Ingenuity is a consultancy that does three things:
BRANDS: we help you find new marketing services agencies.
AGENCIES: we help you find new clients.
BOTH: we bring both communities together through regular new business and networking events.
Only Ingenuity does this. We are the leader in our field, we join all the dots.
Ingenuity sits at the intersection of brands and agencies - and, equally important, the people on both sides. We help people to spend less time kissing frogs. We bring them together in a controlled, intelligent and appropriate way.
Our approach is consultative, and it's highly personalised.
If there is something in this that appeals to you, we'd love to hear from you.
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Ingenuity was founded in 2005 by Shaun Varga & Chris Kemp
SHAUN started his career in advertising as a graduate trainee at JWT London after an MA from Oxford University. Shaun is author of 'Brilliant Pitch' (Pearson, 2010), and writes for scooter magazine Twist & Go... despite owning a Harley. He's been round the block, from advertising and design, to PR, film and digital.
- JWT London (Account Director)
- GGK (Associate Director, London & Paris)
- Imagination (Head of Television)
- World Productions (MD, Business Media Division)
- Intellect (interim Marketing Director, Software Business Network)
- Glue (Co-founder)
- BloodPartnership (Co-founder)
- Ingenuity (Co-founder, Chairman & Creative Director)
CHRIS began his career in the City, before moving to sports specialist agency Gem Group, advising clients like Vodafone and E.ON. As Managing Partner, Chris leads the company's development strategy, including the event programme and international expansion. In his spare time Chris is a keen cricketer, and a playing member of the MCC.
THE COMPANY was founded from a belief (based on Shaun's bad experiences of working with new business consultancies when he was running agencies) that there is a better way.
Key to the better way, is better people. We are immensely proud of our Ingeneers. Working as a team, they put into practice the philosophy of joined up new business. And they do it so successfully that clients stay with us for years, not months.
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It's never been harder For marketers to select the right agency partners.
Twenty years ago, Advertising agencies did advertising, DM agencies did direct marketing... not so today. Convergence, driven by digital, has forced agencies to redefine their shape, their skills, and the way they talk about themselves.
Result? Confusion. Ingenuity helps marketing people understand the new agency landscape, to find the right agency, or agency portfolio, to service their changing needs.
And we know that people are the key to decoding the truth about what agencies are like, and what they can really achieve - as opposed to what they might claim.
Ingenuity has helped brands of the calibre of Sainsbury's, Tesco, Everything Everywhere, PepsiCo and many more to unpack, and then repack their agency rosters.
Our understanding of the modern agency landscape is second to none, as you might expect from a process led by Shaun Varga, co-founder of one of the UK's leading digital agencies.
We also pride ourselves on discretion. If you'd like an informal chat about your own agency needs, please drop us a line.
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We believe it's not good enough any more, (if it ever was!) to phone bash your way through a prospect list and talk about yourself.
That's called a Call Centre. If you want one of those, Ingenuity isn't it. We start with getting under the skin of you, and your Story. Ensuring that it's fit for purpose. Hand in hand with that, we configure the logic that underpins your targeting.
We will get you in front of the people you really need to meet, for the right reasons, in the right way, at the right time.
Our Insight team keeps tabs on what's happening in the market - and more importantly what is going to happen, to keep our clients ahead of the game.
We will do for you what every great Agency does for its own Clients - achieve results.
For us, there are only two 'metrics' to what we do; a) our clients win business, and b) our clients stay with us for a long time. They're connected.
If you want to find out how it could work for you, and why our client list is the best in the business, please do get in touch.
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We help Agencies find themselves, through consulting, and find new Clients through our prospecting services.
We can help you sort out a compelling proposition. And we can then get you in front of the right people, for the right reasons.
Ingenuity is called Ingenuity for a reason. We want to be that bit ahead of the game, in every respect, than anyone else.
Our approach is a personalised service to our clients; and an intelligent approach to both the strategy and execution of new business prospecting strategies.
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Our Consultancy service helps Agencies to figure out their true place and value in the world.
We will help you identify, create and articulate your own unique Story. A Story that will be authentic, differentiated, and a powerful competitive asset in the search for growth.
This is no time for novices
During our process, we will come in and get the drains up, unpack all the key elements of your proposition and re-pack them into a new, better shape. It's an important task, and not one that we entrust to people who've only ever worked in agency 'new business' functions. This is no time for novices.
Ingenuity consultancy is delivered by people who have risen through the ranks in the UK's very best advertising, design, digital and PR agencies, to the very highest level.
People who actually know what they're talking about - and what you are talking about. We have refined, and created, positioning and new business strategies for agencies in all sectors, from the largest to the smallest.
