One way to begin.
One engagement that establishes where your growth is stuck, what that costs per year, and which programme solves it. And whether something has opened up in your market that was closed last year.
What should marketing actually do in your business?
The Table.
Four to six weeks to get sharp on what is needed. Before you spend on campaigns. Every programme starts here.
Three tracks. One deepening.
At the end of week three you know where it is stuck. It is always one of three.
Five things on the table.
- 01 The answer
- 02 The amount
- 03 The open ground
- 04 The plan per role
- 05 The return session after three months
Three weeks of research. Then depth until the plan is ready to execute.
- Week 1
Within five working days, the first observation: one thing from your own numbers you did not know.
- Week 2-3
Customers, sales, market and three competitors, through the eyes of the buyer. We read your lost quotes for something else too: where you were too expensive because the work was too expensive. At the end, the answer is there.
- Week 4-6
Depth, only on the track we found.
- Close
At the table with leadership. No report, a decision.
What a programme costs.
The Table works out what leaving the problem in place costs you a year. The programme that solves it never costs more than a fifth of that amount, and never on hours. If the amount is too small, we say no and you keep the plan. If it is large, you earn the difference.
The open ground does not count towards that. You pay for the problem we measured, not for the opportunity we spotted.
Fixed fee. Never on hours.
Weeks, from first conversation to boardroom decision.
Half at the start, half after thirty days.
- 01
No plan your leadership can say yes or no to? Then you get the second half back. Vagueness is our risk.
- 02
The plan is yours, also if you continue without us.
- 03
Every Table is run from first conversation to boardroom by the person at your table. That is why only a limited number run each quarter, and why we say no more often than yes.
Most agencies say yes.
We only step in when we are certain we can make an impact. That is why we say no more often, and we say it in the first conversation. Not after six weeks of research.
In these situations, we say no.
- 01 Under twenty million in revenue. Unless your margins are high.
- 02 Budget and positioning are not decided at your table.
- 03 Looking for hands, not for direction.
- 04 Marketing can create demand, but there is no one to sell it.
- 05 Three years of numbers that live only in the director's head.
- 06 Companies that already have the answer.
A no comes with a direction: where to go instead.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to start with The Table?
At Dogfight every programme starts with The Table. The programmes contain no research, they start setting up in week one. That only works if the strategic line, the channel choice and the creative direction are already fixed, and those come out of The Table.
Is The Table deducted if a programme follows?
The Table is not deducted from the price of a programme. They are two separate pieces of work: The Table is research, the programme is execution. The plan from The Table is yours, also if you continue with your own people or another agency.
What is the price of a programme based on?
Dogfight prices a programme on what the problem costs per year in contribution margin, never on hours. The Table works out that amount using your own numbers. The programme never costs more than a fifth of it. If the amount is too small, we say no and you keep the plan.
What if there is no open ground?
Then we say so. The open ground is a question we always ask, not a finding we promise. Not every market has a boundary that just moved, and an invented opportunity is worse than none. You get the answer to where your growth is stuck either way, and that is what the guarantee covers.
How long does The Table take?
The Table takes four to six weeks. Three weeks of research ending in the answer to where it is stuck, then one to three weeks of depth on that single track, until the plan is ready to execute.
What is the difference between Spark, Fuel and Lift?
Spark, Fuel and Lift are Dogfight's three programmes and stand for discover, choose and stay. Spark if they do not know you at the moment that counts. Fuel if they do not choose you while you are better. Lift if they do not stay. The Table determines which of the three is dominant for you.
What happens in the first four weeks of a programme?
A Dogfight programme sets up for two weeks and then goes out the door. Channels, material and working rhythm are in place, then the first read on what works follows. If it is not running as agreed after four weeks, we keep working at our own cost.
Do you speak to our customers yourselves?
Dogfight speaks to customers during The Table, as research. Not in the Lift programme: we make the list, the material and the rhythm, your account managers have the conversations. We do not coach salespeople and we do not call customers.
Or take your seat at the conversation.
Sometimes an email is enough. One paragraph about what you want to change. We reply within 24 hours.