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21 Ad Agency Business Development Must Do’s

Peter · July 24, 2015 · Leave a Comment

What Every Ad Agency Must Do To Grow

A simple fact: You have to decide to work at business development and then do the work.

Here are 21 ad agency business development actions that will absolutely result in growth.

Have clear attainable (or even audacious) business objectives – and, while you are at it, write a business plan to get there.
Nurture an agency business development culture from the CEO on down (or, is it up?)
Craft a business development plan with clear-cut objectives and strategies.
Have an effective sales pitch based on something your agency owns or can act like it owns.
Have an action-oriented hook that generates client interest and meetings. If not, go back to number 4 and work it out.
Make business development an integral part of your agency’s daily life.
Manage business development the same way you treat a client job. Have a process.
Know who is responsible for what and have a calendar.
Make sure that everyone in the agency knows that new business is everyone’s business and that no new business growth = staff reductions and possibly, I am afraid to say this, no new foosball table.
Have a list of the top clients you want and create a compelling sales pitch. I stress: compelling.
Design a sales-oriented agency website for that client who is only going to give you 8 seconds to make an impression. Your goal is getting them to contact you.
Use the website to deliver some human chemistry vibes. Please use video to bring your agency to life. A brief video.
Have a short list of the top clients you want, create personas and build a compelling sales pitch just for them. I stress: compelling. Put yourself in their shoes. They want to succeed at their jobs too.
Stay in touch on a reasonably regular basis via email (gently) or some other form of direct marketing.
Use social media correctly. That means having an objectives-driven LinkedIn, Twitter, blog, Facebook etc. strategy and the will to keep at it. Kill the program if you can’t keep it up. Dated blog posts are worse than no blog posts. I don’t even want to discuss having an empty aging Twitter account.
Consider concentrating on (and owning) a specific client category or becoming a media or technology or creative specialist. Pick one.
Learn to pitch like Steve Jobs (you already know this.)
Learn to negotiate like Steve Jobs. Most agencies have no clue how to negotiate.
Take this offer and contact me. I’ve been there and done it.
Buy my book.
Get a good night’s sleep.

UK Advertising New Business Is Down

Peter · July 23, 2015 · Leave a Comment

News To You? Digital is Up But… “New business on the slide in 2015”

Interested in seeing where the advertising action is these days?

Here are some bellwether numbers from the UK market for January through June 2015.

Digital continues to be the only area (vs. advertising, direct marketing, carrier pigeon) that is moving on up.

I think that a part of this is that ‘everything’ is now digital. And, we don’t really know what the definitions mean anymore. What do I mean? Video and TV have mashed up. Direct marketing has mashed into digital. Media is what… digital +. Integrated means what? Like, don’t digital agencies integrate?

This from Campaign Magazine:

Do You Me-Me When Selling Your Advertising Agency?

Peter · July 16, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Me-Me!

I’ve been told my entire advertising and marketing career that talking about ME and not my business prospect in a sales situation will lead to failure. I’ve had this confirmed over the past couple of years in my conversations with advertising agencies, clients and advertising agency search consultants. Here are three quotes from agency search consultants from my book, “The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches.” The point being… [Read more…] about Do You Me-Me When Selling Your Advertising Agency?

Advertising Agency New Business Failure

Peter · June 30, 2015 · Leave a Comment

San Francisco’s MosaicSF Failed

Way back in 2007, my Oregon advertising agency Ralston360 (we eventually became Citrus after buying the design firm Citrus), decided we’d enter the San Francisco advertising market because, you know, SF needed yet another creative advertising agency.

Since there were only a zillion agencies in SF, we made the strategic decision to break out from the competitive pack by launching a VLOG (video blog for those of you who have forgotten) about the city’s cultural diversity. MosaicSF was created to showcase the quirky lifestyles of the people living in around the bay area. Interviews with Internet startups, bands, actors, pimps, boxers, drag queens, the San Francisco Giants, and even midnight pillow fight enthusiasts, were all a part of the video mix. Our business development director MC’d the show.

We supported the program with a dedicated website, a launch party, ads in SF Weekly (we had a partnership deal with them) and advertised a promotion to win $1,000 all designed by one of our art directors Michael Hofler.

Our goal was to become famous by not being ‘yet another advertising agency’ touting its superior creativity, strategic chops, totally unique marketing philosophy, happy people, cool office furniture, pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge… you got it. The same old, same old.

Did MosaciSF work as an advertising agency new business tool? No.

MosaicSF didn’t deliver enough new business traction in San Francisco. Frankly, I was surprised. Despite our failure, I think, even with crystal clear hindsight, we did everything right. We had the goal of becoming famous (something I tell all my ad agency clients to do to get noticed), created a brand new video program before everyone talked about the power of video, looked like we knew San Francisco (remember, we were introducing a Portland agency to the city), covered a wide range of crazy subjects, built a new brand, delivered attitude and showcased our own digital and analog marketing expertise by putting our talent and money on the line. Why didn’t this work? I actually have no clue. Do you?

Hmmm. Here are a couple of good reasons why our VLOG might not have worked. 1) SF is actually a very small, provincial city and really does not need another agency. 2) It isn’t very welcoming for newbies – especially Oregonians. 3) It is a very ‘who you know place.’ Connections matter. 4) Maybe they don’t like pimps (and, yes, I know we pushed the PC envelope on this one. But, it was about the mosaic after all… see below).

But… we gave it a shot. A type of shot at breaking out that I think more ad agencies need to try. And, importantly, we had a lot of fucking fun and have no regrets. Hey, it’s OK if you want to use your agency’s talent to make things for yourself.

MosaicSF Videos

Below is Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy, our best-viewed video at 54,000 views (!). You can see some others right here on YouTube. There are more, But, you’ll have to search for them.

I Bet You Can’t Read or Write (Code)

Peter · June 14, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Sorry, You Can’t Read Or Write

I can’t and neither can you (most likely).

Here’s the drill. Virtually everything you do or rely on these days is controlled by computer code. You phone, your car, your house, your relationships, your business, your leisure time, even the blueberries you buy in summer.

Oh, and, yes, all of the advertising and marketing you do for your clients.

So, when I say you can’t read or write I mean…

You Don’t Know What Code Is (And, Of Course, You Can’t Write It)

Look, I get it. My companies published early stage websites in the 1990’s = New Jersey Online (for Advance Publications) and websites for Microsoft and Nabisco (ala Journal Square Interactive). I was also the founder and CEO of ActiveBuddy which did natural language years ahead of Apple’s Siri and my agency dove head first into all things digital.

BUT… I am code illiterate and it held me back. [Read more…] about I Bet You Can’t Read or Write (Code)