Agencies

"Part of the Midwestern psyche is you do the work and that should speak for itself." -Michael Hart In its latest issue, Creativity profiles mono, an agency in Minneapolis that is partly owned by Canadian holding company MDC. mono is the creation of Michael Hart, 40, and his creative partner Chris Lange, 36—both Minneapolis natives who have spent most of their careers there— and managing partner James Scott. I bring …

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Tribal DDB bought a full page ad in the May issue of Creativity. It's a long copy ad full of dense prose that leads nowhere. Which, given the clincher, is clearly the point: Nobody Forwards Print Oddly, this message comes inside the new Creativity, a magazine that has upgraded it's packaging considerably with this latest issue. Stranger yet that Tribal DDB would leave this clue in the text: …

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The new WPP-created agency set up to service Dell has a new name. From Ad Age: The new WPP Group agency designed to handle Dell's marketing-services business is expected to be named Synarchy Worldwide, a reference to a utopian political system coined in the 18th century. WPP could change direction if the name doesn't pass legal muster or translate well into the various international locales in which it operates. But …

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Looking at 2007 earnings reports, Ad Age notes the health of the industry's top indies—Richards Group, Doner, Wieden + Kennedy, RPA and Cramer-Krasselt in particular. In terms of U.S. revenue, the hardest-charging independent is Chicago-based Cramer-Krasselt, which grew domestic revenue more than 16% last year to $137.2 million, thanks partly to account wins such as Porsche, Zantac and Bissell. C-K's revenue grew …

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GSD&M Idea City took some punches but it isn't going to take a knee. Adweek reports that the Austin-based agency has picked up duties on the $30 million L.L. Bean account. The agency was also re-hired on the U.S. Air Force account last month following a review. …

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According to Ad Age's annual U.S. Ad Agencies Ranked By Revenue report, 537 U.S. ad agencies reported income in excess of one million dollars last year. I must admit I've always enjoyed looking at this report. It's simple in structure, but it offers lots of things to ponder. "Are these real numbers?" is one thing I ponder. I also like to read all the names and wonder what type of firms lurk behind them. Initials …

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According to Ad Age, revenue for U.S. agencies -- advertising, marketing services and media -- jumped 8.6% in 2007 despite a tepid ad market. And for that, you can thank digital. While it comes as no surprise that revenue at digital specialty agencies rocketed last year (up 26.8% in the U.S.), it's clear that digital services have become a way of life (or a way to avoid death) for agencies of all disciplines. In …

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I'm a creative. Accounting might as well be rocket science, because that's about how familiar I am with it. You'd never see me succeeding in an accounting degree program. Despite this personal inadequacy, I bring you this from Ad Age, a story on accounting practices gone wrong at McCann. Interpublic Group of Cos. and its global agency network McCann Erickson Worldwide today said it will pay $12 million to end a …

Continue Reading about $12 Mil. And Six Years of Legal Fees Later… →