I haven’t seen this 1996 AdAge article in a loooong time. It is about my journey from Saatchi in SOHO to digital media in Jersey City.
Insights
Does You Agency Ask For The Order?
I had an advertising exec friend read the manuscript of my new book on pitching* — its still being edited. She mentioned that I should add that advertising agencies should ASK for the deal when they are closing their presentation.
Ask For The Order
You know, ask for the order. I know that most agencies do not. Interesting, right?
Think about it… they responded to an RFI / then an RFP and then worked their tail off creating a super fine presentation. They delivered their best, smiled and walked out of the room without asking for the account. Most of the time, an agency thinks that their effort alone is serious proof that they want the business. Well, they are right. Any savvy client would realize that the agency is serious.
But, why not add a bit of passion to the end and politely ask for the the account? Or, as Zig Ziglar, one of the leading sales gurus says… A.A.F.T.O. Always ask for the order.
Need more sales inspiration? Here is a SlideShare presentation by Viru Nigam, an MBA student that I bet has spent more time on Ziglar’s sales techniques than most of us smart, cool agency folk. Take a look. Oh, slide 9 is all A.A.F.T.O.
[slideshare id=33435810&doc=theartofselling-140412001838-phpapp02]
*Oh, my book’s title:
The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches.
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61 Best Social Media Tools From Buffer
I use Buffer to schedule and send out some of my Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ thoughts and things like this very sweet list from Buffer.
Here is an example of Buzz Sumo, just one cool tool.
Here is a link to the full list.
These 61 should provide hours of fun. I am a tool freak and I am looking forward to using a few of them to help market this blog and get the word out on the new book.
Oh, and you Ms. Agency person… use these to dazzle your clients and new business prospects. There are lots of insights to be had here. Just look left to get started.
Does Size Matter In Advertising?
By now we’ve all yawned at the failure of the Omnicom / Publicis merger.
Here is how Bloomberg reported the snoozer and a link to an insightful interview on Bloomberg Television’s “The Pulse” with London Advertising’s CEO Michael Moszynski. Michael manages to offer a perspective that only the English could enunciate clearly — and he gets some great PR for his agency. And… manages to also squeeze in London’s One Brilliant Idea pitch – sweet:
“LONDON is an international advertising agency built for today. We create One Brilliant Idea that can work in any media, anywhere in the world.”
Not a bad PR days work.
So Does Size Matter?
No.
But, of course, many clients like it big. Microsoft as of last week thinks that having a mega-sized agency is a must have for a major brand that lives across the globe and, I assume, a cure all for past marketing ills. From Advertising Age:
Microsoft is moving its multibillion-dollar ad and media business, indicating a fresh-start approach under newly appointed CMO Chris Capossela.
The tech giant has selected Interpublic Group as agency of record for advertising and global deployment while Dentsu Argis will handle media planning, media buying and search advertising, the company said in a statement.
You want big?
Interpublic has 43,000 employees and dentsu 7,500. Does Microsoft, a notoriously lame, directionless marketer, need an agency resource with over 50,000 scattered strangers or does it need one really smart agency that can manage some global TLC? Smart being the operative word.
Sure Microsoft (and thier new CMO) thinks MSFT needs lots of dots on a map and I know that this perspective, in addition to ego, drove a search for a large humongus agency base. But, what Microsoft really needs more than a BIG agency is A BIG STRATEGIC IDEA to help create a big, sustainable, compelling brand proposition for all of their B2C and B2B brands? You know, a Master Brand position to start and then run with. Apple, a notoriously not lame or directionless company, never went mega agency. Nuf said.
And, at the moment I think that Google is creating some of the best tech advertising. Can you name their huge agency?
But, really does size matter? That’s why I want you to watch the Bloomberg video. Michael answers the question.
[Truth be told, I sold the idea of dots on the map when I ran business development at Saatchi. So, I get that approach. But, it feels so 1990’s.]
2 Advertising Agency Facts
Advertising Age reports that digital is now 35.3% of U.S. agency revenue. This is up 73% since 2009. In fact, digital revenue is the only growth area. Radio anyone?
Mobile ad spending is reported to be $44.8 billion in 2017. It was $4.4 billion in…. Ta Da: 2012.
So? Watcha gonna do?