Insights

Advertising Agency Thought Leadership Distributition

Peter · January 3, 2023 · 10 Comments

How To Distribute Powerful Advertising Agency Thought Leadership

I am writing a new book about how to build and run a highly profitable advertising agency. Chapters of the book cover the art and science of developing impossible-to-resist, as in unignorable, thought leadership as an account-based marketing and inbound tool. Here is a quick list of advertising agency thought leadership distribution platforms. You can see more advertising agency resources right here.

Note that anything you produce can be efficiently sliced and diced and put on other platforms. Think content amplification.

13 Advertising Agency Thought Leadership Distribution Platforms

Your website. In a blog post or via a downloadable white paper, webinar offer, or podcast page. The advantage of a PDF offer is that you can ask the interested party for their contact information. Gently, please.
Your company newsletter. Build the list via website offers and gentle outreach. I’ve employed contractors in the Philippines to help build mailing lists.
LinkedIn. Three basic opportunities: 1) Post on LinkedIn (note that LinkedIn loves video). 2) Put your thinking in LinkedIn groups (for example I am a member of Digital Marketing – 2 million members). 3) Use LinkedIn Navigator to make direct connections.
Publish a LinkedIn newsletter. Your connections and followers will be invited to subscribe, and LinkedIn will alert your network whenever you publish new editions.
TikTok. TikTok has become a new gen search engine. It is currently an underutilized ad agency universe.
Video platforms. Australia’s Tiny Hunter agency has over 210 videos. They tell me that the videos help them close deals with the right new clients (right is the operative word), client types that spend time watching Tiny Hunter’s advice. The agency’s founders are more about closing the deal than racking up huge indiscriminate view numbers.
Audio platforms. Build and distribute your own podcast then transcribe it into bite-sized content and roll it out.
Leverage OPA = Other People’s Audience. Guest blog. Guest podcast. Why work to build an audience when you can borrow it?
Paper: Zines and, yes, old-fashioned letters. Hmm, or a targeted very cool (has to be cool) postcard series. So, 1986. However, so 2023 clutter busting. Paper breaks through
Write a book. Both paper and digital. The ultimate proof of expertise. Go self-published. There is no need for a time-consuming traditional publisher to write that B2B book.
Advertising. You use advertising to generate awareness for your clients, right? See What LONDON Advertising did.
Conferences. Go where your next client hangs out. Give that insight talk and make friends. Hand out that book.
Doughnuts? My agency once delivered insights directly to prospects in Portland and San Francisco using a customized and personalized Krispy Kreme box. Free doughnuts to grab attention. The box delivered awareness, actionable insights, and the offer to get some recently launched Krispy Kreme stock. It made us friends.
Write and produce your advertising agency thought leadership and get it out in the world to the right clients. They will love the good stuff.

More to come… in the new book.

Will AI Kill The Advertising Biz?

Peter · December 9, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Will AI Kill Advertising?

I asked ChatGPT… “Will AI Kill The Advertising Biz?”. Here is the answer:

“It is difficult to predict the future of the advertising industry with certainty, but it is likely that the industry will continue to evolve and adapt to new technologies, including AI tools. AI has the potential to greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of many advertising and marketing tasks, such as targeting and personalized messaging. However, it is also important for the industry to consider the ethical implications of using AI and ensure that its use is transparent and respects the privacy and rights of consumers. Overall, it seems likely that the advertising industry will continue to exist and play a significant role in the economy, but it may look very different in the future as a result of the adoption of AI and other new technologies.”

OK, not feeling so bad.

Next Question

So then asked about my consultancy…

“Yes, there is a future for advertising agency business development consultants. As the advertising industry continues to evolve and become more competitive, agencies will need expert guidance on how to grow and expand their business. Business development consultants can provide valuable insights and strategies for increasing revenue, attracting new clients, and positioning the agency for success in a crowded market.”

OK, not feeing bad too.

