New Business

Advertising Agency Names For Your Agency

Peter · September 9, 2015 · 1 Comment

Advertising Agency Names and SEO Terms

This is an update to a 2015 post about advertising agency names. Yes, 2015. It was a hit at that time and subsequent blog posts about how to name an advertising agency have done well… as well. Here is an example post (a two-parter) on how to name an advertising agency.

I thought that I’d update this because I took a look at the agency names from some recent award shows – OK, Cannes Lions. I think that names matter:

The Monkeys
adam&eveDDB
GUT
SMUGGLER
Uncommon Creative Studio
Special

Back To Advertising Agency Names From 2015

Before I begin, I just want to apologize for the clickbait headline. Obviously, this headline is silly:

Unbelievable Advertising Agency Names For Your Agency.

But if you hang out on the web these days, you will see clickbait headlines all over – as in ad nauseam (I love the definition: Ad nauseam is a Latin term for a discussion that has continued so long that it has continued “to [the point of] nausea”.) The subject of the proliferation of clickbait, even by major advertisers and publishers – vs. delivering consumer value vs. trickery – is a worthy subject for another post. But, let’s get back to advertising agency names.

SEO

On the left is a list of some of the top search terms that people have used to wind up on my website. I only include these (and they are a bit wonky, and at best directional, ’cause they are from WordPress stats.) However, it is interesting (well, to me) that it appears that there are a lot of searches for ‘how to name an advertising agency.’ Advertising agency people really dig this subject and they spend hours thinking hard about selecting the perfect name.

They also spend hours thinking that they need to redesign their website. And, many should.

Note: If you read to the bottom, you will see that agency names just might not matter. But, first…

I renamed my ex-agency twice.

I admit it, I’ve been a re-namer too. When I bought my agency in 2002 it was Ralston Group (named after the founder); then we moved to Ralston360 in 2004 (we were becoming more digital and direct responsive.) A few years later we switched to Citrus after we bought the design firm Citrus and expanded our presence in the Portland market. We simply liked their name more than ours (and, as you might expect we also got tired of the 360 thing, 360 got way overused) so we took Citrus on.

What’s Your Agency Name?

A New Bottled Water Account For Your Ad Agency

Peter · September 6, 2015 · Leave a Comment

I Bet Your Ad Agency Doesn’t Have A Bottled Water Account Conflict

You don’t have Poland Springs or Crystal Geyser. So, go get the Timmy Brothers Water account.

And, yes, I know, bottled water is one of those evils. An account that might get some of your greener staff to ask why the agency really needs an account like this. Like, why would you:

Pay for water that might in fact not be any cleaner or better tasting than what comes out of your tap.

Buy dozens of freaking plastic bottles and then dump them out on civilisation and across our oceans.

But, Timmy Brothers is way different. Watch the video to see why.

Should Your Advertising Agency Do Spec Creative?

Peter · August 31, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Should Your Agency Do Spec? No! Yes. No Way. OK, Have to. Nope, Never. And, On And On.

Damn, that’s an age old and very perplexing question. I answered it in a chapter in my pitch book, The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches. and have an excerpt on this subject below.

I have been thinking (rethinking) about the question of whether or not advertising agencies should do spec creative or not. It was sparked by David Gianastasio’s ADWEEK article, “Can Agencies Win If They Don’t Play the Spec Pitch Game? The pros and cons of creating free work to win work.” David cites the El Segundo agency High Wide & Handsome’s refusal to do spec work. As High Wide & Handsome says…

When Mike Wolfsohn and his two partners left Southern California agency Ignited in 2010 to form High Wide & Handsome, they vowed not to participate in competitive pitches requiring contenders to foot the bill for speculative creative work. Such exercises “demean the profession,” said Wolfsohn, who decries the process as “a reality show to impress some panel of judges. Pitches rarely resemble what a working relationship would be like between agency and client.”

OK, more power to them. And, they might be able to pull it off for four reasons: [Read more…] about Should Your Advertising Agency Do Spec Creative?

Some Sweet Free Consumer Research Tools

Peter · August 24, 2015 · Leave a Comment

I Love Free Consumer Research Tools

I wrote about the new world of free (or virtually free) consumer research on LinkedIn. I discussed how I used Google Consumer Surveys to answer the question, “Have you ever considered retiring in Mexico?” The survey took about 10 minutes to set up and less than 24 hours for me to get 500 responses from my target group of 45 to 65-year olds. Surprisingly, 13% of this target group said yes.

OK, OK, it did cost me $50. But, really 50 bucks for a real survey is virtually free. (Yes, I know that serious researchers will have lots of questions about how Google runs these but, go with the flow.)

Another Google tool I use often (it is especially valuable to prove points in new business pitches) is Google Trends. Google Trends displays search history across the Google world view. Need to convince your client that she should hire Khloe Kardashian for its next social media program? Let Google Trends show you our wonderful world’s interest in this highly talented young woman.

There’s MoreFree Research Just For You

I am sure you know about Survey Monkey. Here are a couple of newbies.

Typeform is an online survey and form builder. From Typeform:

Online forms are an integral, if often unflattering, part of any modern business. By matching your style, both verbally and visually, typeforms transform the way you collect data, so you can put your stamp on what you ask.

What if there was a medium that can be both your promo flyer and your application form? A single tool that builds all sorts of competitions, with the perfect looks for social media. That’s what a typeform is.

Time and resources for developing landing pages, microsites and product presentations are scarce. Your project deserves to make a great first impression, and be ready to interact with visitors from the off.

Free Survey Creator. Surveys… fast.

Tally creates instant polls. Here is an example.

Need Some Help?

I’ve written about the power of research in new business pitches and how-to maximize effectiveness in my book, The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches. By the way… Buy the book and win more new business.

Why I Don’t Live In New York

Peter · August 21, 2015 · 3 Comments

Live In New York? Not.

I grew up on the upper west side of Manhattan. Central Park was my backyard. After going to high school across the street from Lincoln Center, I went to college in Boston and San Francisco. I returned to NYC to go into advertising and spent my formative advertising years at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample and Saatchi.

In the early 90’s we shut down the agency at 1 PM. This was rather easy as we were in the pre-24/7-Internet days. We weren’t as ‘on-call’ as we are today when its all-on-all-the-time. When we left the office, we left. And, our clients knew it. And, because it was the olden days before they really squeezed the hell out of our margins, my clients didn’t seem to mind.

Back To NYC.

Thinking about half-day Fridays reminded me of the incredibly stressful mad dash to get out on the Long Island Expressway before 1:30 to try to beat the rush hour traffic to the Hamptons where I had a house. Every summer weekend started with the MEGA stress of getting out of town and ended with the stress of trying to get back in.

So, here’s to my NYC buddies. Me… I’ll take Portland Oregon. And, yes I have a guest room if you ever want to really take it easy.