Jérôme Bloch (360Crossmedia): Why Pay More?
23 years after its creation, Luxembourg-based communication agency 360Crossmedia continues to grow, remaining true to its DNA: Facilitating the growth of companies of all sizes by providing high-end services at an affordable price. An interview with CEO Jérôme Bloch.
How can you offer quality products at an affordable price?
The explanation is very simple: Since our creation, we've been challenging the rules by which communications agencies operate. Let's take the example of a website: Traditionally, production starts with a brief, then takes weeks, costs a lot of money, and often leads to endless back-and-forth and budget extensions. This approach assumes that the agency can guess what the company's site should look like. As a business owner, I don't believe in this model at all. At 360Crossmedia, we run "Design Sprints," inviting our clients to a creative session lasting three hours or one day, during which they are presented with dozens of choices, live. A bit like Socratic maieutics, our agency involves the customer in the creative process. It doesn't take long, and costs between €3,000 and €7,500. We've just completed such a site for a management company to whom a local agency had sent a quote of €75,000. I often hear about sustainable development in Luxembourg, but the prices here don't allow for it.
" Ultimately, I think the longevity of our company and the undiminished passion of our team demonstrate the relevance of our model."
Are you profitable at these prices?
These kinds of projects only work with sufficient volumes, but above all, they help establish the trust needed to maintain a relationship over the long term. In this respect, our nuclear weapon is the 360Box, which gives companies the means to produce videos and live streams at an extremely competitive price - from €50 per video - in our studio or directly in the customer's firm. A Luxembourg bank, for example, uses this technology to produce all its Town Halls, and in 18 months saved over €100,000 compared with its historical purchase prices for this type of service. The "Peak" and "Luxembourg mon amour" programs have also enabled us to broadcast dozens of videos on a sustainable budget. I consider myself to be a craftsman, and I'm proud to apply a model that brings together a formidable team of creative talents, without requiring an army of salespeople pestering customers all day long to justify prices that are disconnected from our customers' needs. Ultimately, I think the longevity of our company and the undiminished passion of our team demonstrate the relevance of our model.
Why don't other firms copy your model?
To be honest, many agencies in Paris, Berlin, or San Francisco are adopting the same approach. Our success in Luxembourg is due to three factors: Firstly, the country is a closed market where it's difficult to get a foothold. Secondly, the traditional agencies focus on public budgets, which allows us to be ultra-competitive in the private sector. Finally, 23 years of creativity have enabled us to apply our "Quality at an affordable price" approach across the entire value chain: From content creation to guaranteed distribution with our magazines Luxembourg Official, Andy or Duke, and the 4+ million views on my LinkedIn account.
Are you the only agency to produce business magazines?
If you consider Maison Moderne to be a communications agency, there are two of us. The other agencies have been too busy delivering overpriced websites and brochures to take the time to invest in guaranteed distribution or new technologies like the 360Box. As a Frenchman active in Luxembourg since 1996, I've always felt that a minimum of precariousness helps to stimulate creativity. I imagine we are now enjoying the benefits of this gentle precariousness applied over several decades!