Last week over beers in downtown Portland, I asked Sharon Krinsky if Bob Hoffman has a type A personality. She said yes. I’ll have to take her word for it, given that the two worked together for 20 years at Hoffman/Lewis in San Francisco.
There is also the evidence to consider. Starting and running a successful San Francisco advertising agency isn’t for the faint of heart. Deciding to rip the business a new one as The Ad Contrarian is another sign — only people with missionary zeal take on this sort of challenge.
So, am I surprised that one month after leaving the agency with his name on the door, Bob has a new gig? Not really. Nor am I surprised by the ambitious nature of the new undertaking, or that the new entity’s first move is to kick some hard core facts (see video below).
Type A Group, with Krinsky and Hoffman at the helm, is up and running with three primary goals in mind: 1) Consulting to independent agencies; 2) Turnaround Marketing; and 3) Marketing to the Fifty Plus segment of the American population.
“To be honest here, I have no idea whether this thing is going to go anywhere or not, but it’s a good time to do things I’m really interested in,” says Bob. Which is proof that you can be humble and be driven to achieve great things. The two things actually go together rather nicely, in my experience.
Personally, I wish Bob and Sharon all the best with this new venture, and I will be interested to see if one of the three disciplines emerges as a clear winner, or if the new consultancy fires on all three cylinders.
