Peter Levitan & Co.

The New Business of Advertising

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Sweet Amazon Reviews

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When You Write A Book You Will Love Sweet Amazon Reviews

sweet Amazon ReviewsYes, a Duh.

So, here are a couple of nice, um sweet Amazon Reviews for my latest book on how to run an advertising agency.

Michael Gass
5.0 out of 5 stars A Dynamic Guide to Ad Agency Success
Verified Purchase

12 Advertising Agency Pitch Mistakes 

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12 Advertising Agency Pitch Mistakes

Advertising Agency Pitch Mistakes Here are my 12 favorite advertising agency pitch mistakes. Delivered as a ‘must do’s’ cartoon series – see below.

Now that my new book How To Build A Kick-Ass Advertising Agency is on the market (and doing well, thank you – buy it) I thought I’d revisit a core message from my first advertising agency advice book.

The fact is that way too many agencies continue to make avoidable mistakes – especially in the world of Zoom-like meetings.

One of the biggest mistakes is that advertising agency leaders do not recognize the importance of interpersonal chemistry. The agency pitch consultants I interviewed for The Levitan Pitch book all told me that many agency selection decisions are made by the client determining that they LIKE the agency and its people. This is because way too many agencies are kinda look-a-like. OK, and sound alike. Work on YOU, INC.

Here they are… The 12 Advertising Agency Pitch Mistakes

I’ve purposely served the pitching mistakes up as advice, as things to do. Why? As you will see throughout my paperback and eBook, The Levitan Pitch. (especially in the interview section) many advertising agencies, pitch leaders, and team members, make these crazy mistakes. According to the 18 agency search consultants interviewed in the book, these pitch mistakes are made all the time. Agencies make them despite knowing that they will lower their batting average. This is quite baffling.

Here are five of my all-time favorites:

  1. The agency hasn’t worked at being distinctive. There might even be a fear of being “too” different. Strange, but true.
  2. The agency hasn’t done a good job of planning the flow of the presentation. They haven’t approached the pitch as theater.
  3. Agencies often leave their best presenters behind because it is someone else’s turn to go to the pitch. Huh!?
  4. The agency presents way too many strategic and creative ideas.
  5. The big one: the agency spends way too much time talking about themselves and not the client. Here is an example from the book:

“Agencies spend far too much time talking about themselves and not enough time addressing the problems of the client. Clients want to hear solutions to their problems, not how great the agency thinks it is. Best advice to agencies – focus on the client, demonstrate real understanding of their issues, unearth commercial as well as consumer insight, keep it simple, and make it memorable!”

C/O Brian Sparks, Managing Director: Agency Assessments International, UK and Ireland…

How did we all get to this not-so-special place? I think that some of the primary issues haven’t been addressed:

  • The speed at which agencies start to work as soon as they are invited to pith an account. Rarely do they stop and think through the entire process before all hell breaks loose.
  • Most agencies do not have a clear methodology for how they are going to run pitches. It is almost as if they are starting with a blank page every time they are invited to pitch for new business. I recommend a few things to do to manage the pitch including having a standard agency checklist. You can see one in my Pitch Playbook.
  • Worse, most agencies don’t even have a master business development plan.

To help resolve this dilemma, I offer my 12 deadliest advertising agency pitch mistakes as counter-intuitive must-dos illustrated by a series of cartoons from my friend Steve Klinetobe.

 

Mistake Poster

 

 

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TechCrunch on My SmarterChild, AI, and ChatGPT

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TechCrunch on AIThe Bot SmarterChild, AI, and ChatGPT

TechCrunch on AI and One Of My Puppies.

My Activebuddy co-founder Robert Hoffer and I were recently interviewed by TechCrunch’s Amanda Siberling about our intelligent bot SmarterChild as in. Sure, I sound smart (yeah, yeah). However, it is a good story about early-stage AI (way pre AI and ChatGPT)think fast conversational interface, and where we are today. No, SmarterChild was not #ai but, we had a super smart real-time/natural language instant messaging interface. Y’all (30 million of you) talked to a smart computer about sex, drugs, rock and roll, and lots of super fast to get to information.

The article is here: Twenty years ago, AIM chatbot SmarterChild out-snarked ChatGPT. ChatGPT’s younger sibling was ahead of its time.

A Bit From TechCrunch

And yes, read the whole article.

Far before there was ChatGPT there was SmarterChild, an instant message chatbot whose encyclopedic knowledge and quick wit could put Google to shame. Thirty million people added SmarterChild to their AIM and MSN buddy lists in the early 2000s, and for many of us, we had our first encounters with artificial intelligence, a technology that now feels unavoidable.

In the early aughts, millions of preteens raced home from school and hopped onto their parents computers, opened a chat window and typed… probably something like “” “” (I had to edit cause LinkedIn did not like the article’s words).

“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” SmarterChild would reply in an instant. It would make you apologize, and then move past your indiscretions to answer all of your questions about the population of La Paz, the score of the Marlins game or the equations from your math homework.

SmarterChild was far less sophisticated than ChatGPT, but then again, this was 2001. The chatbot was special enough that it inspired to fund Siri, which paved the way for Amazon’s Alexa and other robot assistants.

Levitan has remained level-headed about the future of AI. But another ActiveBuddy co-founder, Robert Hoffer, isn’t as calm. Dubbed “the bot father,” Hoffer describes himself as “cautiously skeptimistic” and repeatedly references stories like “Frankenstein” and the myth of Prometheus. The common denominator of these tales? Perhaps humans have gone too far, just because we can.

Hope you enjoy it and pass it on to your very own “Buddy List”… I need more subscribers.

