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Free Ten Point Advertising Agency Assessment

Peter · August 20, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Here Is  Freebie Just For You: My Ten Point Advertising Agency Assessment

Advertising agency assesmentHow is your advertising, digital, social media, PR agency doing? When I owned my Portland advertising & digital agency it was hard for me to tell how I stacked up vs. other agencies. As my friend Jon of Portland’s The Good, a conversion rate optimization consultancy, said on our recent podcast interview,

“It is hard to read the label from inside the jar.”

So, to help you, I am offering, for a limited time (true) a ten point advertising agency assessment. FYI, when I owned my own agency, I took all of the advice I could get. Even when I ran business development at Saatchi & Saatchi, I wanted third-party opinions and advice.

So, Why Offer An Advertising Agency Assessment – For Free?

If you work at an agency or in marketing, you know that making a high-value offer is usually a productive lead generation marketing tool. As part of my own marketing (side note, I practice what I preach) I am running a google PPC campaign that targets advertising agency leadership. Here is my ad agency leader offer landing page (it should at least be instructive as a look as my marketing). As I have often pointed out… this is a Corleone offer. It should not be refused. If you run an agency, go for it.

The offer is driving some incoming interest for my services at a time that many advertising agencies should be reevaluating their agency business and marketing plans. Right?

Levitan’s Ten Point Advertising Agency Assessment & Check-Up

This advertising agency assessment is based on my forever years of experience running major accounts and business development at Saatchi & Saatchi; CEO of two Internet start-ups; my own advertising agency and this business development consultancy. I have worked with dozens of agencies. I have seen what they look like from outside the jar.

Here are the ten points I will assess just for you:

  1. Your business plan: How hard do you look at and possibly adjust your business plan? How will you generate maximum revenues and profits in our strange 2020? Do you make adjustments? Do you understand your Total Addressable Market (TAM)?
  2. Your advertising agency positioning: This is a tough and hard look at your primary brand proposition. You can read about my general perspective on the value of a kick-ass positioning on this website.
  3. Your 8-second website: This is probably one of the first ways that anyone sees your agency. How do your ranks vs. your competition? What do you say that will get me to pay attention in my 8-second look-see. In many cases, you only have around eight seconds to make me look at you and stick around vs. the other 3,999 advertising, digital, etc. agency websites that are screaming for attention. Here is my blog post about the Best Advertising Agency Websites. 
  4. Your business development plan and activity: How have you managed your plan over the past year? My whole blog of close to 800 blog posts discusses how you should market your agency.
  5. Your outbound, account-based marketing: I’ll just ask you… you do this right? If, so, how?
  6. Your social media activity and authority: Are you an active blogger, thought leader, podcaster? How do you look on LinkedIn; Twitter; YouTube; Instagram; and ae you a category leader? What do your stats tell you?
  7. Your client list: How does your client list look to an outsider? Do one or two clients account for too high a percentage of your revenues? Do you know how to position your client list for business development?
  8. Your intellectual property: Do you have any IP? Something that will differentiate and add sustainable value to your agency? You can do this. I know how to make this happen – efficiently.
  9. Your ‘findable’ quotient: Can I find your advertising agency if I do a search for you? You should be everywhere I might search for you (your competition will probably be there)Yes, I have written about this.
  10. Your creative vibe: Yes, clients have brought their marketing inhouse. It is easy. For example, just get some social media type folks to do the work. But, but, most inhouse client resources suck at being creative thinkers and doers. How does your creativity stack up and how do you prove it?

That’s It, Folks

If you need my educated third-party, very honest, no bull shit assessment… go for it. This is a limited time offer. Give me a shout.

OK, One More. Have you listened to the smart and entertaining Advertising Stories podcast?

 

 

The Smartest African American Advertising Agency

Peter · August 20, 2020 · Leave a Comment

The Real Power Of African American Advertising

African American AdvertisingWil Shelton runs L.A.’s Wil Power Integrated Marketing, a major force in African American advertising and marketing. Here is just one not-ordinary thing that they do:

“Wil Power Integrated Marketing is positioned in more than 40 urban markets nationwide with well-established business relationships with over 100,000 African American salons and barbershop nationwide and the ability to reach over 100 million consumers annually.”

