The last thing the world needs is one more advertising agency.

We’ve been hard at work laying the foundation here at Ammunition over the past few weeks, developing everything from the agency website, presentation decks, collateral, messaging, you name it.

Throughout this process, we’ve been tackling how and why we feel that we’re unique from the litany of agencies that are already out there. Why are we special? What do we do differently? How do we accurately depict our unique point of view as it relates to the work, and the value we bring to our clients? After all, if the world doesn’t need another advertising agency, we better come up with a damn good reason to exist.

As we’ve worked to answer those questions, a few truths have emerged that are easy to espouse to clients, but have been an interesting dose of our own medicine as we’ve worked to position Ammunition in the marketplace.

1. Positioning is sacrifice. This was a concept I learned early on in my career, and it’s as true today as it was then. So many agencies seem ready and willing to do anything, for anyone, as long as there is a check somewhere in sight. Being will to say “no” to work that doesn’t align to the focus of the agency, or the experience of the team, isn’t easy, but it is necessary. To that end, we’ve developed two filters for the type of work we’ll do at Ammunition: industry (of which we’ve identified select industries we feel we’re uniquely equipped to tackle) and work product (specific services we’ll take on for clients in those industries, as well as defining the services we won’t). Just as we’d preach to our clients, we believe that as we add specificity to the work we do, and who we do it for, we build experience and credibility that leads to leverage down the road.
2. Failing forward is a good thing. It can be easy to get bogged down hunting for the exact right answer to the exact right question. We’ve worked to be mindful that we don’t waste time overthinking every decision we make. Instead we’re opting to move quickly, and iterating on those decisions over time, letting the market tell us what works and what doesn’t. The things that gain traction, we’ll double down on, the things that don’t, we’ll revise and try again. I’ve seen far too many agencies play defensively, attempting to mitigate failure as though it’s something to be afraid of. We believe “failing forward” is a good thing, and leads to better work at the end of the day.
3. Speak to your value, rather than your tactics. Visit any agency website and you’ll no doubt see beauty shots of their work, and lists of services they provide their clients. And if you look at enough agencies all at once, they all start to blend together, talking the same talk, without really focusing on the value to the client: what’s in it for them? How is it that you’re different from the next agency, and how is it that you’ll deliver value for their business based on your unique perspective on the work and the role you’ll play as their agency? It’s easy to execute work against a brief, it’s another thing entirely to be able to make a case for the value you’ll provide their business. We believe that our best work is achieved when we’re embedded as real partners with our clients. If we’re not growing their business, the world’s best ROI, or shiniest awards don’t mean shit. From the day we’re engaged, we’ll get knee deep in their data, their culture, their P&L, visions and aspirations for the business. Only then can we truly deploy the best of what our agency has to offer in a way that truly creates growth for our clients.

While these comments are pointed towards the agency game, I think the core concepts remain true for any organization striving to differentiate itself in the sea of sameness that can be so easy to fall into. To be something, is to not be something else. The goal is learning to be comfortable with that.

Maybe the world doesn’t “need” another company in whatever space you inhabit. Or maybe it just needs a better option.