LaBeeby

All clients have problems. That’s why they need agencies.

Some problems are easily solved in an afternoon, while others can take weeks before a solution, let alone any creative, appears. But there are times when clients come to you with the wrong problem and, if you don’t ask the right questions, the real issue gets swept under the shiny new solution.

There’s a point in the creative process (right at the beginning unless you’re a fan of throwing your work in the bin) where you have to stop and deconstruct a brief. If you put yourself in the end users’ shoes, you’ll find that they can think very differently to the client.

Daring to be different

Take our recent work with leading salon workwear provider, LaBeeby, as an example. We were approached to refresh the brand after the company suffered a few unfortunate setbacks. Our brief was to win back lapsed customers.

That would have been okay, and many creatives would have ploughed that furrow until an idea sprouted. But we took a step back and properly assessed the scene. LaBeeby had a real chance to buck industry trends and become a market leader. If the brand dared to be different. Thankfully, it did.

So the new LaBeeby brand doesn’t look like anything in its industry. It looks and talks like a fashion brand. Its new photography style would slip right into the glossy pages of a lifestyle magazine. And LaBeeby no longer offer compulsory uniforms, but must-have workwear. Those lapsed customers will notice the difference. And so will new ones.

We’ve found that when you take a wider view of the problem in front of you, you’ll often find a new issue that needs your attention as well.