11 Years on the Back9 (Creative)

From Back9 Design to Printing.com, to Back9 Creative…

Well, it’s 4:40 am as I write this on Thursday, 4th July 2024. And crikey it brings back a memory and a tear.

This time 11 years ago, I was fizzing with excitement. We were hours away from opening up in our first studio to the public, on the main street of Invercargill. 

Having secured the local Printing.Com franchise, meant we could offer a lot of services in one place. From graphic design and branding identity with a full-service print offering. as well as dabbling in websites. Not only that we seemed to offer anything and everything in between. But, I was sure that this was our ticket to success… We were everything to virtually everyone. 

However, that spreads you thin. Add to that, the print game was (and still is) a tough gig in itself. 

Fast forward to today and oh, how things have changed!

Things are always changing and as we know, change is the only constant. So two studios on, multiple personnel changes and various pivots around what we offer (and to whom) have seen us grow, learn and develop into the business we are today.

From design for print and signage to a ‘digital services’ only business still ever-evolving in the people and culture space, it’s fair to say in some ways it feels like we’re just getting started (again).

In 2016 we shed the co-branding of Printing.com, and that felt like a fresh start too, and to a degree it was. Then as of July last year, we ceased offering print all together and I’ve realised in the last month or two, that even design for print is not our thing either! 

11 years on – what do we offer at Back9 Creative now? 

We offer results-driven digital marketing and digital advertising. Whilst Impressions (how many times your ad has been viewed on a page) and Reach (a guess of how many may have seen it) are great metrics that still need to be valued and understood, they’re not the ultimate result. The ultimate result is a lead, or a customer – it’s money in the bank.

Yep, it’s conversions that count. Conversions are the gold at the end of the rainbow, and we are always wanting to get businesses more conversions! ROAS and ROI are the metrics that truly matter.

To succeed in results-driven measurement marketing, it takes investment. Investment in time, effort, and money. There’s no silver bullet. And the clients who we achieve success with, also treat it as a partnership. They see it as a two-way street, and we win together! We don’t work for these clients, we work with them! 

That’s our aim going forward. To work with good people and help them and their businesses grow, and start cranking, ranking and winning online! 

Thank you!

Over the 11 years we have had many (many) interactions with clients, customers, collaborators and team members, and for the most part – it’s been great! The biggest lesson I’ve learned is not all relationships are supposed to work out. Those lessons teach us what we need to know and help guide us towards change for the better. Also- nothing is permanent! Striving to be and remaining relentlessly optimistic is the only real way forward.

So from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who has been a part of our journey and in whichever way, shape or form, for the many valuable lessons you have taught me along the way. It has all shaped Back9 Creative in to what it is and will continue to become in the future. Heres to the next 11 years.

Thank you!

Phil Robinson
Founder