San Francisco’s ad agency Heat does a little bit of new business on its client page (a page that all wanna be clients scope out.) Nice, subtle… Scroll down.
New Business
LinkedIn For Ad Agency New Business
I’ll keep it simple and just shoot you over to this smart infographic (larger version.) I like that it provides a daily guide to how to use LinkedIn to drive new business engagement.
By the way, is your ad agency missing from the Pinterest Advertising Agency Directory? Let me know. I am starting to get some substantial traffic to the directory. I’d have to assume that prospective clients as well as ad agency types are using it.
Wake Up Call: Advertising Budgets Are Moving To Mobile From The Desktop
I’ve “suggested” that advertising agencies put more focus on the growing world of mobile advertising. I understand that this is yet another media option that needs care and attention at your already busy agency. But… you have to get with it. You will soon have no choice and it could be too late for your agency if you don’t pay attention to this media shift.
Look At The Accelerating Shift Of Advertising Budgets From Desktop To Mobile
From eMarketer:
Next year, eMarketer predicts, overall spending on desktop advertising will increase by just 0.41%, while mobile ad spending will grow a further 56.00% to $14.97 billion. By 2016, spending on mobile will rival desktop spending, and in 2017 it will blow past, posting $35.62 in ad spending compared to the desktop’s $27.21 billion.
The trends are working at warp speed. What business will your agency be in in 2017?
And where within the world of mobile advertising and marketing will marketers be spending those dollars?
I’d be getting real good at video strategy and production. Which, by the way, if you are in advertising, you are already good at.
Half of Advertising Agency Staff Hates Pitching
An Advertising Agency Staff That Hates Pitching Isn’t A Good Thing
A 2013 study by the research firm Provoke Insights confirmed what we all know. The advertising agency new business pitching process can be debilitating.
From Provoke:
“… approximately half (47%) of advertising professionals surveyed by Provoke Insights say they are dissatisfied with the current internal approach to pitching.
47%. Ok, pitching is intense. So, what else is new? Pitching is also intense for architects, nuclear power plant designers and fighter jets salespeople. Writing, presenting and winning (or losing) pitches is intense.
It can also be exhilarating (more on that a bit later.)
Other findings on pitching:
Issues include: “unrealistic timelines” say 66% of respondents / “long work hours” say 65%
And, because Provoke is a research company who paid for the research, we get this nod towards having insightful insights:
“Forty-four percent of advertising professionals stated that if there were better availability of research and data, pitches would run smoother and (be) more successful.”
Here’s more on what resources agencies say they need to kill it:
By the way, I posted about how to use free, smart internet based tools to create insights here: 13 Free Big Data Tools For Advertising Agency New Business.
Back to exhilarating.
- Pitches are a major way agencies win new business. Ya gotta be in the game. Maybe Droga5 can get away without pitching.
- Pitches make sense if they make sense. Don’t pitch just any account just for the sake of pitching.
- Pitches are team sports and, importantly, build team spirit.
- Pitches help agency staff stand out and be stars. Especially important in larger agencies.
- Pitches are fun to run if you know what you are doing and have a solid plan.
- Pitches, winning pitches that is, can make the agency happy and richer. A good thing.
- Pitches hone agency thinking; highlight skills and help agencies think about what the agency actually has to offer or needs to build for the future. I think that the benefit of forced introspection is underrated.
The full report can be read on AdRants.
I’ve tried to make the art and science of pitching more successful and even fun. Just read my book. Look up top to learn more and make that all important purchase that will lead to more — wins.
The Advertising Agency Model, New Business, Pitches and CMO’s
Once again some great data on what CMO’s think about advertising agencies and the pitch process from pitch consultant Avi Dan. Head over to Forbes to see the article, “What are 10 great ad agencies of 2013 according to CMO’s?”
Avi conducted an online survey in November, 2013 with 1,850 CMO’s to determine their ranking of leading advertising agencies and to get insights into their views on what it takes to win a pitch. While its nice to see my hometown boy Wieden + Kennedy be ranked as the best agency, I don’t find this information that useful. Maybe it is to a top 100 brand but it isn’t to the other 10,000+ clients out there or the other 4,000 agencies. [Read more…] about The Advertising Agency Model, New Business, Pitches and CMO’s