Mentor Morning: Overture Snap issues survey conversation

Join us on Zoom, 10-noon Pacific, Saturday, 10/3.

Together we’ll discuss the Overture Snap survey results and what they mean for our own creative business messaging.

I’m a proud member of the Overture Creative Cooperative. Laurel Wilson authored the survey with an assist  from Don Young and myself. We are a group of independent creatives dedicated to collaboration in place of competition. We’re motivated by the success of each other and the pleasure of democratic process. Learn more here: http://www.overture.coop

Be sure to read the comments from the survey included below…

Should creative businesses take a stand on current issues at the expense of losing business?

BLM is an issue worth stand up for even if it costs you a client or two. Those [lost clients] wouldn’t be clients worth having. The creative industry has an obligation to hire and teach diverse groups of people. After all, we’re just a reflection of the consumers we’re trying to reach, and we should represent every possible shade of skin on the planet.
 
Don’t do work that doesn’t align with your values.
 
Donate time, resources. Find empathetic clients to work with.
 
I would say definitely maybe. Clients should ideally align with the values of your business. But not everyone has that enviable position.
 
[The] rhetoric is all-ready inflamed and doing everyone’s head in.
 
This is a qualified yes, as I think when the creative business is so closely tied to current issue beliefs that you can’t separate the business from its ideology, then go for it. Assuming no one working for the business would be harmed economically by loss of business. I’m thinking by taking a stand you mean making it political. If you just want to express compassion for those hurting, as in BLM, yes always.
 
I think it depends on the type of business and what you’re offering and how large/small the business is.
 
But only if it is relevant. It is more meaningful for your company to be visible in ways like hiring people of color or taking care to dialogue with communities. If you issue a statement supporting black lives matter but one of your creative clients is a police department, your statement is meaningless.
 
That depends on several factors. Are you in a financial position to do that? I built my business to be able to work with companies that align with my values. But I don’t do politics with friends on social platforms, I’m certainly not sharing it on LinkedIn. That said, I share articles for causes I care deeply about and try and effect change.
 
Rather not lose clients (not that many to start with). But silence is no longer an option. We must engage and provide resources to protect what we’ve worked for – for so long.
 
I question why anyone should impose some sort of rule over what an independent creative business should or should not do. The owner of the business is free to do whatever she wants. If she takes a stand on current issues in Seattle, chances are she will gain clients who see things similarly to her. I think that’s going to be generally true no matter which side of an issue you are on.
 
Live your values and be true to yourself. Not always the easy road but I sleep better at night.
 
Only if it’s a shitty client or if it can lead to a bigger or better client. An agency is a for-profit entity.
 
If one uses sensitive storytelling, one can support businesses to align themselves with relevant/current issues. Then one can connect a thread to their own business. By relating empathically with customers experiencing these issues [you will] not loose clients but gain respect for trying to help and support.
 
I’d say Ethics has long been claimed as a tenet of the design/art world, though no doubt there are many unscrupulous actors out there. Businesses of any size, in my opinion, should conduct themselves just as individuals do — because they are comprised of individuals this can’t be separated. So: pro bono work for good causes or designing to make a political / social / etc. statement (t-shirts, posters, murals, etc.), are a couple of examples that are in the wheelhouses of creative businesses. Aided by better-than-average empathy and strong communication skills, creatives are well suited to agitate for change, stimulate minds and spread ideas. All easier said than done when you’ve got bills to pay and aren’t sure where to begin.
   
Alignment with anti-racism on social media and email marketing.
 
“Current issues” is a little vague Politics? Hunger? Affordable Housing? BLM? War? Famine? Climate change? Health care? Violence? Hate? Education? Small businesses? COVID? International travel? Airline safety? WE could brainstorm a pretty big list. Maybe it is time for a new Seattle Design Community Manifesto. I would be more than willing to help with some of this.
 
Transparency is wise.
 
I turned down a client who was working to raise $ for the NRA just a couple of weeks ago. The pitch to me was “this relationship will lead to opportunities down the road with less odious clients.” It was tough to write the rejection note, not because I would have liked to help those villains, but because I enjoy working with the guy who brought the opportunity. Turns out he had to do the work himself as no one else would take it.
 
We should use our skills to make people aware of the issues that are hurting people.
 
Rejecting apathy as a viable mode.
 
By bolding stating when a client’s stance or actions is detrimental to society. By offering suggestions to a course of action not merely to rectify but to improve. To adhere to those same principles without your business.
 
Incorporate into copy.
 
Speaking up and showing up. Offer communications solutions to improve the lives of everyone.
 
Has your creative business been affected by current issues?
 