 

A WOW! Advertising Book Review For You

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advertising book reviewI Really Dig This Advertising Book Review

As an author, one has to pray to and then thank the book Gods for a great review. Just for you here is a damn good review – on LinkedIn and on Amazon. In my case, it is an advertising book review.

Why Write Your Advertising Book?

Before I get into the review of my book, How To Build A Kick-Ass Advertising Agency…

We write books for many reasons. But your business book (not your wanna-be Hemmingway book) is most likely written to prove your expertise. My two books on advertising have driven the perception that I am an expert. Sure, I have a good bio. But the books rock as a biz dev tool for my advertising agency consultancy. In fact, in addition to driving high-quality new client leads, their sales paid for themselves over and over.

By the way, if you need some insights on how to write and publish a book in 6 months give me a shout. I’ve lectured on this subject for years.

Now — A Great Advertising Book Review

LOL, a secret coming… Good reviews drive sales. This works for restaurants, products, and my consultancy. A smart book will drive your company’s Unignorable-ness to help you stand out.

A smart new book also gets you interviewed on large audience podcasts. Like The Marketing Book Podcast.

That’s why I am reprinting a wonderful review of my Kick-Ass Advertising book from Lee McKnight, Jr. of RSW/US – a great outsourced lead gen company. Subscribe to Lee’s newsletter.

OK – I can’t help myself…

The Advertising Book Review…

As I’ve mentioned, was in Lee’s LinkedIn newsletter and on Amazon. Here you go.

“I don’t write a lot of book reviews here at RSW, (in fact, there are none) but a recent release from our friend Peter Levitandeserves one.

“How To Build A Kick-Ass Advertising Agency” is a solid work that provides aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned advertising professionals with invaluable insights and actionable strategies for building a successful advertising agency.

I first met Peter at the Fuel Lines conference in Nashville several years ago and since then, we’ve been in touch, predominantly on business development topics.

If you don’t know Peter, go to his LinkedIn to view his bona fides, which include an impressive run at Saatchi & Saatchi.

But on to the book: from the very beginning, Peter’s writing style is engaging and relatable.

He blends personal anecdotes, industry experiences, and practical advice seamlessly, making the book not only informative but also enjoyable to read.

This is not a slog folks, Peter’s passion for the advertising industry shines through, and it is evident that he genuinely wants to help others succeed.

One of the book’s standout features is the, from the beginning, step-by-step approach Peter takes in guiding readers through the agency-building process.

He covers everything from conceptualizing your agency’s unique selling proposition to hiring the right talent, to building a solid client base.

Each chapter is well-structured, offering clear action points that readers can implement immediately.

The Big Two: Business Development and Client Relationships

One of the most valuable aspects, IMO, of “How To Build A Kick-Ass Advertising Agency” is Peter’s emphasis on two pillars of a successful agency: business development and client relationships/management.

He emphasizes the significance of understanding and addressing clients’ needs, maintaining open communication, and delivering exceptional results-fundamental to building trust and fostering long-lasting partnerships.

And in regards to business development strategies, he provides practical tips for branding, networking, and promoting your agency effectively.

As someone who has experienced the challenges of establishing a business in a dynamic industry, Peter’s advice is not just theoretical; it’s rooted in real-world experiences.

“How To Build A Kick-Ass Advertising Agency” really is a must-read for anyone aspiring to thrive in the advertising industry.

Whether you’re a marketing professional looking to venture into entrepreneurship or an advertising enthusiast eager to understand the mechanics of building a top-tier agency, this book will be an invaluable resource.

I highly recommend it and consider it a real guidebook for building a kick-ass advertising agency.”

Just do it.

Buy my book, grow your agency, and give me a great Amazon review. I will love you forever.

Since I like to be useful, here is a link to how to improve your LinkedIn profile — fast.

How To Public Relations Advice

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public relations adviceYa Want Some Sweet Public Relations Advice?

I write about company and personal branding in my Kick-Ass book (link below). Public relations plays a major role in getting your brand out there.

Here is a bit of my book’s perspective that transmits the thinking from the very smart PR firm – NATA. Check out their extensive thought leadership on their blog and in their podcast. Here is a good one: “147 – Public Relations – Nobody’s Waiting for Your Press Release.” So true!!!!

OK, let’s go.

Few “inbound” marketing platforms deliver the positive awareness of having your #advertisingagency mentioned in a Campaign Magazine or ADWEEK article, or in the case of your industry expertise – the category’s trade pubs.

So how does an agency or agency leader (or frankly any company) get into the right publication with the right brand-building copy?

Public Relations — PR Advice

The PR firm NATA offers this simple path to quickly get the attention of the busy (as in inundated) press by keeping the messaging straight and to the point. A few words can deliver a big message via being on-point and clutter-free. NATA’s advice:

  • If you run a company or have a job, you almost certainly have to write emails every day. Telling your story should be just as easy as your regular discussions with clients or suppliers.
  • We’ve developed a point-by-point technique at NATA PR that helps us get straight to the point when we’re talking to journalists or influencers. The purpose of this technique is to make information easy to read and maximize the chances of a journalist talking about you.

Practice this technique using these simple questions. Answer them and then remove the questions before sending your email:

What:

• Brand Z is launching a new vitamin C serum.

Why:

  • The vitamin C doesn’t become oxidized and retains all its properties that help reduce skin pigmentation.
  • It’s a completely new patent from company Z and they are the only ones in the world that have it.

When:

• It’ll be launched on X.

Where:

• On Z’s website and in reputable pharmacies.

Contact:

• Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Getting Sweet PR Sounds Simple… Right?

An issue is that PR wanna-get types don’t follow simple rules like these from NATA. Remember that your audience are busy pr professionals. Get to that great point fast.

Want more PR and marketing agency business-building advice? Buy this new marketing book.