LEADER: Batey makes case for a powerful USP

<p>When internet mania was at its peak, all management consultants and </p><p>advertising agencies could talk about was of a new business paradigm </p><p>emerging. It was one where dominance in business would belong to the </p><p>nimble and the swift, while established corporations, stuck in the old </p><p>way of doing things, would lose out, big time. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But the upside-down world of dotcoms turned out to be more hype than a </p><p>revolution. And the business paradigms it spawned have fallen out of </p><p>favour just as quickly as the Nasdaq deflated. Instead, a year after the </p><p>internet bubble burst and the global economy moves into a synchronised </p><p>slowdown, agencies are scrambling for a way to save their margins, if </p><p>not their businesses. That explains the spectacle of as many as a dozen </p><p>agencies pitching for an account, the rush to set up a range of service </p><p>units to handle as much of a client's business under one roof, or the </p><p>severe belt-tightening underway. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Which makes Batey Ads' decision to drop 10 clients - the ones demanding </p><p>low value work and hence didn't pull their weight in revenue terms - a </p><p>very courageous one, given today's calamitous conditions. Batey has </p><p>retained only clients committed to building brands, the ones - who by </p><p>the nature of their assignments - will pay the bill. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In reshaping its client list, Batey has trumpeted what it stands for, </p><p>its USP, in the clearest way possible. Agencies are quick to talk about </p><p>their client's USP, but only a small minority have succeeded in </p><p>demonstrating what they stand for. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As USPs go, Batey has enunciated a very powerful one when stacked </p><p>against rivals who are trying to be all things to all clients. Batey has </p><p>chosen to focus on the high value end of the business - building up </p><p>viable, powerful brands as it has done, most notably, for long-standing </p><p>client Singapore Airlines. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Some staff have been let go in the process. This should enable Batey to </p><p>run a tighter ship, one which will allow it to concentrate energies on </p><p>things that matter most to its clients. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>