Small Agency Diary

Is Your Agency a Few Phone Calls From Closing Shop?

How to Optimize Your Shop for Lean Times

Posted by Darryl Ohrt on 11.04.09 @ 02:55 PM

Darryl Ohrt

Four calls from being out of business. That's how a colleague summed up the plight of many smaller agencies. Or the agency business in general. We've seen some fantastic, talented, historic agencies shut their doors this year. Big and small. How can we better prepare ourselves to weather the storm if one or two or three clients pull out?

How You Can Redefine Your Agency in a Single Moment

Game-Changers Just Don't Fall Out of the Sky

Posted by Phil Johnson on 11.03.09 @ 10:45 AM

Phil Johnson

After winning the Volkswagen business, Mike Sheldon, co-CEO of Deutsch, Los Angeles, called it "a game-changer for the agency." Who doesn't want that? At some level, we're all looking for a transformative account, creative recognition, key acquisition or maybe a promotion to president.

So U Think U R Such a Professional? Plz!

OMG, Business Communication Should Be Written in Standard English

Posted by Marc Brownstein on 10.30.09 @ 11:22 AM

Marc Brownstein

A memo went out to one of our clients last week that read more like a text message than a professional letter. You know what it looked like: Every third word was abbreviated, as though it was written on the run, from a cellphone. I was appalled, and could only imagine what the client must think: If we are writing to them in such a casual way, what else is being executed casually?

The Little (14-Person) Agency That Could

Ad Documentary "Art & Copy" Reminds Us We All Start Small

Posted by Bart Cleveland on 10.28.09 @ 05:10 PM

Bart Cleveland

It started with three people and a dream. They dreamed of doing things their way. They didn't plan to change the industry or the culture. They just wanted to be the best they could be. And in making the dream come true, an industry grew up.

What's the ROI of Putting Your Pants on in the Morning?

The Dilemma of Measurement and Accountability

Posted by Phil Johnson on 10.20.09 @ 01:02 PM

Phil Johnson

A couple of months ago I had lunch with Scott Monty, a friend and former PJA manager, who is now director of social media at Ford. He was telling me a story about a speech he had recently given where someone in the audience kept challenging the ROI of social media. Scott is an analytical guy, but I guess he got exasperated and finally said, "What's the ROI of putting your pants on in the morning?" Some things just seem like a good idea, including program measurement and accountability. The dilemma I see is that while agencies have gotten religion about the discipline of measurement, these efforts have not necessarily increased the value of agency services.

Small Agencies Make Pretty Good Dates

We Might Even Get Your Ready for the Prom Queen You Seek

Posted by Bart Cleveland on 10.15.09 @ 10:00 AM

Bart Cleveland

You know you're probably doing the right thing when you continually lose your people to our industry's powerhouse agencies. It may sound like a negative, but if agencies such as Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Mother, and Chiat Day hire your employees, they obviously think you're doing something right. Leonard Monahan was such an agency in the '80s and '90s. David Lubars, Kara Goodrich, David Baldwin and Ernie Schenck all grew up there and then went on to be leaders in our industry. Where was Leonard Monahan? Providence, Rhode Island. That's right, the hub of advertising, dynamic Rhode Island.

The Time to Re-Invest Is Also the Scariest Time

Spending Now to Improve Your Agency Will Pay Dividends as the Economy Recovers

Posted by Marc Brownstein on 10.14.09 @ 12:31 PM

Marc Brownstein

I've been writing a lot of checks lately to carpenters, contractors, IT technicians, painters, and audio/video specialists. That's because I made the decision back in May to renovate our offices in the midst of the recession. As I write this, construction is wrapping up, and we are moving into our new digs next week. Exciting. And scary (to spend all of that money) at the same time.

I Hate 'Creative,' and You Should Too

The Word Is Now Being Used to Mean 'Not Strategic'

Posted by Tom Denari on 10.13.09 @ 11:12 AM

Tom Denari

Now that I have your attention, I really do hate "creative." It's not that I dislike creativity or creative people. In fact, I love it, and I work closely with truly creative people that inspire me on a daily basis. It's what's kept me in this crazy business for so long. But after two decades in advertising, I've come to hate the word "creative." What was once used to describe thoughtful and novel communications, to describe what we aspire to on a daily basis, the word "creative" has somehow devolved into a pejorative hammer -- a hammer that's often used to beat the life out of an idea into something that's anything but "creative."

When my agency was a much younger, smaller upstart group, the more established old-guard agencies in our local market would often give us the backhanded, dismissive compliment of being "really creative." It was as if the other end of the spectrum was "really strategic." They would try to paint their straight-forward, sometimes even pedestrian, work as "more strategic." (Ah, "strategic," there's another painfully misused word by marketers. But that's for another day.)

Over time, the industry has fed this notion by too often producing undisciplined work that has tainted what it means to be "creative." The meaningless way we discuss creativity in the media and the boardroom has poisoned marketers' perceptions of how to engage consumers. We are continually overusing and misusing the term "creative," stretching it to represent everything from the remarkable campaigns to the soulless advertising that gets by on being visually interesting to the self-indulgent and baseless advertising created only for creative accolades and personal portfolios.

And how many times are we going to have to read stories about whether "Creativity and Effectiveness Can Coexist?" These stories simply fuel the misperception and definition of what creativity should mean to both agencies and clients.

The crux of the issue is not whether there is tension between creativity and effectiveness. In fact, it would save a lot of trouble if we simply eliminated the word "creative" from our lexicon. If we did, the discussion would shift to a more productive discussion, focusing on engagement and effectiveness.

For instance, instead of the client asking, "Do we really need to be so creative on this one?" he would be forced to say, "Do we really need to engage the consumer on this one?"

Ridiculous? Maybe.

The cadre of marketers that don't think the message needs to be "creative" assume that the target audience is keenly attentive to whatever they have to say next. They argue the more direct the better. Unfortunately, we all know that's just not the case. Consumers are bombarded with thousands of messages daily that ask for their attention and their disposable income. The brands that find a way to break through, engage and connect with their audiences are the ones that have the opportunity to affect their behavior.

Instead of debating whether the work is "creative," clients need to start asking:

• "Is the message surprising?"
• "Does it play upon consumers' life experience?"
• "Is it relevant?"
• "Is it consistent with the brand's voice?"
• "Is it believable?"
• "Does it differentiate the brand?"

If we all can begin to look at how an agency's work will (or won't) engage a consumer, and focus less on whether its work is "creative," my guess is that the advertising will end up being more effective. And likely more "creative."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Denari is president, Young & Laramore, Indianapolis, Ind.

The End of the World as We Know It? I Hope So

The One Constant in This Business Is Change

Posted by Bart Cleveland on 10.09.09 @ 02:38 PM

Bart Cleveland

IBM did a report suggesting that advertising will dramatically change in the next five years. I've got news for Big Blue, it has dramatically changed every five years of my career and I've been around awhile. Though the report had some relevant information, it made me snicker at its not-too-original doomsday prophecy that ad agency creative is going to be threatened by customer-generated ads. To which I state, "Where do you think the idea of customer-generated content originates?" That's right. An ad agency "created" the idea.

Not In a 'Major' Market? Impress the Interns Enough to Come Back

Portland Agencies Put Aside Difference, Let Students Get to Work

Posted by Doug Zanger on 10.08.09 @ 05:30 PM

Doug Zanger

Ed Herinckx, president of HMH, was impressed by the scope and depth of the talent. Kent Lewis, president of Anvil Media, was awed by the passion of the talent and agencies. The interns themselves felt as though they were getting a profound opportunity to learn and contribute at the same time. The client was thrilled at the level of work it received.