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Overdone Ad Agency Design Fries My Brain

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Overdone Ad Agency Design Fries My Brain

Pinterest Discover and save creative ideasI spend a lot of time looking at ad agency websites. I even have a Pinterest website that includes many (that’s it on the left.)

Soooo many are overblown, over baked, over jam-packed with copy and images. These websites also sound alike with about, work, process (‘our agency’s very own special sauce), client lists, photos of offices, contact pages, hip staff photos and long lists of services. Yes, I get it. These are logical sections. But doing what the other 4,000 ad agencies do is not very original.

I Am Beginning To Really Dig Minimalism

WalrusI am not yet sure what I really think about Walrus‘ approach (i.e. the talking walrus.) BUT… it is minimal and does not look like any other agency and there is a bit of humor which is sorely missing in the advertising industry, so I will give it a mighty WOW.

2 Minimalist Inspirations

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F*cking Brilliant Blog Headline

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How to Get from 0 to 1 Million Visitors Growth SupplyOK, Want To Se A F*cking Brilliant Blog Headline?

We see dozens of articles on how to craft smart blog headlines from SEO geniuses and clickbait gurus. Here is a great example of a must read headline from Growth Supply. It is on Medium which you should add to your reading list regardless of you agreement with me. Also, play with Growth Supply’s email submission system. Ali has got it down!

Why does this work for me? It asks a question. It is about the universal view that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Especially the greener sounding tech start-up vs. advertising. It delivers a bit of Schadenfreude. It has the F-Word, well used.

By the way, I left advertising in 1995 to found and CEO two internet companies. That did NOT f*uck up my life.

Ali Mese — Medium

 

Advertising Is Not Trusted

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n-TRUST-FALLS-largeA  study by the 4A’s says that you – Mr. Advertising Man and Ms. Marketing Woman (I am excluding me because I am at the 74% level – see below) – are not trusted by the public. I’m shocked. Actually, I am a bit perturbed that the ad and marketing industry couldn’t beat out Congress.

These discomfiting findings are from a new survey from the 4As called “Sex, Lies & News,” which outlines Americans’ attitudes toward advertising; how much they trust the news media; and their attitudes on sex in advertising. The survey did not specifically ask about agencies, which create the advertising the survey says is not trusted.

Only 4% of Americans think the marketing industry behaves with integrity, and nearly half of consumers surveyed say they don’t trust any news source. “Consumers are getting more astute about the news media and advertising,” said 4As Chief Marketing Officer Alison Fahey. “But we found that only a small percentage of consumers trust advertisers and the media…Americans believe that integrity is at a low and that people are lying to them.”

The “Advertising Is Not Trusted” Chart

Not too much I can add to this… But, you’ll see how much “I” love myself.

Marketers and News Media No One Trusts You Media Advertising Age

6 Social Media Tools To Spy On Droga5 and Ogilvy

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How To Use Social Media Tools To Spy On Droga5 and Ogilvy

Sean-ConneryI admit it. I put the powerful word ‘spy’ and the agencies Droga5 and Ogilvy in the headline to get your attention. Droga5 and Ogilvy are rather  famous so the use of their names should get me some extra views from agencies that are interested in having a better understanding of these industry leaders.

I’ll use them as examples of how you can use some social media tools to spy on any agency competitor or even your perspective clients. I found these tools while building out my advice to my agency clients on how they can create a smarter, more effective blog strategy. An obvious point is coming.

Understanding what keywords, blog subjects, and Tweets are working for other agencies (and prospective clients) will help you write and market blog posts that will work harder to drive traffic back to your website. 

To understand what will social media tactics will work for you, it is a good idea to look at what currently works for your competition. To get there, I use a couple of primarily free tools. Most of these tools have a more robust paid version. Dig in. [Read more…] about 6 Social Media Tools To Spy On Droga5 and Ogilvy

Fame and Advertising Agency Business Development

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Fame For Advertising Agency Business Development

book_confessionsnewI have an objective that I give to all of my advertising agency clients. I tell them that they need to include FAME as an agency marketing objective. My primary point is that in a universe of 4,000 agency brands in the USA and possibly dozens in their home town, standing out from the clutter is an essential goal. Sounds obvious, right? However, most agencies do not actually have FAME as an objective. Or, maybe more to the point, they don’t actually work hard to be famous.

I put David Ogilvy’s’s photo on the left because he just might be the most famous man in the history of advertising. He worked it. In addition to founding one of the world’s most well-known agencies, he wrote three seminal advertising books that propelled his FAME: “Confessions of an Advertising Man” (1963), “Blood, Brains and Beer” (1978), and “Ogilvy on Advertising” (1983). These books formed the platform for his agency’s thinking and awareness. This is an important point. I’ll come back to it.

What is Fame?

Google defines fame as, “the condition of being known or talked about by many people, especially on account of notable achievements.”

Known and talked about. Interesting, right? One of those easier said than done things. But, I can virtually guarantee you that if you do not make fame an agency objective, chances are you will not get there. [Read more…] about Fame and Advertising Agency Business Development