Small Agency Diary

Agency Reviews During a Recession

It Sure Is a Little Wacky Out There

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 08.15.08 @ 12:34 PM

Noelle Weaver

I don't know about you but my RSS feeds sure are depressing these days. A recent sample of news headlines told me which American cities were dying, the steep decline in retail sales, that the foreclosure rate in America has climbed to 55% in the past year, ad spending was further being cut and as a result of all of it, joblessness is up and layoffs are increasingly happening at both the corporate and agency level.

'Do-Gooders' Are Brands Too

Nonprofits, NGOs Are Spending Big Bucks to Get Message Out in Face of Corporate Cause Competition

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 05.29.08 @ 11:45 AM

Noelle Weaver

Hollywood actors, rock stars and corporate titans are all embracing cause marketing and increasing our perception that we need to act now to "save the world." To do it, we need to buy something. Create something. Use something.

Some Thoughts for Earth Day

How You and Your Clients Can Be a Little More Earth Friendly

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 04.22.08 @ 10:53 AM

Noelle Weaver

As an industry we're so focused on the big picture and end product that we forget about the process, tools and materials of how to get there.

Sure, a great "green" campaign might move your client up the ladder in the eyes of the socially conscious. And yes, companies and businesses are thinking about ways to "reinvent themselves" by changing to energy-efficient light bulbs and starting a recycling program or committing to a Corporate Social Responsibility program. But how are you truly helping your clients conserve energy, reduce pollution and waste to help to make their (and your) business operations more environmentally friendly?

Help Us Predict Small-Agency Trends of 2008

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 12.10.07 @ 02:28 PM

Noelle Weaver

How can you not love this time of year? Bells are ringing. Children are singing. And news headlines around the globe are screaming things like "The Year in Review," "This Year's Hot List," "Best Bets for Next Year," "What to Expect in '08," "The Top Trends That Matter" and just last week I got my first PR spam for what to expect in this year's Super Bowl ads.

What Consumers Want: Transparency and Reality

Are You Getting the Message Yet?

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 11.20.07 @ 11:56 AM

Noelle Weaver

"The next 5 years will hold more change for the advertising industry than the previous 50 did."

Have Agencies Become an Obstacle to Marketers' Goals?

We've Been too Slow on New-Media Front

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 10.30.07 @ 12:57 PM

Noelle Weaver

This past weekend I was catching up on my reading. I came across a Newsweek article from several weeks ago titled "My Journey to the Top." In it, a quote from Atlantic Records President Julie Greenwald caught my eye. "Critics want to say that the music business is over. That couldn't be farther from the truth. We've just had to transform ourselves to meet the new ways people are experiencing music. Mobile. Digital. Song on TV. Strategic licensing -- our tools have changed but our outcome is still the same."

Lessons Learned After Losing the Pitch

Sure Winning Is Great, but Defeat Is a Good Teacher

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 10.02.07 @ 12:17 PM

For the past month and a half, I've been MIA on Small Agency Diary largely because of one pitch.

Where Do You Find Your New-Business Directors?

Are the Best One's Born or Made?

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 07.09.07 @ 02:29 PM

With over 50% of client relationships lasting less than two years and the average CMO tenure 27 months, the role of new business at our agencies is more important and a bigger focus than ever.

Finding Passion in America

Navigating by Word of Mouth

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 06.25.07 @ 12:44 PM

As I type up this entry, I am sitting in a hotel room in Memphis, Tenn. This year's annual vacation has taken my other half and me on a great American Road Trip to happens to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road."

Small Agency Manifesto

Take a Hint from "Punk": The Marketing Revolution is Nigh

Posted by Noelle Weaver on 06.11.07 @ 07:13 PM

One of my first posts to this blog recounted the days of my misspent youth as a punk rocker growing up in Indiana. I described the poster of Johnny Rotten, lead singer of the Sex Pistols, torn from the pages of Teen Bop magazine and proudly displayed on my bedroom wall. For years Johnny's wicked sneer stared back at me above the words "Are We Having Fun Yet?" in big white type. Thanks to the internet, I've rekindled this teen angst memory on my office desktop, so from time to time Johnny can remind me just how fun this business can be.