Recently BoingBoing posted a video of a young Frank Zappa on the Steve Allen Show playing a song on the bicycle.  Yes, you read that right.

Whatever you think of his music there’s no denying Zappa was an innovator.  His talent and natural curiosity spurred him to try new things and challenge his and others’ assumptions about what music could be.

Though not a trained musician Frank Zappa was a lifelong student and self taught composer/performer.   His grasp of music style, technique, and history gave him perspective which made him comfortable pushing the boundaries of mainstream music.

Besides a music lesson, what’s the marketing  tie in, you wonder?  Ask yourself  if your marketing agency plays the bicycle?  Do they push the envelope?  Are they well versed in your company’s history to move comfortably inside (and outside) the marketing space  or are they too close to the problem?  Immersion in marketing to the exclusion of everything else sometimes leads to a lack of perspective.

Maybe you think ‘my agency couldn’t play the radio, much less the bicycle’.  If your agency doesn’t challenge assumptions and question beliefs and established practices, consider whether it’s their fault or yours; likely, it’s a bit of both, so what kind of clues could you look for to take the pulse of this marriage?

Broadly speaking, ask yourself if your company culture supports the changes the agency is trying to make?  Try taking a more narrow view:  is the agency’s compensation so tied to metrics that they never have the ability to experiment or try new things?  Examine your relationship to see if it allows for shared risk.  Is the agency forced to stay inside a box or are they given some freedom?

In part 2 we’ll look at developing a more collaborative and successful relationship with your agency.

One of my favorite Zappa tracks is “Drowning Witch”.  Check it out as you consider the above questions.