Advertising Age - Small Agency Diary

Let's Do Our Part to Reward Gen Y With Jobs
One of our summer interns stopped in my office to say 'goodbye' and 'thank you', before she returned back to college for her senior year. She told me how much she enjoyed her internship experience at Brownstein Group, and hoped that she wouldn't have to go on "funemployment" after graduating next June.

In Order to Close, You Have to Make Real Connections

I recently told my marketing director that I'd take a meeting with Kim Jong Il. Well, I can't. He's not seeing people right now, and he seems like a pretty cruel bastard anyway, so maybe not. But what I meant was that I am intellectually curious about people. All people.

Kill the Capabilities Deck

We used to have a motto at our agency proclaiming, "We don't do decks." And for the most part, we're not very deck-centric. We've avoided the 200-slide presentations that you see larger agencies use to present everything from capabilities to strategic initiatives to concepts. We'd much rather share a real conversation instead of bullet points.

Why We Focus So Much on Our Corporate Culture

The truth is, all employers want the same thing -- employees who take pride in their work, employees who are committed to the greater good of the company and employees who are dependable and reliable over time. We knew we wanted more. We wanted team members who were believers -- believers in our mission, our future.

Are You Striving to Be the Best in a Category? Or Simply the Best?

"Are you the very best at what you do, or are you the very best black at what you do?" my client asked, staring me in the face. I didn't expect that.

How to Be the Right Size

We are who we are, and people like, or dislike us, for all kinds of reasons besides revenue and headcount. No matter what size, you can be a crappy, poorly run business, or you can be a great and inspired agency. Both small and large agencies have size thrust upon them as a defining element of their identity, and they should resist.

Is Overhead the Enemy of Innovation?

Innovation is sexy. It puts you ahead of the competition because you can offer a new tool for the marketer's toolbox. It gets you meetings with prospects and new streams of funding from current clients. It excites your employees and gets you press. So why don't we see more of it?

You Must Be This Tall to Ride This Ride

I once saw a documentary about fear and elation. It contained a scientific experiment studying two types of people, sitting side by side, riding roller coasters. They were either petrified or elated by the experience. Those terrified literally feared for their lives. Those elated felt more alive and free. I wondered if the same responses of elation or fear were present in our industry.

But What Do We Want People to Do?

In the pre-digital age, the best campaigns were essentially the ones that were most entertaining or the most emotionally resonant. In the digital age, the best campaigns are the ones that give consumers something valuable or interesting to do. This is just my opinion, of course, but a glance at many recent award shows would indicate I'm not alone in this perspective.

An Uptight Atmosphere Can Hinder the Creative Process

"What the hell is this?" screamed the CEO of an agency I once worked for. He was standing over the antique pool table in the creative area that some art directors had converted to a review table for a huge project we were working on.

What Has the Recession Done to Consumers -- and Us?

Two years of price-centric messages is enough. It's time to shift from price, price, price to brand, brand, brand. Developing a discount price positioning is fine if your business model is built around it. If not, you're heading into a game you cannot win.

Even When It's Forced Upon You, Change Is What You Make of It

Change is painful -- especially when it's not your decision to make that change. But if you view change (self-initiated or otherwise) through the lens that, more times than not, it pushes you forward, you'll be more thoughtful in calculating how you can prosper from it.

Anti-Social Marketing Makes Me Dislike Your Charity

I've had it. The warmer months bring out summer breezes, cold drinks and on every corner in Philadelphia (and I'll assume New York, Chicago, San Fran and elsewhere) the worst form of marketing out there -- those clipboard-wielding gremlins who need me to support their cause.

Small Ad Agencies Could Use Hollywood-Style Agents

It's really hard to see a system that works so well in one industry but doesn't get carried into another, especially when it is so needed. Why aren't there agents for agencies? Why don't we have our own 15%-ers getting clients for us? Movie stars have all the luck.

One Final Thought on the Small Agency Conference

I was energized because of the caliber of people who participated. One aspect of my admiration is that all were humble. The awards ceremony was a casual affair, almost like a family sitting around the table during the holidays sharing gifts and good wishes. It was evident that being small helps you realize there is no reason to think too much of yourself.

