Small Agency Diary

Don't Hire Me Because I'm an Expert

Do You Really Need Someone Who's Focused on the Past?

Posted by Tom Martin on 11.09.09 @ 10:57 AM

Tom Martin

Have you seen the latest RFP? You know the one. Where they want to hire a firm that is an expert in [insert name of category and/or marketing channel]. Funny, I think the RFP before this one had that same line. And the one before that one too, and so on and so on. We've all read them. We've all responded to them claiming to be said expert. And honestly, if a company is looking for tactical implementation, hiring an expert is absolutely the way to go. I concur. Enjoy. Have fun. Good luck.

Are You a Sexy Beast?

Pretty Is Nice, but Attitude Wins the Day

Posted by Tom Martin on 09.24.09 @ 10:32 AM

Tom Martin

What do you think? Sexy: good or bad? Is it something to strive for? Is it something that once obtained will result in more success, better sales, or just a competitive advantage? Yes, the "right" answer is "no" -- because to want to be sexy, well, that's just unsexy. But if you agree that being sexy could actually be a good thing, ask yourself these questions.

What the Mob Can Teach You About Marketing

Why Marketers Should Hire Consiglieres

Posted by Tom Martin on 08.12.09 @ 02:15 PM

Tom Martin

I'm a big fan of the mob. Seriously. You have to respect an organization that can literally get away with murder. OK, so I'm sort of kidding. But in a way I'm not. Here is an organization that has been around in the United States since the early 1900s, operates at a level of secrecy that would make Steve Jobs proud and was allowing its workers to telecommute way before that became in vogue. But as impressive as that is, the part of their setup that has always been something I found intriguing was the consigliere.

Use Show and Tell to Sell Your Ideas

Your Grammar-School Teacher Was Right All Along

Posted by Tom Martin on 07.16.09 @ 11:44 AM

Tom Martin

Do you remember show and tell? That great day when your grammar-school teacher gave you the stage and let you bring anything you cared about to show the class. It was an opportunity to share something that you thought was cool, important or interesting and maybe get the class to agree with you, that it was cool, important or interesting.

What Ad Agencies Can Learn From Hookers and Virgins

Clients Want Trusted Partners, not Someone Who'll Fake It

Posted by Tom Martin on 06.25.09 @ 12:30 PM

Tom Martin

A few weeks ago, this tweet crossed my path: "agency advising on digital branding that isn't active in the digital space is like a virgin showing a hooker the ropes."

My first reaction was pure laughter and, of course, a retweet. My second reaction was "I need to write a post on this topic." Then Marc Meyer posted a similar, although much more G-rated version of the same thought and it reminded me I hadn't written that post. So here it is.

My Top Beach Books for Advertising Agency Folks

Work These Business Books Into Your Summer Schedule

Posted by Tom Martin on 06.09.09 @ 12:59 PM

Tom Martin

As I prepare for the annual summer beach trip with the family, I thought I'd share some of my favorite beach-reading material. Some of these are new and some are old, but each has given me value far beyond the meager price I paid for the book.

Enjoy the summer and the books. If you don't see your favorite here, please do me a favor and add it to the comments box. If we get enough, maybe I'll do a follow up post with links to those books too.

Should Your Branded Apps Be Toys or Tools?

Don't Get Caught Up in Playing Games

Posted by Tom Martin on 05.14.09 @ 12:16 PM

Tom Martin

Branded apps are hot right now. Clients want them because they are cool and agencies want to build them because they want to be cool. And as one of the folks here at Zehnder who sits in a lot of digital ideation discussions, both internally and with clients, I find one of the first big debates is always the question of "Should we be building something fun or useful?"

Positively Disrupting Thoughts for Ad Agencies

Go Ahead and Take Your Eye Off the Ball

Posted by Tom Martin on 04.16.09 @ 11:57 AM

Tom Martin

If you're like most companies today, you're scared. The economy sucks, the financial world is chaotic and your 401(k) is getting smaller, not bigger. So what is a boy to do? Well, for starters, stop doing what you're doing now. Why? Because I'm guessing it is what you've been doing all along and, frankly, that isn't going to cut it these days.

Your Agency's Clients Deserve the Truth -- Can You Handle It?

Digital Age Will Force You to Give Up Pseudo-Science and Rules of Thumb

Posted by Tom Martin on 03.27.09 @ 12:15 PM

Tom Martin

Great marketing and sales strategies are basically common sense. Unfortunately, today sense is anything but common. Companies look to us advertising folks to guide them. What they often get is largely pontification and "rules of thumb." There is talk of proprietary models, trademarked and in some cases patented approaches, and proven processes. Companies come to us for answers. But we seldom give them a straight answer to anything in advertising because, frankly, there are no straight answers. And those rules of thumb, they are largely bullshit. But rather than dish out that truth and educate clients, we "get the biz" and figure it out later. And before you go clicking on that comment button -- yes, I know, I'm painting with a really, really broad brush right now. But stick with me for a minute.

Using Twitter to Improve Brand Perception

Can Social Media Disassociate Mardi Gras and 'Boobs'

Posted by Tom Martin on 03.12.09 @ 12:25 PM

Tom Martin

The week before Mardi Gras, I invited you to "Come to Mardi Gras. My Tweet." What I didn't share was the goal of the experiment -- to see if I could positively change the brand perception of Mardi Gras.