In Advertising, There’s No Substitute For Experiencing

A while back, I wrote about my newfound friends at Seattle’s egg and their Tomato Goodness brand.

So should all agencies get into a business of some other kind? What kind of experience is lacking if all we focus on is making advertising?

If we’re going to pursue more experiential marketing ideas, it helps to be experienced. And no, I don’t mean experience in the sense of having 20 years of creating ads. I’m talking about the experience gained from seeing how the proverbial sausage gets made, or making some ourselves.

And frankly, that’s what separates well-rounded ad people from average ones — the ability to carry on a conversation with a client about the workings of their business, not just the concepts you’re presenting.

It’s the subject of my new column on Talent Zoo, which will be on the home page tomorrow.