The current administration hasn’t handled the Covid-19 pandemic well at all – causing more deaths and creating an extremely unsafe situation in our nation. My jobs haven’t returned. Businesses may be pretending to normalize this new normal, but revenue and customers haven’t returned.
  
Everything has been slower!
 
Business nearly dried up. Very little activity, mostly short-term work.
 
Only my personal life has been affected
 
Early in the pandemic [the] meetings I was creating promotions for were postponed, then cancelled and I lost that business. Later in person events became online ones so I still had the work, but it was less extensive than it would have been. If you mean BLM, no impact.
 
I’ve lost half my business because of covid because events aren’t happening.
 
Not in business.
 
Pandemic dropped a bomb on lots of sectors, I work with nonprofits mostly. Half of my projects got cut in half or put on hold. Colleagues on staff at large NP’s were let go back in June and July. Whole development departments. With one non-senior person left standing in as marketing and development.
 
The number of projects reduced by at least half.
 
I tend to get work from people who generally see the world in a similar way as I do. I see it as natural. Creative services are usually in the realm of emotions… and it really helps if the client and vendor like each other on a personal level. I don’t really feel at all like pursuing work from people who are on the opposite side of an issue from me. I want to understand them, but I don’t really want to work for them. 
 
I am/was in the live event business, it shut down hard and will be one of the last to come back.
 
Clients have not been willing to pivot and possibly even disrupt their industry/business, so remain in status quo and as yet not progressing with work.
 
Fear of the unknown.
 
Asked to help clients create messages for their businesses.
 
As a white male, I’m watching a lot of talented folks from traditionally minimized groups get getting hired at an encouraging rate. All I see is benefit. Everyone’s filling a niche. I may be vain, but I don’t feel any threat from it. And if income is any indication, I’m not losing out too much (knock wood).
 
I’ve had several new clients sign up for help with business issues that are a direct result of the impact of the pandemic on their businesses.
   
Loss of business from pandemic.
 
I’ve been hired to create communication by a political party I disagree with as a whole. But they have a subset of members trying their best to create positive change within their party.
 
Lots of feedback in that regard.
 
Clients slow to make decisions, if they make decisions at all. Generally, a lack of courage everywhere I look.

Has your creative business openly responded to current issues?

My creative business is my creativity since I’m a creative consultant, so my creativity has responded by donating my sweat, and skills to helping small business survive. I’m helping build a virtual agency, The Art of Good [is made up of] creative professionals who work pro-bono for small businesses in this time of need. For most of these small businesses, The Art of Good is a godsend. We have helped many stay afloat and are in the process of helping black and brown business hang on too.
 
 
We’re looking specifically to hire to address inequities in the marketplace.
 
Not as much as we could, but we’ve contributed to causes that support “people” not agendas.
 
Supporting posts about Black lives matter. Hiring talented people of color. Promoting awareness of issues.
 
I was excited about taking a stand at the recent webinar, but later thought if it isn’t relevant to the job, meaning I’m not asked to do something against my beliefs, there is no reason to get into this.
 
I’m only one person and many of my clients are also friends so as much as I want to speak out, I don’t feel free to do so without compromising my income further.
    
Not in business.
 
Not politically, but I have been talking about wellness and mental health more in my monthly newsletter. Not addressing the other topics.
 
We haven’t been as active as we’d like to be. Partly because of shutdown, partly because clients don’t want to raise their voices.
I personally have been active in voicing my opinions – but I’ve done it as a representative of my own self, not directing my communications toward clients. Sometimes I get in discussions with clients, but because we agree, there’s not much “taking a stand” going on.
 
Reshuffling to get clients to do video streaming.
 
Have been supporting SMB on a pro bono basis, to support them, as they have lost funding being local arts cultural establishments.
 
An #openforbusiness + image post on LinkedIn (self-serving so maybe not a great example). Wish I could say more here, seems like there’s so [much] more that can be done.
 
Not well. We are a profession of privilege. In reality, a lot of what we do is not even necessary for a society to thrive, nurture, and grow. We really might need to reverse this global economy and get back to support local, build relationships and friendships based on trust and a common goal.
 
We don’t feel like adding to the noise right now.
 
I don’t produce many marketing materials for myself, so I have not. But I have created a lot of messaging for clients that does. (Thanks for this! I enjoyed taking it. Overture is a great idea. Hope it’s taking off.)
 
Mostly COVID-related, realizing the retail marketplace has changed forever.
 
I’ve let my feelings be known through social. LinkedIn, FB, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. I’ve also posted on my blog and written for MarketingNW on current issues.
 
I try to promote my business as objective, but I’m having to reconsider impartiality as being viewed as obstructive.
By posting articles about the issues.
 
Offering free and very low-cost solutions. New campaigning approaches, participating in as many active displays as possible.