Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/213780
12 BUSINESS & FINANCE maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2013 Stories that can sell We speak to Steven Ciantar, Executive Director of Steves & Co. about the origins of the company and its drive to provide its clients with a marketable 'story' for their brand What inspired you to start Steves & Co? In 2006, when I first decided to found an advertising and marketing firm, the only way I was going to do it was to build a different kind of company from all the existing agencies around. Starting with myself as an employee, and some big ambitions, I wanted a youthful and exuberant agency that co-created dynamic concepts with clients as business partners. These values are still very much a part of our fabric today. In its mission statement, Steves & Co. says it aims to "create welltold stories about truths in values in the brands" – something which not many people would necessarily associate with the advertising of brands. To what extent can a product have a story? A 'story' is a term for a specific advertising campaign in a brand's history. We believe that the consumer responds better to energetic and fluid campaigns, rather than static, singular adverts. Therefore, when Steves&Co. receives a brief, we look to create a 'story', a consummate campaign that delivers the product in the best possible light, while allowing consumers to relate to it on a natural level. After all, life isn't static, so why should our campaigns be? The mission statement goes on to say that all the work is built on knowledge, research and industry insights. What type of research, so, is carried out by Steves & Co. before even getting to the actual design stage? Although we pride ourselves on our international standard design, it is an unwritten golden rule that, before we even get to design stage, we are thoroughly familiar with the market we are operating in. Knowledge of market trends and insights are intrinsic to our work at the business end of the creative process, and this thoroughness pays dividends. Extensive market research informs good strategy. Good strategy informs great campaigns. Various scientific research has indicated that our brains – consciously or subconsciously – can receive hundreds, if not thousands, of advertising messages per day – three to four times more than a few decades ago. How hard has it become from an advertisers' point of view to make a product stand out from all the 'clutter'? I'm not sure if it has become harder, I see it more as an opportunity. It is certainly true that the average consumer receives many more advertising messages a day than, say, 20 years ago. However, if Steves & Co. continues to produce work of exceptional quality, then we will continue to distinguish ourselves. The rest takes care of itself; the cream always rises to the top, so to speak. Nothing has changed in that respect, and it is a challenge we are rising to admirably. You say that your clientele ranges from multi-nationals to locallybased leaders. Which multi-national companies have employed you? Also, do you cater for particular companies with particular brands or are you accepting of all types? We are lucky enough to be trusted by clients such as Wagamama, BMW and Bollinger, as well as a number of other internationally renowned brands. While many Agencies might shy away from the more challenging briefs, we aren't in the habit of turning brands down. The harder the job, the more you get out of it. In the six years that Steves & Co. has been in existence, what would you say was the most rewarding project the company has worked on? Also, which has been the most challenging? To pick any one project would be too difficult, there have been so many that have captured our imagination; every one has its own trials and merits. I think if you were to ask the team individually, you would probably get a set of completely different answers! As a group we all have a unique way of looking at the world, and we all react to specific tasks differently; it is what makes Steves & Co. such an interesting place to work. We do have one great project in the pipeline at the moment, one that has really tickled everyone's taste buds, but we don't like to kiss and tell. Your designs seem to adhere to the philosophy that sometimes 'the less said, the better'. Many Maltese advertisers, however, seem to want to cram everything into very limited spaces. How has the Maltese market responded to your different approach? I'm glad that you picked up on this, because it's something that we feel quite strongly about. Many design houses seem to have an obsession with trading high quality design for an unnecessary information overload. We like to trust the consumer to make their own connection to the brands we create; if our research-backed design "We believe that the consumer responds better to energetic and fluid campaigns, rather than static, singular adverts" is good enough, then they won't need the brand message spelt out to them. Our success is a testament to the effectiveness of this approach. How much would it cost for a company to employ Steves & Co. to completely restructure their brand? How long is a piece of string? Every client requires a unique treatment and our pricing plan reflects that. However, what I will say is that it is not so much a cost as an investment when a company enters into a partnership with Steves & Co. We are in the storytelling business, when a client grows, we grow. Therefore the goal is always to repay the capital investment in our work with tangible and decisive results. Your advertising and marketing team is relatively small. To what extent does this limit the company's capabilities? Could there, however, be advantages to working in a small team? Sure, there are some great advantages to being a tight knit group. The chain of communication from top to bottom is very strong, and there is a real togetherness in the office where every achievement still means a huge amount. Our size used to be a worry: would we ever be able to cope with the big names? However, if anything about the last couple of years has taught me, it's that there is enormous value in the quality of your work rather than the size of your workforce. No matter what the future holds for the Agency, this cannot change. What future ambitions does Steves & Co. have? The social landscape is continually changing and evolving, with new frontiers opening and old ones closing all the time. We would not be the effective agency we are today if we did not respond to this constant revolution. That is why we have moved away from our own solid brand colours, because it is our duty to always be relevant to the changes around us. Exemplary design is in our DNA; that will never change. However, data and technology has also become a fundamental part of our process, we have reacted to the shift of consumer engagement to emerging digital platforms. The goalposts have moved, and we have moved with them. Maltese accountants visit European Parliament The Malta Institute of Accountants recently organised a familiarisation visit to the European Parliament in Brussels, for the small- and medium-sized practitioners (SMPs). The visit was partially sponsored by the European Parliament under its Subsidy Scheme for the Opinion Multiplier Groups. The delegation was led by the Honorary Secretary and Chair of the SMP Advisory Committee William Spiteri Bailey and was made up of 29 members and staff, obtaining first-hand experience of the decision-making processes in Brussels. Besides visiting the European Parliament, where the delegation had the opportunity to schedule meetings with Maltese MEPS Roberta Metsola and Marlene Mizzi, they also had a meeting with the Head of Malta's Permanent Representation to the EU Marlene Bonnici at Dar Malta and visited the offices of the European Federation of Accountants (FEE). The delegation concluded the trip with a visit to the European Commission where they met with Commissioner Tonio Borg's assistant. During the respective meetings, the Institute's delegation discussed issues of particular interest to the Maltese accountancy profession with a special reference to those issues related to SMPs.