ad agency

Bing Needs An Advertising Agency

Peter · February 2, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Microsoft’s Bing and Your Advertising Agency

I just took a look at my WordPress referral stats. I was discussing where my referrals come from with the 4A’s ex-Executive VP Michael Donahue who I just interviewed about the world of storytelling agencies. I’ll let you know when I get that up as a guest post on a major advertising news site. By the way, I love guest posting. I also love looking at MY stats.

The stats showed something that I find CRAZY! Back to that in a sec.

Help Bing, Please.

This post is about relevance. I urge all of my agency clients to make sure that when they contact a prospective agency client that they are very clear about how they can help them. I mean help them with some uber smartness that you think will impact an important business issue or opportunity. Your communications should be about how you can help them. Not a random liturgy of how wonderful you are.

Bing Needs Your Help.

What you can easily see from my WordPress chart is that Google rocks and Bing, um, sucks. What could you do with this information?

Well, I’d think about going to Bing and giving them a solution. It won’t be a competitive message, hard to compete with Google. But it could be a Bing-only experience that you won’t get anywhere else. Example? Remember the first time you saw The Wilderness Downtown (which for some of you might be today.) From Chrome Experiments…

Choreographed windows, interactive flocking, custom rendered maps, real-time compositing, procedural drawing, 3D canvas rendering… this Chrome Experiment has them all. “The Wilderness Downtown” is an interactive interpretation of Arcade Fire’s song “We Used To Wait” and was built entirely with the latest open web technologies, including HTML5 video, audio, and canvas.

Note: Bing spent millions a few years ago trying to get you excited about their search platform. Unfortunately, it was way wasted bucks. As you can see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3u7pfDa5yc

Really, WTF were they thinking? JWT made this magic.

If you think that this Bing project is worth the effort, then take a read of the PCWorld article. It can’t be surprising that there is more info out there that you can use to craft your pitch. You could even use my website (or yours) as the start of a discussion.

Seen The WPP Worldview?

Peter · January 31, 2016 · Leave a Comment

WPP’s Worldview — Too Wide?

How do we wind up by ‘accident’ in unintended places on the Internet? It often (very!) seems soooo random. I just stumbled upon WPP’s PR site on a quiet Sunday when I should be somewhere else and saw the following chart that gives the WPP internal corporate view of their vast agency and services universe. Did I say vast?

If you were a prospective network client, would you view this cavalcade of companies as being a …

Pick one.

Turn on?

Turn off?

Me? I find the sheer number of logos a bit freaky and am turned off. Why? Because as an ex-Saatchi & Saatchi global-behemoth-employee (i.e. the old days) who worked across many global Saatchi offices and companies, I know for a fact that these various owned agencies do not / cannot work well with each other. They have P&L (and ego) battles. Understatement.

Look, I am sure that WPP management kinda says that all of these various companies work super well together. But, when you are an individual agency CEO with P&L responsibility, and your bonus is predicated on profitability and great work at your agency, how can you really stand out if you have to UBER collaborate? Like, and let’s keep this easy– like how to you divvy up the client’s moolah between other voracious CEO’s?

OK, back to the WPP Mega chart.

By the way, who, because logo positioning isn’t random, decided that the AKQA logo goes first? I’m trying to imagine the conversations leading to finalizing the layout.

(Oh, one more thing. Willing to think small(er) — Here is an agency that is totally positioned against the need for the global behemoth approach.)

Advertising Age and The Future Of Advertising

Peter · January 25, 2016 · Leave a Comment

The Future of Advertising

Advertising Age recently ran two very interesting and insightful articles about the current and future state of advertising. It’s that time of the year.

In Part One, I offer my take on what I think are the most salient points in The Industry Speaks: 2016’s Top Priorities that delivered a range of industry leader perspectives on issues and opportunities. I’ve edited the original copy and briefly discuss what it means for you Ms. Advertising Agency CEO.

Part Two comes later this week. I’m feeling too cluttered right now.

One big takeaway… clutter. Advertising clutter, technology clutter, social clutter, content clutter, SEM clutter, even personal blog clutter and on.

Article 1: The Industry Speaks: 2016’s Top Priorities

“What’s the No. 1 issue that the overall marketing and advertising industry needs to deal with in 2016? Advertising Age surveyed executives from throughout the business, and heard a surprising range of answers.

Jeff Charney, CMO, Progressive

Everyone’s so concerned about ad blocking and time shifting, but we see a very different threat. Everybody is flooding the web with their own content, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute. We’re not just competing with our top competitors, or even other brands outside of our category, we’re competing with people’s friends, mothers and self-made celebrities on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. And it’s just getting started.

PL: Yes!!! So much stuff. So much competition for your eyeball and ear. I am currently advising an L.A. based fashion agency and have been digging into fashion and luxury marketing trends. The fashion and cosmetics marketing world has shifted. For example, Revlon’s mindshare competition is now coming from personal tastemaker sites like The Blonde Salad — not L’Oreal and it’s Vogue ads. That was Revlon’s old school competition. But, cosmetics buyers attention is now whipped snapped by dozens of new eyeball options.

Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP

So number one on the agenda is encouraging companies to take a longer-term, less risk-averse view of the world, predicated on the fundamental truth that marketing is an investment not a cost.

It’s clear from BrandZ analysis that investing in brands works. In the last 10 years, a measurement of the strongest brands from the BrandZ Top 100 as a stock portfolio shows their share price has risen over three times more than the MSCI World Index and almost two thirds more than the S&P500.

PL: Ah, the old argument. Advertising spend is a long term “investment.” OK, yeah, we’ve heard this before. But, Sir Martin backs it up with some facts.

