The New Wave ~ GAME Creative
The New Wave is Campaign Brief’s Q&A series spotlighting the next generation of independent creative companies and exploring how the indie model is evolving. From structure and speed to culture and capability, we unpack where these businesses are finding their edge and what’s driving client decisions today. Next up is Dan Beaumont, Founder, GAME Creative.
1. Give us the elevator pitch – who are you and what do you do?
GAME is a brand intelligence partner, not an agency. We help businesses of every shape and size build brands that create measurable value and become a genuine competitive advantage.
2. Are indies still challengers, or have they become the norm?
Indies have always been around. We can’t forget that the first agencies were independently owned, only to be bought out by others to form the networks we know today. So they’re the norm, but some more than others are genuinely challenging how things are done. There are a lot more indie shops now, or corner stores, than 10 years ago. So clients face a paradox of choice.
3. What’s your unfair advantage over the networks today?
GAME is much smaller and more potent than a network. We’re like a “creative concentrate or shot” where the networks are diluted and flavourless.
GAME is a collective of senior experts actually working on client briefs and business problems. Clients work with us, not through us. Our real advantage is how fast we can get to quality. We’ve removed the legacy layers and processes which makes things far more complicated than they need to be. GAME only works with people who genuinely love what they do, so there’s a “joyous obsession” about how we deal with clients.
4. How are you using AI to compete above your weight?
AI has quickly become integrated into everything GAME does. From new business development to making work for clients, AI is assisting across all parts of the operating system. Overseen by subject matter experts of course to prompt, guide and refine the thinking.
But I agree with Jerry Seinfeld when he said “we’re smart enough to invent AI, dumb enough to need it and so stupid we don’t know if we’ve done the right thing”.
5. What kind of clients are choosing indies right now – and why?
It’s clear that clients of all types are choosing independent agencies now. From massive global brands to local start-ups. They’re doing this because it’s not a risk to do so. This is a people business, where reputation and integrity matters, therefore, clients are experiencing more care and craft from owner/ operators.
Of course there are some clients who aren’t using independent businesses, but they’re more than likely to be global brands aligned to holding companies or have such a significant volume of work that a big machine is what they need.
6. What’s next – growth, staying lean, or something else?
For GAME it’s all about growing the client portfolio, staying small and making a big impact. The definition of success is not how many people we have, but the type of work we do with clients and the people we do that with. GAME is a collective of talented people working with talented people.
Check out the other New Wave Q&As below:
Read The Many Australia’s Q&A here
Read Bureau of Everything’s Q&A here
Read Art of the Possible ANZ’s Q&A here
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