In addition to Positioning and New Business consultancy, we also deliver Pitch consultancy. From the man who, literally, wrote the book.
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Ingenuity's events connect the agency and brand communities.
Our legendary First XI events are what speed dating is like when the attendees are marketing, procurement and agency people - and when they've all been carefully selected as being likely to get on with each other before they arrive.
Why 'First XI'? Partly because the aim is to help marketing companies select the best agency team possible. Partly because each session only lasts for between eleven and thirteen minutes. And also because we host these events at the home of some other high profile First Elevens - Lord's Cricket Ground, and Manchester United's Old Trafford.
Each event is themed around a marketing issue; click here for the current schedule.
Over six years, many millions of pounds of business has changed hands as a result of these introductions.
Who should attend?
- On the brand side, we invite Marketing and Procurement professionals who are seeking agencies with the right skills, experience and attitude to help them achieve their objectives.
- On the agency side, we invite agencies of all disciplines that will have something relevant to contribute around the theme of each event.
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Contact Us
If you are an Agency, please contact Chris.Kemp@IngenuityABM.com
If you are a Brand, please contact Shaun.Varga@IngenuityABM.com
For Events, please contact Duncan.Wood@IngenuityABM.com
Visit Us
Ingenuity, 2nd floor, 1 Maple Place, London W1T 4BBTelephone
020 7042 2900
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Have you noticed how most job ads are the same?
Same list of buzz words ('collaborative', 'ambitious', 'driven', 'results oriented' etc.) ...plus the old, 'we work hard, and play hard!' attempt to make it sound more fun than it really is?
That's because other companies recruit to fill job slots. We recruit good people first... and then we build the role around them.
Ingenuity is not like any other company, and so we don't do 'jobs'. Our people are all very different, because our Clients are all different. So we choose not to 'clone' types of people that work here.
I suggest you look around this site and figure out for yourself if you might do well here. Here are some clues about how to rule yourself out;
Our Consultants are clever. Not all in the same way. But always clever. Each one can think, can sell, and make their own Clients feel special. They care. If you don't care about your own performance, don't come here.
Our Senior Consultants are as hands-on as any other Consultant. Everyone is on the front line here, top down. You'll be expected to do more, deliver better results, and help other people at Ingenuity achieve better results too through mentoring (we prefer not to say 'managing').
Our Insight people are insatiably curious, have a passion for marketing, write well, and have an attention to detail. If you don't have an enquiring mind, don't come here.
We take on people at all levels - there is a career path here, whatever level you come in at. This company is growing, and not just in the UK. There are always new places to go, new challenges. If you don't see this as a career choice, don't come here.
And you know what? Although we choose not to pre-define what our people are like before we meet them, we recognize the right kind of talent when we see it.
If you think you have something interesting to offer, email us on gary.wilkes@ingenuityabm.com
If you want to come in at the Intern level, recruitment@ingenuityabm.com
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We wrote the book on pitching
Written by Shaun Varga, Chairman & Creative Director of ingenuity, Brilliant Pitch equips Agency people to tackle pitch situations (however tough), improve their own skills and, importantly, leave them enthused about the idea of pitching and looking forward to the next one. It does so by first by outlining how to approach any pitch, then how to tailor the approach in different situations. There are secrets from the masters. There are pitch stories...
There is an awful lot of common sense here. Brilliant Pitch challenges your assumptions whether you are heading for your 1st pitch or your 101st.
Peter Lovatt, Vice Chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi
This book is packed with valuable advice. Shaun expertly takes the mystery out of making a great pitch.
Ivor Catto, CEO, Hyder Consulting plc.
Shaun Varga skillfully details numerous potential obstacles an entrepreneur will encounter when they reach the stage of pitching to investors. Especially in the early stages. The advice given on how to balance pitching the business and idea you are seeking funding for with the experience of people who will execute the plan is often absent in many pitches given by entrepreneurs and is done at their own peril.
James H Fitzgerald, President, Chainstar Facilities Inc. NY
Contents :
- So how good are you... really?
- It's OK if you haven't done it before: the importance of clarity
- Basic mistakes: ever seen Dragons' Den...?
- How not to make assumptions - finding out what they really want
- Now do your homework (sorry - no substitute)
- The most important 'p' in pitch... is people
- About teamwork
- The time to win the pitch is before you do the pitch
- Anytime, anyplace, anywhere: the 'elevator pitch'
- What to do when what they want is not the same as what they need
- Pitching for entrepreneurs: backing the rider or backing the horse
- Victory is not about coming up with the right answer
- Pitching to procurement professionals
- Busking it: how to pitch without a pitch
- Magic, theatre, genius and other myths about pitching
- Masterclass: it doesn't get any better than this
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