I really hesitated to write anything about the Zappos RFP controversy. I’m obviously biased, and I have a clear stake in defending Zappos. So, at the risk of being branded a suck-up or getting into a pissing contest (that’s not what I’m looking for), I’m going to jump in, because a few things need to be said.
First off, anyone who has spent time getting to know the people running the Zappos RFP would instantly get that these are not disrespectful clients fishing for free ideas. Their inclusiveness is driven by a commitment to core values. One of Zappos’ cultural tenets is to be open to ideas from anywhere, and that’s why they graciously allowed other agencies, including ours, to submit proposals.
Our contacts at Zappos have always responded to our requests. They took time to meet with us up-front when we went to visit, and they’ve given us access to almost everything we asked for.
And just to be clear, we weren’t one of the agencies originally invited to the review. We reached out after the news broke, like a hundred other agencies. We knew the odds were long. Zappos was very clear about that, but we love their brand and their culture, so we took a calculated risk.
That risk has paid off abundantly. We were one of the agencies invited to the presentation round. Before we reached out, we had no shot of winning the Zappos business. Now we do. But more than that, the pitch has energized our agency. We’ve seen contributions and excitement from all corners of our shop. Regardless of the outcome, the experience has been fun and energizing, and it’s taught us something important about ourselves.
I have no idea whether we’ll make the final round or not. Regardless of the outcome, I think I speak for all 300 partners at Barkley when I say that we’re glad we got the chance to participate in the Zappos pitch. It was good for us. We feel like we brought great strategy and ideas to the table. And we rediscovered something really important.
Thank you, Zappos, for giving us the chance.
- Mark
@mlogan
This subject keeps coming up over and over lately. I can understand why it’s such a heated topic, but I’m continually shocked by the adverse reaction by many in the industry. The whole world is changing to be more rapid, open, and chaotic. Many marketers supposedly get this and profess it to their clients. They get upset when their clients “just don’t get it” when it comes to changing their attitude, their business models, and their worldview in relation to changing times. How many times have you heard a marketer in a high-end agency say something like “[client x] is doomed if they don’t realize their industry is changing, with or without them, and they must adapt to it” I’ve heard it over and over.
Yet, these same agencies and creatives are faced with the exact same situation and yet have the exact same reaction that they shun. “[agency y] is totally ruining our industry by doing spec work and breaking the secret rfp process!” Well, yes, dumbass – yes they are. Every client, industry, vendor, and consumer is very actively and rapidly taking the suck out of life because it’s suddenly become a lot easier to do so. Your industry is changing, with or without you, so you’d better hurry up and adapt.
Defending this position with words like “spec work” is often a scapegoat to get around the fact that you’ve lost the spark to do fun, creative work just for the sake of doing fun, creative work.
If you need permission and a formal invitation to do fun, creative work for a potential client that you admire then you probably aren’t cut out for a client like Zappos.
GO BARKLEY!
- a former employee & current fan
Love Zappos, love Tony, love how they’ve been a beacon of hope in integrating social media into their marketing, customer care and communication processes.
How incredibly strange that you and I were listening to him at SXSW oh about 4 months ago and then you are pitching to him today!
Now you have me on pins and needles, looking forward to seeing how this plays out. I’ll be rooting for you!
This post was just tweeted by Jeremiah Owyang as an example of transparency, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Not only that, from reading Zappos’ culture book and enjoying the CEO’s tweet on a daily basis, this type of attitude fits right in with who they are.
Well done Mark. Like Zena, I’m definitely rooting for the home team on this one.
I wholeheartedly agree. This “controversy” prompted me to write to articles on our corporate blog, ‘Often maligned, RFPs are a valuable tool and opportunity’ as well as ‘We seek RFPs for Innovation, not Inspiration’.
http://blog.confluentforms.com/2009/07/we-seek-rfps-for-innovation-not.html
http://blog.confluentforms.com/2009/07/often-maligned-rfps-are-valuable-tool.html
Companies knew the odds were long going in, and they should have known that they would need to capture the client’s attention immediately (just like any audition). If they cut you off after 15 seconds, instead of listening to your complete 5 minute song, that’s because they had heard enough to make a judgement and move on. But for those that made a great first impression, it can be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Good luck in round 2!
-David
P.S. visit the RFP Database at http://www.rfpdb.com
I think as long as the rules of the process are clear belly aching about how that process played out is a bit much. While I can empathize with the idea that a few agencies (and one specifically that I read about) felt a bit of a short changed on the time given to the work they produced, you have to take a step back and measure the fit, the time, and the approach you think you can take when 100+ submissions are going in.
At the end of the day, only one agency is getting this business so there are going to by many dozens disappointed and perhaps a few like yours feeling like the exercise was worthwhile for a variety of reasons.
All agencies can ask for right now is clarity and consistency on the part of the client in the RFP process. Either have set guidelines, or no guidelines and the chips fall where they may from there.
Agreed all around.
Another encouraging thing about this situation is Zappos’ response. They thanked Ignited for posing the question and gave a detailed, honest response which highlighted a couple things that Ignited apparently didn’t do.
And hey, did Zappos invite too many agencies? Sounds like the answer is definitely yes. But as David points out, if you didn’t wow them on 5 pages of the presentation, what’s the chance you’d win them back on the other 20?
Anybody who has played this game knows the risks and rewards, and while it may sting to realize that somebody didn’t give your presentation the consideration you think it deserves, thems the breaks.
Good ponts. Good post. Although you did come off a little suck-up-y. “we love Zappos and their culture”…”thank you Zappos for giving us the chance”..etc
OAT, fair enough. It’s all meant sincerely.