Brief Explanation

Suppliers are generally small businesses with virtually zero advertising budgets. The challenge was to create a communication platform that did not cost them the earth.

The Brief

Suppliers are the lifeblood of every advertising agency. Yet the inherent nature of the agency business makes the relationship a strained one at best. Last minute requests, long work schedules, working weekends - the suppliers bear the brunt of the brutal side of advertising. The brief was to design a platform of communication that helped our suppliers discover new sources of business.

How the final design was conceived

The primary point of contact between an agency and its clients was the business card. We turned this innocent piece of paper into a media vehicle. And we invited our suppliers - stationery companies, car rentals, IT support firms - to place ads on the back of our business cards. For free.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Backbusiness opened up a fresh pool of business for our suppliers. Our clients became their clients. Each day backbusiness@tbwaindia.com added requests for more listings. As for us, we ended up having a bunch of very happy suppliers who allowed us preferential rates and did not mind that request for more A4 paper on a Saturday night!