidences if we had happened to niche into your exact sector or industry?
Philosophy aside, let’s start with a quick introduction. We’re Silverback, and we work with bold brands that are up for challenging convention and get the value of design. If you’ve read that before, it’s because it’s on a home page. But it’s worth saying again.
The key here is “bold brands”. While there are some benefits to “niching” (which we’ll get on to in a bit), our common thread is simply compelling brands who want to make a roar of distinction.
That said, there are some incredibly talented creative agencies out there that do niche, and they do it very well. Power to them. In our immediate circle, we know one agency that specialises in makeup and hair care, and another that specialises in healthcare and dentistry. And why? Well, there are a number of reasons:
A founding interest: Perhaps a founding member of the agency had previous experience in a particular sector and saw a gap in the market.
A client coincidence: Some agencies have pivoted and doubled down on a niche after landing several projects in the same sector, often one client being won thanks to the work with another.
A crazy punt: Yes, it happens. Some get lucky, while others don’t.
We don’t niche. (Or do we?)
By client, industry or sector… No, we don’t. But in a way, we do have a very strong niche of our own, which is brand identity and visual communication. We’re not as broadly encompassing and multi-faceted as some creative agencies are, and that’s by choice. We are all about brand and comms, and within that, our disciplines are design, identity, marketing, and even fun things like motion and video.
By niching into particular creative streams, we can keep ourselves focused, and that has a huge number of benefits.
• When we hire, we know exactly who to look for and what to ask for
• When we pitch, we know exactly what to propose and what to talk about
• When we collaborate, we do it well because we’ve done it a thousand times before
• When we are asked questions, we already have the answers
You could say we’re staying in our lane – only swinging to and from the branches that we know and love. And based on our client feedback, that’s what people seem to like about us. We know our stuff, we can apply it effectively to each and every brief, and most of all, it’s a robust and reliable offering that has gotten us to where we are today.
But you won’t understand our sector
Hmm. We’re going to stop you in your tracks there. We absolutely will understand your sector, because we’ll take time to do so. We do that through Troopwork®, our four-step approach or “parallel process”.
Part one, arguably the most important part of all, is “Discover”.
We jump right into your brand, questioning, researching and strategising. This gets us to the heart of how it’s unique, what makes your audience tick and where other brands in the same space are missing a trick. We like to run a workshop with you, where you share your insights and knowledge, and we talk about initial thoughts and idea starters. This gives us our strategy.
The keywords here are “research” and “strategy”. In our world, the latter doesn’t work without the former. Yes, we are strategists at heart, but without research, we don’t know you, your company, your colleagues, your customers or your sector.
Research is a big funking deal for us and really allows us to strip back the bark and understand not only what makes you tick as a brand, but what you’re missing and what you really need.
Only when we are clear and confident in our understanding do we move on to the other three steps of the process – Design, Develop and Deliver.
So what value do you bring?
We bring the strategy, the expertise and the experience. Three niches of our own that we have practised, preached and honed over several decades with many, many different types of business.
Think of us like Tarzan in the jungle gym. He’s not just working the same bicep every time. He’s using a whole host of machines, techniques, exercises and routines, and that’s making him strong, fit and healthy.
By training all of our brand and marketing muscles, we are better brand strategists and better marketers. We’ve seen design and communication from more angles than we can count. We’ve seen and solved challenges in FMCG, education, healthcare, finance, property, personal brand, technology, retail, beauty and much more. Not to mention some super-niche sectors like landscaping, leadership, cleaning, rugby and fish. Yes, fish!
And without this variety? Well, we are nothing at all. Just another rustle in the undergrowth.
Don’t say “no” to niches, say “definitely” to diversity
It’s been proven by countless studies that diverse views and opinions make for more effective, efficient and successful teams. And we’d definitely agree with the science. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with niche agencies, and we are lucky to call some of them friends of our own.
But for us? A broad spectrum of creative, crazy and clever clients is all we’ve ever wanted, and it’s all we’ll ever do.
Looking for a well-rounded expert in brand and comms? let’s talk!
Do you have a particular question you’d like answered? We know it’s a jungle out there, so we’d love to shed some light on the full agency process. Submit your question here…
