By Darren Gilbert
It is the same in the marketing industry. Not everyone can come up with the catchy straplines or melodic jingles. Not everyone can create something memorable. There has to be someone to look after the business side. To be methodical. To be analytical. To be calculated. For some people, that may be a problem. But not for Ruan Oosthuizen. Co-founder and CEO of digital marketing agency, Flume, it suits him just fine.
“It’s worked out quite nicely for us. Jacques’ [Du Bruyn, co-founder] strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa,” says Oosthuizen, who has a background in corporate finance and private equity. “Jacques is a very creative person. He’s a salesperson. Outspoken and very self-assured.” Oosthuizen, on the other hand, is introverted. He’s analytical and all about the positive figures.
However, instead of these two personalities clashing, it’s proving to be Flume’s strength. You only need to take one look at the marketing world today to know why. The industry is fast becoming all about numbers, statistics and measurement. And in such an environment, you can’t have too many of the same faces in your business. Flume certainly understands this. It’s also why they like the phrase ‘creatively calculated’, which may sound and read contradictory. But that’s not true.
Oosthuizen explains, “In digital marketing, you have to be very creative with the things that you come up with.” But you have to be calculated at the same time. “The calculated part comes in when you ask the question of whether or not something you’ve created is going to work.” It’s the two different personalities coming in again. And it makes sense. While creativity is a vital part of delivering a business solution, it’s only half the equation.
There is no bitter without the sweet. Likewise, you can’t focus on the creative without having the calculations to back it up. Now add the fact that this integrated way of thinking has the muscle to dispel any nervousness that businesses have with digital. “Once we prove digital, there will be more companies comfortable to take it on,” says Oosthuizen. And, instead of digital spend sitting at 15% of your budget, it will jump to 25, 50 or even 100%. Of course, that won’t happen overnight. These things take time.
And of course, some people don’t like change. It’s easier to stay the same. It’s undemanding. It’s comfortable. But that is not the way forward in business. When you look at what digital can do; what it can achieve – any nervousness should dissipate. Not only can you track everything, you know where you money is going. “Back in the day, you spent your money and hoped that it came back to you. These days you know.”
Ask Oosthuizen and he’ll show you from a statistical point of view what great creative does. It’s not serendipitous. Instead, it’s analytical. It’s planned. It’s when everything is creatively calculated.
For more information on Flume, visit www.flume.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.