Advertising Age - Small Agency Diary

Clients Need to Know: Are You Helping or Selling?

We must assure clients that we have their best interests at heart, not an agenda.

The Big Problem With 'The Pitch': It Portrays an Outdated Business Model

"The Pitch" can be fun to watch, but it portrays an outdated business model.

When Big Ideas Come from Small Companies

The freshest marketing ideas don't always come from big-budget marketing departments. They come from entrepreneurs who use their ingenuity to stand out.

A Wise Word for Obama and Our Profession: Transparency

When political supporters and consumers are left largely in the dark, negative assumptions spread in the public.

Small Agency Awards Deadline Extended One Last Time: Entries Due May 7

Ad Age has extended the deadline for entries into its Small Agency Awards competition until May 7.

If You Want a True Community on Social Media, You Have to Create It

Social media give marketers a chance to build a real community of customers.

Report from Social-Media's Front Lines

The best way to stay ahead of the fast-changing social media and digital-marketing ecosystem is to go to its Mecca.

A Great Way to Re-Energize Your Creative Batteries

Creative Week is an annual celebration of creativity in advertising, design, digital media and arts. It brings fresh thinking to all aspects of our business.

When One Agency's Ideas Show Up In Another Agency's Work

What happens when you lose a pitch--but your work ends up in the client's campaign anyway?

Don't Underestimate How Much Preparation Means to Success

We are often so caught up in details that we forget to draft a simple plan of execution that will guide us from start to finish and prepare us for challenges that may arise.

Treat and Court Your Current Clients As If They're Potential New Business

A devastating loss for an AOR pitch gives a team fresh insights.

Mining Your Partners' Partners to Build Your Client Base

With the right strategic business partners in place, you can connect directly to their networks.

The Big Guys Have Reams of Research; Now You Can Too

Large agencies leverage big research resources. One company is using social-media data to help small firms compete affordably.

Smaller Shops Get Creative in Luring Talent From Bigger Agencies
What many small shops can boast that their larger brethren cannot is more flexibility, transparency and quality of life.

If Ideas Are Fuel for Your Business, Here's a Book to Help Fill Up Your Tank

"The Book of Doing" could unlock the sense of "spontaneity and freedom" you felt as a child, and affect your business in positive ways.

Is Your Shop Ready for Health-Care Reform?

Ad Age scoured government advisories and spoke with health-benefits experts to address the most common questions.

Lessons From Dad: Tips for Running the Family Ad Agency

How to Cut Through Tech Clutter and Decide Which Systems You Really Need

For a small business, figuring out what systems you have to invest in and what can be put off is a necessary, difficult task.

What to Know Before Selling Your Small Business

The decision to cash out will be an easy one for many entrepreneurs. But selling your business to a larger company and sticking around comes with a whole different set of issues. I sold my digital agency two years ago, and here's what I learned in the process.

The True Promise of Social Media Drowned Out by Self-Promotion

Technology that promised to change how we talk with each other is now mostly used for self-promotion.

Ad Age Opens Registration for 2012 Small Agency Awards

Registration for Advertising Age's 2012 Small Agency Awards is open. Deadline is April 20.

Why We Said 'Yes' to Participating In 'The Pitch'

The head of WDCW explains that his agency agreed to appear on the show because it has nothing to hide.

The Revolution Our Industry Needs

Online sharing is changing advertising's role, requiring a shift in focus from messaging to encouraging product quality and more responsible corporate behavior.

Get Tough: Avoid Hiring Those Who'll Be Toxic to Your Business

An executive needs to identify individuals who will likely detract from the business and avoid hiring them.

Most March Madness Fans Will Place Their Bets on a Name-Brand Team

Just like a product with a deep heritage and large media budget, name-brand teams often get the benefit of the doubt.

Why Our Ad Agency Turned Down a Chance to Be Featured on National TV

An ad agency weighs the pros and cons of appearing on a reality show -- and says "no."

Take Time to Nurture Your Staff -- It Really Does Pay Off

Trying to build an agency into something respectable is time-consuming. and it's easy to forget that your employees need nurturing that will keep them engaged

Social Media Can Leave a Brand Naked in the Face of Consumer Wrath

Where consumer comments abound on social media, brands are transparent. Clever messaging won't get consumers to buy what other consumers say is a bad product.

It's Time to Bring B2B Marketers Into the Social-Media World

Too few B2B companies are properly marketing themselves with social media, insisting on short-term profit when they could use giants like IBM and GE as models.

Personality Types Matter More Than Job Titles

An ad agency hums when it has a mix of four or five core types of people whose personalities can complete each other, creating creative chemistry.