What next!

I imagine most of us are thinking – what next! after the last couple of years. It continues to be a time when the impossible and unpredictable just keep on happening.

For me, the world of Tribe Global remains central to my day-to-day business life. However, the What next! continues to impact on me and the Members and Partners of the Tribe.

I am very lucky, I get to meet and speak with independent agencies and businesses around the world which gives which me some fascinating insights into their business strategies and how they are planning for the next What next!

I hear all about the ups and downs, the latest trends and what agencies and businesses are doing to ensure that they are future-fit.

These conversations are invaluable in helping us to shape the future strategy of Tribe Global.

The only constant is change

There is a lot happening out there! Perhaps the easiest way of describing the life of an independent agency is to use that well-known saying – ‘the only constant is change!’

Today we are seeing that change manifest itself in many ways.

At a global level, we’ve had to deal with Covid and the ongoing effects of Covid, inflation is a threat in many markets, business confidence is falling and of course the ongoing nightmare of the war in Ukraine.

For businesses, there are several key themes that I repeatedly hear;

The media landscape is continuously changing – how do we navigate this changing landscape, how do we keep up?

The war on talent shows no signs of slowing down as salaries rocket and employee loyalty decreases. How do I keep my people? What can I offer my people that is both new and motivating?

Many agencies that I talk to are restructuring or quite literally ripping up their business model in order to be future-fit. They want to take advantage of new opportunities and new technologies.

Our marketplace is very competitive with agencies facing all types of competition - from the big consulting firms down to the freelancer at their kitchen table. Independent agencies are being squeezed from all directions and our margins are definitely being squeezed.

So, lots of challenges at both the macro and micro levels.

How can Tribe Global help?

Where does a network of independent agencies and businesses such as Tribe Global fit in?

For us, it is about understanding the challenges our Members and Partners face and identifying actions that will help. We are here to provide support, help, knowledge and friendship.

How do I sum this up? Tribe Global is here to empower independent agencies and businesses.

It is all about helping our Members and Partners around the world - to be empowered, be inspired and be connected.

We believe this adds huge value and gives our agencies and businesses a real competitive advantage. It makes them more attractive to their clients, prospects and of course their people.

Today, Tribe Global has 38 Member agencies and business Partners. We have more than 100 offices and more than 3000 Tribe people around the world.

We are based in Amsterdam.

We are an Association, which means our focus is on supporting our Members and Partners. Any profit we make is re-invested into the Tribe.

So, what specifically can Tribe Global do to help independent agencies and businesses?

The answer is a lot.

Every 18 months or so we conduct research with our Members and Partners to see how we are doing.

One of the questions we ask is - What elements of Tribe Global deliver the greatest value to you and your agency?

The number 1 answer is our global footprint. This allows our Members and Partners to gather insights and intelligence from around the world, allowing them to talk a global game. Our Members and Partners can genuinely compete on the global stage.

Peer support is invaluable. Whilst everything around us is changing, the ability to discuss business and seek help from your Tribe colleagues is really important. Supporting our Members and Partners is built into our DNA.

Everybody is looking for business opportunities. We recognise this and whilst we are not a new business machine, we see lots of collaborations taking place in our network. Last year our Members and Partners collaborated on more than 35 projects.

People ask - how can I grow my business to allow me to compete more effectively? Helping people to scale their business is something we do all the time. From your base in your city, Tribe Global helps you to reach out to the world enabling you to tap into new skill-sets, capabilities and sector strengths.

What else do we do to support our Members and Partners?

We know everyone is short of time. Tribe Global plays an important role in saving you time and delivering answers quickly to many of your questions.

We are here to help you navigate through the ever-changing media landscape.

We hold webinars on creativity, media, finance, well-being and new business models. We’ve had great guest speakers talking about culture, values, new business, agency leadership, creating high performing teams, generating new revenue streams, storytelling, and mental health in the workplace.

We are definitely a learning community. We share experiences and knowledge with the Tribe using the Knowledge Centre which is to be found on our communication platform.

Several years ago, we started the Global Xchange programme which sees people from one agency going to work in another agency for a few weeks. This may be to learn a new skill or to reward outstanding performance. Some of our Members and Partners consider this as part of their training programme. In a world where everyone is moving jobs more frequently, this is a strong employee retention tool.

This year has been really busy. We held our global meeting in Dubai with TikTok For Business as our sponsor. A really great 4 days covering a multitude of topics that everyone is talking about – the metaverse, creativity, NFTs, agency performance measures, profitability, collaboration case studies and much, much more. Check out the highlights here !

We boost your business profile. As a Member or Partner of Tribe Global we share your agency or business details with 3000 Tribe people and with our global audience of more than 11,000 followers across our social and digital channels.

Looking forward

There is lots still to come this year.

We are holding two business meetings later this year in Madrid and Miami. Topics include – geo-politics and the world we live in today, creating a B Corp company, building a high performing business and looking at trends that we need to be ready for.

We will also be launching the Tribe Academy which will be our training, learning and mentoring school for all members of Tribe Global.

Tribe global is working hard to address the challenges that we all face. We work hard to deliver real value to independent agencies and businesses in order to give them an unfair business advantage.

Ready to talk

If you are interested in joining the Tribe or think you could partner with us, please drop me an email at i.wright@wearetribeglobal.com

Ian Wright, Managing Director
Tribe Global