Why 'What Now?' Is the Most Important Question You Can Ask

"What now?" is the driver of business. It is the voice in your head telling you that you have to keep moving. It is the thought that propels you to understand that industries are constantly evolving and that being ahead of this curve will allow you to keep your small agency open.

Challenges Facing Small Agencies Not Unique to U.S.

I have often credited our agency success to good timing, hard work and downright determination. The truth, however, is that we owe a lot to our peers in other small agencies that showed us that there are no size limits on potential. Every single one of the great agencies we all aspire to be like today was once small.

Case Study: The Effects of a Three Martini Lunch on the Creative Process

Since Don Draper starts off season four of "Mad Men" working for a small(er) agency, we only thought it would be appropriate to conduct an experiment inspired by the show. The results were ... interesting.

Our 'Mad Men' Moment

For Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, it was a box of sandwiches at the Pierre. For the three co-founders of Shine, it was a Perkins Restaurant in Madison, Wisc., circa August 2001. And while certainly a different time -- not to mention a very different cultural context and set of circumstances -- there are a few truisms that likely ring true for virtually any new agency. It's been said that going back to the beginning is the best way to continue moving forward; so sit back, pour a martini and revel in a few thoughts on the joy of the startup.

Major Marketers Turn to Small Shops for More Than Bits and Pieces

One of the most striking trends in this year's Ad Age Small Agency Conference and Awards was the number of campaigns executed by small agencies for huge clients. They're no longer sub-contractors, but partners in the bigger creative process.

How Simple Was That?

What is it about us professionals that when we want to show how much we know, the first thing we do is kill simple? Why? Do we really believe that throwing in graphs and charts, adding statistics and formulas, and talking in a vernacular that requires a translator makes us appear smarter?

True Ad People Are Natural-Born Problem Solvers

Great ad guys (and ladies) are first and foremost problem solvers. They simply cannot see a challenge and not offer advice, ideas and insights.

What Small Agencies Across America Have in Common

One dinner down in New Orleans leads to a discussion of the challenges facing small agencies across the country.

You Wouldn't Cheap Out on Your Office, So Don't Do It on Your Website

Your website is ostensibly your biggest office or storefront. Think real estate: Would you cheap out building your headquarters, manufacturing plant, distribution center, customer service center, or store? And yet, a website can be all of these. This piece of property is available to customers and prospects all over the globe 24/7.

It's a Small World After All

At one point during the Advertising Age Small Agency Conference in New Orleans, the focus became centered on the name of the conference and what we should call our agencies. There was a great agenda, very inspirational speakers and some really tasty food as well, but what seemed to resonate most was the use of the word "small."

Why the Ad Industry Needs Alex Bogusky

I was saddened when I read that Alex Bogusky was leaving our industry. Saddened for us in advertising, particularly. The industry is not in good shape and losing the person that has been the most influential to our improvement over the last decade hurts us in ways I don't like to think about. Alex not only revolutionized us, he made us enjoy the trip.

Dinner With a Few Small Agency Bloggers

On July 14, I met my fellow Small Agency bloggers -- Bart Cleveland, Marc Brownstein and Tom Martin -- in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel in New Orleans. Although I'd been reading their posts for years, I'd never met any of these guys before, and I wondered what were the chances of liking three strangers. Odds were one of us would be insufferable. Since you may not meet any of these people in person, I'll share a couple of observations.

Live ... from the Small Agency Conference
Ad Age is conducting its first-ever Small Agency Conference in New Orleans today. Don't know if there'll be much time for live-blogging, but attendees will be on Twitter. Hashtag is #smallagency. Join in the fun.

Our Social-Media Road Show Is Ready to Hit the Highway

Our agency is getting ready to head out onto the highway for the fourth annual Humongo Nation social-media road show. We've learned some valuable lessons over the years, but by far the most worthy is that effective self promotion doesn't have to be about us.

How To Get Ad Agencies to Work for Free

To provide some light summer reading, I've made a list of a few of the strategies that clients occasionally use to get an agency to throw in some free work, cut its pricing and in general sacrifice profit for a gamble on the future.