With so much focus on accountability and ROI, there's an increasing pressure on agencies to prove their advertising works. And with interactive, agencies are asked to provide detailed metrics whenever possible. The trouble is, the more consumers know about how much they're tracked online, the more they don't like it. So with the specter of legislation looming, the ad industry is attempting some self-regulation. From …
Real Life McCann Welcomes Fictional Agency
The folks at McCann Erickson probably liked, and disliked, the season finale of "Mad Men." The episode featured Sterling Cooper set to be sold to 1960's era McCann, an agency described as not a good one for Don Draper & Co. to work for. 2009's McCann decided to play along: McCann Erickson bought ads that appear in the Nov. 16 issues of the trade publications Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek, which carry the headline …
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Coffee Is For Closers. Social Media Is For Openers.
According to a new survey from RSW/US and Second Wind, agencies aren't using social media tools to their full advantage. Nearly three-quarters of the 212 agency leaders polled are connected to LinkedIn, 66 percent to Facebook and 56 percent to Twitter. But when asked how frequently they use each, the majority said no more than once a month. For example, 47 percent conceded that they never tweet, 7 percent said they …
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Who Has The Digital Answer? He Does! No, She Does! No, I Do!
Ad Age asks, "Does the Industry Need Big Digital Agencies Anymore?" I don't believe it's a rhetorical question. Anthropologist Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; Indeed, it's the only thing that ever does." Oh right, we're not talking about changing the world here, we're talking about spreading a brand message digitally across many cultures. Tom …
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Guest Post: Savannah Unleashes The “Geek”
Editor's note: This article is by Sloane Kelley, a former colleague and current friend. She stepped in to my shoes when I left BFG Communications last year and is now the agency's Content Director. She's also a mover and shaker in Savannah (and beyond), as this guest post clearly indicates. SAVANNAH--Say the word "Savannah" and it typically conjures up visions of Spanish moss, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, …
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Reading Agencies By Their Cover Is Bad Form
Ad Age is running another article about digital agencies being ready to lead, but the article isn't all that interesting. What is interesting is the first comment on the article. It's from Josh Levine of Rebel Industries. Here's a clip: One of my favorite quotes is from Anne Busquet, former CEO of IAC and American Express, which goes "It's not the age of the internet, it's the age of customer control." Yet the debate …
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Chrysler Drives Away
Adweek is reporting that BBDO/Detroit and its field offices will close on Jan. 26, 2010, putting 485 people out of work. Given that news, it's kind of weird to see the following message on Chrysler.com: "Give yourself a promotion." Ouch. On July 30 Chrysler told the agency that while it wished to continue to work with the shop, it was not prepared to do so under current contract terms. After emerging from bankruptcy …
From Cliff To The Abyss
I, like lots of other folks, was very saddened to hear of the closing of Cliff Freeman & Partners. But what struck me was how few agencies do what Cliff Freeman did--keep a style of advertising for many years, through many clients. No, it didn't last forever, but can an agency even attempt to create a signature creative style anymore? Most agencies attempt to do it all, style-wise: serious-minded work, goofball …