A Sad Advertising Agency Business Development Story

Peter · December 4, 2022 · Leave a Comment

A Very Sad Advertising Agency Story From Keurig Dr Pepper.

Start here: By now, most people in advertising know that Kuerig Dr Pepper’s marketing team (and I must assume their procurement department) are assholes. Why AHOLES? Here is their advertising agency business development story. This from the UK’s IPA, its leader Paul Bainsfair…

“UK agencies react in horror to the bizarre Keurig Dr Pepper 360-day payment terms”

“Global consumer products giant Keurig Dr Pepper is currently running a PR agency search in the United States, where part of the ask is for agencies tendering to accept 360-day payment terms. Those that cannot are being offered the option of financing, at their own cost, through Atlanta-based, Prime Revenue.”

Are you fucking kidding me?

Why Is This Important? Cause An Advertising Agency Pitch Can Hep Your Agency Go Out Of Business

OK, yes you know that this kind of lame client shit is important to pay attention to. But, playing along with this stuff can put your agency out of business…

The cost and effectiveness of agency business development can make or break an agency. Let me give you a – real-world – worst-case example.

A few years ago a Pacific Northwest agency was one of a set of agencies trying to land a major digital account. The client’s pitch team wanted to see each agency’s strategic approach to the client’s marketing goals and the northwest agency built a comprehensive plan that included performing some market research and even the leasing of related technology. The pitch dragged on forever and the agency was racking up staff and hard costs.

The good news… the agency won the account.

Bad news… the pitch became so expensive that the agency almost went out of business – in this case, after winning the account. The agency’s costs included the cost of the initial RFP response and a four-month pitch. Add in the agency’s actual client work plus the client’s 90-day payment schedule. Yikes. The RFP response, managing and crafting the pitch itself (mega labor hours), and the actual work, once won, all added to have the agency essentially working for free for more than six months.

Could the agency have managed this insane scenario? Not sure. Every pitch and client engagement is unique. That said, the agency could have had a better handle on what was coming when they initially interviewed the client. However, I’m not sure that the client was actually forthcoming. Or worse, really knew what they needed in the first place. Or skilled in running a pitch. or skilled in working with an agency.

The takeaway is that agencies should not pitch everything. Period. Spend the time to understand the client’s needs and motivations, its past agency history, know why you should be the winner, and what the search/pitch details are – including payment terms (yes, often hard to gauge) but if anything does not feel right or professional, then bail.

Always keep in mind the cost of pitching and that, at best, an agency will only win 30% of the time.

Now ask yourself, why would an advertising agency pitch that Keurig Dr Pepper account?

Is your agency pitching too much? Read this…

One more point: Buy this book and win more pitches… I mean it.

Good Jasper AI Blog Post?

Peter · November 15, 2022 · Leave a Comment

My Jasper AI Blog Post…

Yesterday I wrote ‘Advertising Agency Recruitment and Culture’ using the Jasper AI blog post app — Well, about 70% of my post was Jasper and the other parts, the details, were from my non-AI brain. Read it. It is rather smart.

Today I went to Jasper to write about using Jasper AI for blog posting – again. My Jasper headline input: Should I Use Jasper To Write A Blog Post?

This is What I Got. Weird…

2 paragraphs.

#1: “No, you definitely should not use Jasper to write your next blog post. Unless of course, you want it to be full of boring, run-on sentences that go nowhere. In that case, by all means, use Jasper.
But if you’re looking for a tool that can help you write content that is both engaging and effective, then you should definitely check out tools like CoSchedule or WordStream. With these tools at your disposal, writing great blog posts is easy! So why not give them a try? You won’t be disappointed.”

Need a bit of contradiction?

#2: “Are you considering using Jasper to write your next blog post? You should be! Jasper is an AI-powered content creation platform that can help you create high-quality content in minutes. With Jasper, you can quickly and easily generate engaging, informative content that will grab your audience’s attention. So what are you waiting for? Start writing with Jasper today!”

