Advertising Age - Small Agency Diary

Face the Economic Beast Head-On

There are other ways to get through this recession. I've written about some in recent months, but wanted to share some new insights that may help your agency thrive against the odds.

Good Advertising Requires Constant Creative Conditioning

If we let our passion for making an ad sit in the corner, gathering dust, we will become more and more afraid to let ideas flow. We will become afraid of our true ability.

The Rewards (Emotional and Otherwise) of Award Shows

What can be rewarding about award shows -- aside from the statues -- are the personal and professional relationships built.

What Does a Recession Look Like?

So what does an economic crisis look like at the epicenter of retail, the mall? With the holiday season just around the corner? Below are a few observations from this past Saturday.

Small Agencies Can Provide Local Expertise

Every day I see stellar examples of why national brands should use regional agencies to create and execute DMA-level programs.

Report From Philly: Swing for the Fences and You Will Succeed

Winning is intoxicating and changes attitudes. Winning drives revenue (just ask the mayor of Philly what kind of positive financial impact the team has had on the city the last few weeks). And winning is a reminder of what it takes to succeed, whether on the ball field or in the boardroom.

How to Keep Creativity Flowing

One of my co-workers made an interesting comment about how he believes you keep work quality high. He said that when he lived up north, he learned quickly that a faucet that was not dripping was the sign of a frozen pipe in the near future. The same goes for our work. You have to let the creative faucet drip.

The Upside of Down

As the Consumer Confidence Index hits an all-time low of 38, will large advertisers finally look en masse to smaller agencies for innovation and value? Is this mess we're in the catalyst of the next sea-change? Quite possibly, yes. And if small agencies have what it takes, the downturn could have a serious upside.

A Strange Noise

The nostalgic mechanical noise of an old typewriter made me think about how the tools we choose define the creative process and how creative work morphs and evolves with new technologies. Sometimes, when the new tools emerge, the people who know how to use them don't always create the best work. Sometimes, great creative minds just can't master the new tools.

The Truth Can Be Brutal

At the ANA Masters of Marketing conference, I had my handwriting analyzed. It was eerie how much could be gleaned about me just by looking at my writing. The things that stood out related to creativity, quests for knowledge, some levels of impatience and wanderlust. It was very humbling to learn this, especially the "bad" sides.

Hiring the Right People Is a No-Brainer

When it comes to staffing, I've learned that it pays to do without rather than settle. But there are times when you don't know you are settling.

Leadership Isn't a Commodity

Agencies today need to stop being afraid of leadership and step into the vacuum that seemingly exists.

Crazy Thought: Things Are Looking Brighter

Because agencies have the unique role of helping to jump-start the economy and leading the recovery by hosting a dialogue with Americans, we need to leverage that role now.

What Would You Do if You Were Marketing VP for a Day?

Every once in a while, I play a cruel game. I pretend I'm the marketing VP of a large corporation with a nice budget and ask myself how I would evaluate an agency partner. Of course, that's what our clients are doing every day, but knowing the underside of agency operations adds another dimension to the game.

Forging Through

It is clear that this is a fustercluck that is different on many levels. However, I'm finding that some of the disciplines that served me well during that time could be what helps us push through the muck this time around. It remains to be seen how this will all pan out, but these are some of the things we notice are working so far.

These Are Perilous Times. What Else Is New?

A number of our employees have asked my partners and me if this economic situation is going to adversely affect us. Who knows what the future holds? Good or bad economy, ours is a precarious business to be in.

Bailout or Not, the Storm Is Going to Be Rough

I'll spare you my analysis of the congressional bailout plan, but I do know something about what happens to agencies during a downturn. I've been through at least three recessions and hopefully learned a few things along the way. In each case, I'd say my naivete was stripped away, and I've had to accept some unpleasant realities.

Value-Minded Clients Can Be Good for Your Agency

It's budget time. And chances are you're sitting in the same meetings I am with a client asking you to do more with less. Over the last 60 days, I've probably sat in half a dozen of these meetings. You might think that would get moderately depressing, but actually it has been inspiring.

Now Is Not the Time for You to Bail Out

The bailout news continues to be stuffed down our throats. Not because anyone in the news media cares but because we are drawn in a sickly way to gaze at our own car wreck. You can no more stop the meltdown than you can the media barrage. As a small agency owner, positive leadership counts the most right now.

Have You Checked Your Tires Lately?

A recent experience with my new car's technology caused me to think about slight adjustments that are needed to keep one's agency operating at its maximum potential.

What Did You Give Up to Be Here?

We all have to make sacrifices. Chances are, we all probably gave something up that we really love to do to get into this business. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but some of these choices make us wax sentimental about the good ol' days.

Making Sense of What's Going On Out There

Small Agency Diary contributor Marc Brownstein pens a memo to his employees explaining what the financial crisis means for their shop.

Welcome to the Management Team

Every other Tuesday, the eight people who comprise the PJA management team meet in one of the back conference rooms to discuss the state of the agency. Not surprisingly, the rest of the office is curious about what takes place in those meetings. While we give regular updates, every once in a while, someone asks me, "What the hell do you guys talk about?"

Can We Write in Dan Wieden?

I've been somewhat ambiguous about media consolidation, especially in radio. That said, I am a big proponent of improving the quality and diversity of what happens in the industry both on the air and on the ground.

You Can't Quantify Everything

In a recent issue of Ad Age, Jack Neff wrote about some interesting developments in the area of measuring advertising effectiveness. I almost missed it because I'm building up immunity to claims of the latest, most definitive systems for measuring such things.

Post-Labor Day Growth Planning

I've always believed the week after Labor Day is the toughest week of the year. So as you put away your shorts and sandals, and put on jeans and fleece, what better time to shift into a higher gear, and re-focus on growing your agency? Here are five easy things you can do to propel your agency ahead, and make it a more successful year.

Never Count Out Those With Gray Hair

There's been some banter in the industry pubs lately about an uncommonly large number of older professionals being put out to pasture because they just don't get it anymore. While this is true in certain cases, I suspect that when examined critically, this blanket assertion is someone's attempt to sell papers.

Who's Better for Your Biz? Barack or McCain?
Read their positions. Here's Barack Obama. Here's John McCain.

Caught in the Undertow

Losing a client isn't exactly the end of the world. When we decided to put the shingle up, we knew what we were getting into. It's a fluid business, but losing any client is an emotional experience, and it's difficult not to be affected by the immediate aftermath.

Adrenaline Is a Key Ingredient to Success

You've probably read stories about people who have discovered superhuman strength when they needed to save themselves or someone else from certain doom. Imagine if we could apply this phenomenon to our business. How can we get past merely hoping for superhuman strength, and instead find the willpower to achieve the seemingly impossible?