Agencies rise and agencies fall. Let's start with the bad news. Barton F. Graf, the small indie agency in NYC, like Wexley School for Girls in Seattle (and other "hot shops" before it), is closing down. Jeff Beer writes about advertising for Fast Company. When learning of the closing of Barton F. Graf, he pondered what, if anything, it might mean for the industry at large. The ad industry is prone to …
Ogilvy’s Recruitment Advertising for U.S. Customs and Border Protection To Continue
The Wall Street Journal reports that staff pushback at Ogilvy was not strong enough to topple management's decision to keep the U.S. Customs and Border Protection as a client. Ogilvy’s CBP contract is valued at more than $12 million, and is expected to generate around $1 million in annual fees for the agency. “Some of you feel strongly that we should stop working for CBP,” Ogilvy Chief Executive John Seifert …
When I Paint My Masterpiece, Everything’s Gonna Be Different
There's a new website in town. OVER 30 UNDER 30 endeavors to highlight ageism in advertising—a topic a bit too close for comfort for me and many of my peers in the business. On LinkedIn, I recently highlighted the site's feature on Kevin Kehoe, a creative director who left advertising behind to pursue painting full time. The article was popular with my followers, for good reason. Kehoe lays bare the absurdity of …
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Advertising’s Young Folks Don’t Need Awards or the Long Hours
The industry has changed. Change is hard. This may or may not explain the plethora of bitching and moaning about how the industry has changed not for the better. Before we get rolling, may I suggest a musical interlude? https://youtu.be/OIRE6iw-ws4 Really? Another Trophy? How About A Raise, So I Can Buy A House? Adweek reports that young people working in advertising see awards shows as a waste of time, …
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Rob Reilly Learns the Importance of Humility…You Could Be Next
Adland, like so much of corporate America, is a place where egotists go to gain control. Many of us have worked for royal pains in the ass, and some of us have been the royal pain. This is why I appreciate Rob Reilly's recent confession and recommend this talk for all people who manage creative teams. The global creative chairman for McCann Worldgroup calls himself a "recovered asshole" in this Ad Age podcast. …
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Let Your Inner Freddie Kruger Out
Ernie Schenck, legendary copywriter/creative director and Communications Arts columnist, is not scared. And that's the problem. How many dangerous ads have you seen lately? How many dangerous ideas? The kind of ideas that dare CMOs to open the door and let them in. The kind that could just as easily bite a client’s head off as they could make her look like a genius. I don’t see that kind of creative anymore. Scary …
The Smaller and More Focused the Agency, the More Responsive and Reliable
Ad people love to gaze into crystal balls. You might say it's an occupational hazard. Dave Morgan, CEO of Simulmedia, believes that small and mid-sized regional independents are reasserting themselves. He claims, "Many are no longer just winning business with regional accounts, but are winning big engagements with big marketers, proving that “scale” as preached for the past decades can now be delivered (and …
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Just Google It: 7 Questions Every CMO Wants To Know
Google-owned YouTube is a wasteland, but like all wastelands, when you brush aside the layers of dirt and debris, you're in the position to discover a gem or two. The video that follows may not meet gem status, but it is a find worth noting here. Tara Walpert Levy is VP of Agency and Brand Solutions at Google. She's the kind of powerful client who can make or break an agency. Therefore, ad execs who want to learn …
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