Peter Levitan & Co.

The New Business of Advertising

Marketing

Ad Agency: Why No Sales Methodology?

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Glengarry-Glen-Ross-Alec-Baldwin-ABCI came across the revealing ad agency business development infographic below on the RSW/US website. The infographic highlights some of the findings from RSW/US’s 2014 Agency Marketer New Business Report. 

The infographic sucks. Um, no. The infographic doesn’t suck, but it points out one critical agency fail that… SUCKS!

According to the RSW/US report, 66% Of Ad Agencies Have No Business Development or Sales Methodology

What? 66%! Having run ‘sales’ (sorry, it is sales) at Saatchi, my own agency and two Internet companies, I know that a company that has something to sell in the B2B marketplace cannot succeed without a biz dev plan and implementation methodology. Cannot, full-stop. No methodology means no plan and no plan means no growth no growth means lower income. So, let’s solve this problem. [Read more…] about Ad Agency: Why No Sales Methodology?

Dissecting Design @ Portland Design Week

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Portland Dissecting Design Design Week Peter Levitan Co.Food, Fashion, Photography, Helmets, Advertising @ Design Week 2014

Do you live in Portland (you know, the western one)? If so, check out the intro video below, say, “Damn, I better go to this Design Week gig” on October 8 and sign up for Dissecting Design before it is sold out. My fav? The Nutcase story and Rachel on fashion.

Tickets are available now through the Portland Advertising Federation website, at this link…

Who is sharing their secrets?

  • (Food) Julian Rose: award-winning French-Canadian Master Chocolatier and Director of Research and Development for Moonstruck Chocolate Company
  • (Fashion) Rachel Gorenstein: Creative Director/Owner/Buyer of moulé fashion stores in Canada and the U.S., and Fashion Designer of the innovative/classic Rachel Mara Collections
  • (Bikes /  Sports) Michael Morrow: former Nike designer and branding agency founder, the Founder and CEO of globally popular Nutcase (bicycle) Helmets
  • (Photography) Derrin Battles: Sports, Lifestyle and Product Photographer, and Co-Owner of Polara Studio s
  • (Marketing/Advertising) Steve Luker: Former Weiden & Kennedy Creative Director, Co-Founder/Partner and Executive Creative Director of cutting edge Mutt Industries

Yo Portland… I know you do things last minute. –> But, get on it now.

 

How To Start A Creative Advertising Agency

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20761-1b14286a10dad babyI am occasionally asked…. “How do I start a great advertising / design / digital agency?”

Here are some videos that help to answer this question.  There are more out there but these three videos should get you on your way.

Thanks to Source and Mirren.

The first is from London’s Steve Harvey. Here is how he talks about himself (hmm, Agency of the Decade, not too shabby):

Steve Henry was Founder / Creative Director of Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury, the agency voted Campaign’s Agency of the Year three times and Campaign’s Agency of the Decade in 2000.

 

Next, we’ve got Sir John Hegerty. Shabby? Not.

John Hegarty is one of the world’s most awarded and respected admen. Over six decades he has been at the forefront of the creative advertising industry from the early days of Saatchi and Saatchi to Bartle Bogle Hegarty, the global company he runs today.

In 1982 he founded Bartle Bogle Hegarty with partners John Bartle and Nigel Bogle. The agency swiftly became one of the most talked about and awarded advertising agencies in the world. BBH has won every Agency of the Year accolade and every creative award possible and has been at the forefront of the industry for twenty nine years.

 

Finally, here is Chuck Porter. I saw him speak at Advertising Week last week (along with John Hegerty) and he is rather, um, on it.

  Chuck Porter is an American advertising executive, marketer and author. He is co-founder and chairman of the advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky and chief strategist for its holding company, MDC Partners.

 

My numero uno take on starting an agency?

Be distinctive as illustrated by a cartoon from my book, The Levitan Pitch. It demonstrates a key issue facing new and used agencies…. Sameness.

don't be distinctive mistake copy jpeg

Yes, You Can Write and Publish A Business Book in 6 Months

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You Can Write and Publish A Book in 6 Months – I Did It Twice

Here is a SlideShare presentation on how advertising agencies can write and publish a business-building book in 6 months. I know that this can be done. To-date, I have written two books and each took me about 6 months. Agencies with in-house writers and designers should be able to easily match me.

I wrote the presentation for HubSpot’s Inbound Conference. I’ll be giving it to an audience of advertising and marketing folks.

My main points are:

Books are a powerful marketing tool that builds credibility and enhances and supports branding. I’d like to think that this is what my new The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches. will do for me.

  • Advertising and design agencies have all of the tools to write and design a book.
  • They (and you) have content multiplies that will help get the book written and out.
  • I suggest going all digital: publish a print-on-demand paperback (the quality of myAmazon printed books is amazing), an eBook and have a voice over friend do an audio book for all of those east and west coast commuters.

Now that you’ve seen how to write the book, you might want to actually buy it.

Just go to Amazon and, well, buy it.