Amsterdam based 60 Layers of Cake opened a new franchise in Capetown this week. At the same time Blender 57 was founded by Colin Lyon. Both brands challenge the traditional agency structure and work with a collaborative model; for every creative job the right team of specialists is compiled. 60 Layers of Cake was founded in 2006 by Rodger Beekman. It already has offices New York, London, Tokyo and Istanbul. 60 Layers Capetown will be lead by Ben Wren and Michael van den Heerik – both formerly The Jupiter Drawing Room. Colin Lyon’s Blender 57 calls its model ‘fit-for-purpose expertise’. Among other entities, the agency will partner with One Big Agency (founded by Erik Wünsch and Peggy Stein), Tina Grace Research (product innovation) and Freedom of Creation (3D design). Blender 57 will focus on ‘go-to-market solutions’, which sounds a little vague. But when you think of it, the creative hub will be able to make any product a client asks for. If these kind of agencies will be able to successfully incorporate the social network trend into their business model, the creative industry will enter a whole new exciting era.
With this model it is quite easy to open offices in different cities around the world. All you need is a freelancer that will tell everyone that he is part of the 60 Layers of Cake network…
Dear Claire,
The amount of freelancers our company structure requires is based on the amount of work we get in over and above the work load we can handle from a permanent capacity base. With all the new expertise the changed media landscape now requires it’s not in the clients best interest to maintain an agency model where all expertise required is permanently employed by the agency. As you’re most likely aware you can see this in traditional agencies where in general the DTP department is been overcharged on hourly rate to compensate for the losses produced by the creative department, which in turn comes due to the large specialities required.
To further explain the business model, it’s not about the amount of people you employe but more about the kind of people you collaborate with the ensure the best outcome for the clients marketing challenge.
You’re more then welcome to come to our launch party on the 9th April 2010 in Cape Town where we would love to explain you more of our collaborative business platform.