Advertising Age - Small Agency Diary

The Invisible Hand of Agency Culture

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:14:29 -0500

All things being equal, why does a talented person choose to work at one agency over another? Even more important, why do they stay? If you're a small or midsize agency, you've got to be able to answer this question if you want to create an environment that attracts great talent.

What Kind of Agency Are You?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:54:03 -0500

When people ask about our agency, I often struggle with an industry categorization. I'd never use the term "traditional" to describe our operation, yet I don't believe that "digital" is the best descriptor, either. For that matter, do traditional agencies even call themselves "traditional"? Probably not.

Your Experience Is Your Biggest Hurdle

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:01:04 -0500

Unchecked, bias makes it difficult to be objective, and often causes marketers to prefer messages that are more relevant to them rather than to the people they are trying to influence. It's likely the reason why so much advertising misses the mark, as it appears that it doesn't understand who it's talking to.

Take the Stairs -- Not the Escalator -- to Create the Agency of 2010

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:16:18 -0500

In order to get to the top in business (and in life), you have to avoid the escalator, which is the easy way to get to where you want to go.

Make 'Can't Never Could' Your Agency's Motto

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:31:37 -0500

Think how powerful your agency could be if people were empowered to do the impossible? And by empowered, I mean required.

What the Lawn Guy Can Teach Us About Customer Loyalty

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:21:22 -0500

It occurred to me that if I have any chance of winning the green-lawn championship next year, I'll need a repeat performance. Considering that I'm not a Rain God, this could only mean one thing -- I will forever be committed to using my lawn service company.

Don't Hire Me Because I'm an Expert

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:57:00 -0500

The problem with experts is that they can only really tell you how it has always been done. They can tell you what has worked and hasn't worked. But the funny thing about experts, the thing they don't teach you in grad school, is that experts are looking in the wrong darn direction. They spend life looking backward instead of forward, which makes it awfully hard to find a new direction or uncover an unconventional opportunity.

Is Your Agency a Few Phone Calls From Closing Shop?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:55:39 -0500

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

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:45:10 -0500

Game-changers don't just materialize out of thin air. You can't will them to happen. I suspect they happen like a lot of events in life: You pick a destination and then work your butt off. There's risk too. Losing a key client can be a game-changer. Too much success too quickly has crushed plenty of good agencies. An exciting game-changer for one person can be a game-changing nightmare for someone else.

So U Think U R Such a Professional? Plz!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:22:19 -0400

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 cell phone. 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

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:10:08 -0400

The documentary "Art & Copy" recently was screened here for a large audience of advertising professionals who work for small agencies. (That's the only kind we have in Albuquerque.) The audience applauded loudly when the final credits rolled up the screen. They were cheering the revolution of our industry, a revolution sparked by a small agency. A 14-person agency that wanted to do something better than what was being done. That agency was the reason I wanted to enter advertising.

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

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:02:28 -0400

Listen to the agency buzz, and we're all masters of measurement and analytics. Every agency worth its salt claims to not only solve its client's business problems but has the data and case studies to back it up. By the same token, CMOs cite producing measurable results as their No. 1 priority. CMOs want results and agencies deliver. Shouldn't everybody be happy? Not so fast.

Small Agencies Make Pretty Good Dates

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:00:47 -0400

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.

The Time to Re-Invest Is Also the Scariest Time

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:31:36 -0400

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

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:12:00 -0400

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."

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

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:38:24 -0400

As an agency owner and creative director, I am concerned about the real danger that has always threatened our industry: our own unwillingness to push a client's marketing forward.

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

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:30:11 -0400

One of the interns mentioned that this internship was beyond what she had expected. She said that while her colleagues and peers were fetching coffee and bagels at their internships in Chicago, she was able to work on something real

The Art of the Spectacular Fail

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:46:17 -0400

Our industry is one of the most self-congratulatory industries short of Hollywood. There are award shows for every success in our industry, every market, every town, for every pixel that was ever touched by a creative person. There are top 10 lists, charts and metrics galore that illustrate just what a big deal our agency's creations are. Yet maybe we should be celebrating failures instead.

Culture Shock: Defining Moments in an Agency's History

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:27:56 -0400

Think about what you observe walking into your favorite agency. The physical space screams creativity. You encounter smart, genuine people who obviously like each other. You can feel the energy of small groups collaborating all around you. It's easy to get seduced by the music and sense of fun and the kitchens full of sodas and cutting-edge snacks. It's all window dressing.

Are Agencies Reaping What We've Sown?

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:32:47 -0400

Don't Assume Your Employees Know What You're Thinking

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:57:36 -0400

My partners and I have frequently talked among us about the agency's brand. We've examined what we do at work that makes us most happy. We've looked at our clients that are most pleased with our work. We agreed what we are about and we then assumed that we had adequately communicated that message to the staff. Basically, we made the same mistake most of our clients had made before hiring us. We believed in clairvoyance.

Barrie D'Rozario Murphy Mocks Bigger Agencies in Ad

rparekh@adage.com(Rupal Parekh) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:00:14 -0400

Barrie D'Rozario Murphy took out a full-page ad in the New York Times yesterday that congratulates fellow ad agency O'Toole winners, and issued them a warning, too: "Congratulations BBDO and Bartle Bogle Hegarty. We're coming after you."

Are You a Sexy Beast?

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:32:45 -0400

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.

A Simple Reminder: The Ad Industry Is Still Fun

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:11:27 -0400

If I didn't know any better, I'd start packing my bags in advertising and get a job as an insurance broker or university professor. But the truth is, I do know better.

Creating the Future of Adland

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:37:46 -0400

My blog topic this week is "Not That Anybody Cares, but I Was Just Thinking About the Future of Advertising Agencies." Let me assure you I have not been influenced by facts or research.

Why You Should Care About My Actor-Friend's Next Goal

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:19:50 -0400

I have a good friend who's an actor and comedian in Los Angeles. Let's call him Mike Friedman (shameless plug!). Mike has been out there for close to 15 years and is one of the hardest working guys I know. Mike most recently has a newer fascination, and this should be a wake-up call for every mad man and mad woman, small and large, out there: advertising.

Transparency Begins at Home

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:10:47 -0400

When I was employed by a much larger firm, I saw that people were stressed over things they couldn't control or didn't understand. Eliminating those obstacles makes for mighty happy, productive and invested employees.

Rockfish Interactive Named Small Agency of the Year

rparekh@adage.com(Rupal Parekh) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:29:48 -0400

Arkansas-Based Digital Agency Thinks Big for Big Clients

Marketers Beware: You May Be Sitting in Plato's Cave

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:53:09 -0400

It is not much of a stretch to say that search committees see only the shadows that agencies cast on the wall, not the material reality behind them. They see beautiful work and analogous solutions that the agency has created for others. They see these shadows most often without the benefit of the material sensation of their dimensional forms: the combination of talent that actually created the work.

You Can't Be All Things to All Clients

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:31:04 -0400

My partners and I continually discuss what makes us different. This is a good thing. We understand the importance of agreeing on our reason for being. But there is a more critical thing we've learned from these discussions. Before we can answer how our agency is different, we must know what truly constitutes being different.