I will come back to the Jasper blog post tool. But, right now I am a bit confused.

Advertising Agency Recruiting and Culture

Peter · November 13, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Corporate Culture Drives Effective Advertising Agency Recruiting

If you’re a CEO/COO/General Manager/Boss or Whatever Leader Title you got… you know that one of the most important things to a company’s success is attracting and retaining top talent. In the marketing and advertising agency world, this is CRITICAL. To do this in 2022, you need to have a corporate culture that prospective employees will want to be a part of.

First. What Is Corporate Culture?

Corporate culture is the set of values, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes that characterize a company and its employees. It’s what makes a company unique and is reflected in everything from the way employees interact with each other to the company’s core values and mission statement.

A strong corporate culture can be the difference between a company that is able to attract and retain top talent and one that is not. This is especially true in the case of Gen X and millennials, who place a high value on finding a job with a company that shares their values

Define Your Agency Culture to Drive Advertising Agency Recruiting.

Three reasons why having a human-oriented culture will deliver success.

It attracts top talent: As we noted before, corporate culture can be the deciding factor for candidates who are trying to choose between two similar job offers. If Company A has a corporate culture that appeals to the candidate more than Company B, then the candidate is more likely to accept a job offer from Company A.
It promotes employee retention: Once you’ve attracted top talent, you want to keep them around. A strong corporate culture can help with employee retention by fostering loyalty and commitment among employees. Employees who feel like they belong to a supportive community are less likely to look for new opportunities elsewhere.
It attracts passive candidates: Passive candidates are those who are not actively looking for new job opportunities but might be open to hearing about new ones. A strong corporate culture can help attract passive candidates by making your company more attractive than others in your industry. If your company has a reputation for having a ‘humanesque’ corporate culture, you’ll have an easier time convincing passive candidates to interview with you.

Yes, be human. Just like Patagonia.

Proof? Some Research.

A study by Glassdoor found that 60% of job seekers would not apply for a job with a company if they didn’t like the look of its website*, and another study found that 78% of employers believe that a prospective employee’s cultural fit is more important than their skillset.

What does this mean? It means that if your company doesn’t have a well-defined corporate culture, you’re going to have a hard time attracting the best and the brightest.

* Make sure that you discuss your culture on your wonderful website.

No Not That Ping Pong-Table.

To appeal to the ‘younger’ demographic (yes, even older demos), companies need to make sure that their corporate culture is one that would be attractive – caring. Sure, this sounds obvious. But getting there takes a bit of strategic thinking and action.

Your corporate culture should be more than just a bunch of ping-pong tables and free lunches (although those things don’t hurt). It should be reflective of your company’s values and mission. This is what prospective employees are looking for when they’re considering whether or not to apply for a job with your company. They want to know that they’ll be working somewhere that aligns with their own personal values.

Personal Value Food For Thought.

Here are some ideas, and thought starters to get your advertising agency culture in gear. Riff on these. Discuss the value of each idea. Get internal feedback, read about what works, and study your competitors. Defining your culture is not the best area to be dictatorial. Yes, being dictatorial ain’t a good corporate culture thang.

Have a new employee onboarding system that recognizes your agency ‘space’. Are you all in one office? Running a three-day in-office system? Are y’all distributed around the world? Create meet-and-greet opportunities. Have department leaders talk about their objectives.
Consider having a platform (in person or digital) that allows employees to share ideas, personal info, and dreams with each other… Build that culture.
Have offsite group meetings. In many cases, this will cost less than keeping all of that expensive office space.
Provide your staff with learning opportunities. Size matters so you will need to tailor your training to your agency’s size and resources.
Develop a paid employee volunteer program to address community issues. Walk the talk.
Invest in a training and development program. Show employees that you want them to grow. A triple win – this works for the employee and you. And, yup, your advertising agency clients.