Video Report From a New Orleans Ad Agency

21 Months Later, the Daily Struggle Continues

By Hoag Levins
Published: June 04, 2007

Videographer: S. Raddock

Robbie Vitrano's Trumpet ad agency, which has a staff of 30, is located in downtown New Orleans. | ALSO: Comment on this program in the 'Your Opinion' box below.

NEW ORLEANS (AdAge.com) -- Twenty-one months after hurricane Katrina destroyed the region's marketing and advertising infrastructure, the industry continues to struggle in an economy still hobbled by widespread devastation and displacement. The media environment remains so disrupted that lawn signs are a major form of advertising for local businesses. In this 10-minute video interview, Robbie Vitrano, president of ad agency Trumpet in downtown New Orleans, discusses the frustrations of agency life in a dysfunctional city as well as the strategies that have kept his shop alive.