Lori Senecal, global CEO, CP&B

Convention won’t challenge itself. As an industry, we need to help marketers really take control of the technology solutions that unlock opportunities to offer consumers truly inventive, additive, and welcome experiences. But clients, agencies, and consumers will only benefit – and our industry will only thrive – if together with CMOs we can control the necessary technology from start to finish.

PL: A nice wish. Will agencies control the technology food chain? No. Will some savvy agencies build their own technology? Sure. but, the agency world will not be in control.

Maurice Levy, chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe

Mobile and data.

6 Critical Elements Of A Sales Pitch

Peter · January 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

6 Critical Elements of An Ad Agency Sales Pitch

If there is one thing you must do when selling a BtoB service (as in your ad agency’s services; a tech solution; a great media or creative idea…) it is making sure you understand the needs and motivations of the person you are selling to when you craft your sales pitch. Sounds obvious, right? Believe me, after interviewing a wide range of clients and ad agency search consultants for my book on pitching I have to say that many agencies do not follow this golden rule. We are simply not spending enough time really thinking about the buyer and her perspective.

A Sad Ad Agency Sales Story

I had this lesson hammered home at my first media to agency pitch when I moved from Saatchi & Saatchi New York to launch the brand new newspaper website NJ.com. I figured I’d start selling the new fangled idea of internet advertising to my friends at my old agency (this was 1996). I knew the agency inside and out and had worked with its Executive Media Director Allen Banks for years. My pitch included a hockey puck graph of projected Internet usage and a discussion of digital advertising that touted our news website’s newfound ability to track how website visitors viewed and interacted with online advertising.

Sounds like a great digital media pitch, right? Was Allen smiling? No. His reaction?

“Are you f*cking kidding me? We have made a fortune not really knowing how, when and for how long consumers have been looking at our ads. I manage hundreds of millions in advertising media placement. Knowing how much of it doesn’t work will kill our golden goose.”

My point in telling you this story is that I didn’t really think through Allen’s motivations and potential objections before I delivered my early online sales pitch about tracking and analytics. I had only thought about how wonderful the Internet advertising solution was. By the way, Allen was right. The Internet sure seems like it killed some parts of the golden advertising goose.

Here’s some more advice from the world of sales…

Yes, some of these 6 elements may seem obvious (and yes, I am repeating myself) — however, I know for a fact that not everyone in your agency truly understands these simple rules. Many of your colleagues, even the folks on your new business or creative idea pitch team, probably do not have much direct sales experience.

Think like the client. The presentation (it’s a sales presentation!) must be written from the client’s perspective. What are they asking for, and what do they need and want to hear? You want to win them over, not your colleagues. This is the key reason why you have to learn about the individual clients, and if you have time, create personas for any new to you decision makers before you ever meet them.
Involve them. Don’t make the presentation one-sided. Try to involve the client in a discussion. You might be able to motivate the stone-faced clients by asking them a few questions at the right time.
Answer their questions. If the client has specific questions, stop talking and listen. Make sure you answer the question and confirm with them that you have. Think all agencies do this? I know for a fact that they don’t. Sometimes in the heat of the pitch, agency presenters will consciously or unconsciously deflect and even ignor the client’s question so that they can get on with their scripted presentation. This can be a major lost opportunity for dialog and might put off the client.
Deliver value. The client has invited you into their world. Return the favor by giving them something of value in return. In most cases, this might be a serious insight or a creative solution. This is your chance to demonstrate why this client couldn’t possibly live without you.
Be dynamic. Clients want agencies that are passionate about their work and ideas. Show your passion, and find a way to show passion for the client’s brand and/or quest. In a new business pitch, you might want to actually ask for the job.
Be different. Again, if you are in a new biz pitch, know that the other agencies that are pitching are good, smart and could probably do the job. You have one chance to look and sound different. Think very hard about how you will stand out from the pack.

6 simple rules. They work.

Head over to this link to see my post on the 12 worst mistakes agencies make when pitching. You’ll like the cartoons as well.

Pinterest Advertising Agency Directory: Help Please

Peter · January 13, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I Need Your Help: Should I Continue Updating The Advertising Agency Directory?

A couple of years ago I created a Pinterest directory site that lists advertising agencies – the ones I could find. I did it as a way for prospective advertisers to easily locate and compare agencies and as a thought-leadership-oriented-business-development-lead-generator for my consulting business.

As you can see, the directory organizes agencies by city (primarily major cities) and uses a screen grab of the agency homepage and a brief description to help visitors see the range of agencies in each town.

FYI for you thought leaders worried about the time required to thought lead: this directory was very low-cost endeavor as I had an assistant in the Philippines build it using my template and instructions.

The Help Me Please Part…

Today the Pinterest advertising agency directory has well over 1,000 Followers and I get some incoming every month from agencies that would like to be listed or have their information revised. I am going to keep the directory up – why not. However, I am just not sure if I want to maintain it beyond adding agencies that request a listing. I am not sure of its value for the ad industry – as in agencies and clients seeking an agency.

OK, one clear value for you agencies. This is a great way to study your competition in just one place. Agencies change / revise their websites every couple of years. The directory provides some great ideas worth, um, contemplating.

My questions to you.

You can answer by adding a comment below or by emailing me at peter@peterlevitan.com. Thanks.

Do you think that this advertising agency directory via Pinterest is valuable to advertisers and you?

Were you aware of it?

Any other thoughts? Things that I could do to enhance the advertisier experience?

By the way: If you are not listed, would you like to be?