How many advertising agencies have a unique idea as powerful or as unignorable as that?

WOW!

I was blown away when I heard about the Wil Power Integrated Marketing approach to marketing to the African American community. While all agencies, Wil Power included, fuss over their digital programs, few get “out on the street” to meet people and talk to them where they hang out. Wil Power gets it and has harnessed the power of America’s salons and barbershops – where millions of people meet to discuss their lives and what they do, eat, drink watch, and buy.

From an advertising agency business development perspective, Wil Power offers its national Fortune 500, entertainment, streaming, and telecom clients a solution that is totally unique — it is based on Wil Shelton’s perspective and hard work that get him and his clients inside over 100,000 salons and barbershops.

Yes, there is more. Have you listened to Wil on how to solve the problem of racism in advertising and marketing? In particular, the low numbers in African American senior advertising and marketing positions? Go ahead, take a listen —  “Kamala Harris And Advertising…”

Links To Wil Shelton And His African American Advertising & Marketing Solutions…

Wil Power Integrated Marketing

Wil Shelton on LinkedIn

Hypnotism coming: Remember to subscribe to Advertising Stories. Remember to subscribe to Advertising Stories.

A nice thing for me… Feedspot has recognized Advertising Stories as being a top 15 advertising podcast.

Chevrolet Tahoe Consumer Generated Media Fail

Peter · July 24, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Adweek’s Cathy Taylor Discusses An Instructive Story About A Chevrolet Tahoe Consumer Generated Media Fail. Not Pretty.

Hear Cathy Taylor, of Adweek, tell tails of the mid-2000s digital media world and the mighty Chevrolet Tahoe’s consumer generated media fail. It seems that the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV marketing team did not quite understand that putting its brand message in the hands of unrestrained consumers, some of whom did not like big gas guzzlers, might not be a good thing for a consumer generated media ad program.

Yes, we are going all the way back to a 2006 podcast interview that I did for my advertising agency when Chevy made this digital marketing mess. This is episode one of a two-part series. Part one is just one  Advertising Stories episode earlier. Visit this story… Adweek Editor On Google Advertising.

Cathy has been a writer on the ad world for, get this: ADWEEK, Advertising Age, Media Post, The Conference Board, and The Mobile Marketing Association and now… WARC.

SHOW NOTES:

Cathy Taylor on LinkedIn
Cathy’s Adweek article

Here is a New York Times article about the debacle: Chevy Tries a Write-Your-Own-Ad Approach, and The Potshots Fly.

You can see the growing list of all of my Advertising Stories podcasts right here.

Use the handy subscribe buttons that we’ve placed on this wonderful page. 

A nice thing… Feedspot has already recognized Advertising Stories as being a top 15 advertising podcast.

A Scientific Approach To How To Name Your Advertising Agency

Peter · July 17, 2020 · Leave a Comment

What Is Your Name?

Since I work with advertising agencies, I’ll lead this discussion with how to name an advertising agency. However, this how-to works across all industries.

A company or brand name can make or break you at your launch or over time. This podcast explains how to name a brand or entity. The key is that company and brand naming is both science and art. And, yes, there is a scientific approach to how to name an advertising agency, or digital or PR shop.

The right brand name adds value and drives sales. Here is a blueprint based on naming conventions to get there. By the way, my blog post: “How To Name Your Advertising Agency” has been viewed more than 50,000 times. There is a link below.

With respect to some of the science… Consider whether your advertising or brand name is a:

  • Neologism
  • Current usage word
  • Hybrid
  • Acronym
  • Founder Name

Your advertising name can make or break your first impression and your perception for years to come. Note that some names just die.

 

SHOW LINKS

How To Name Your Advertising Agency Article.

Leading Independent Agencies.

TheNetworkOne

Two new shows every week… Do not forget to subscribe to Advertising Stories whenever you Listen To Podcasts. Use the handy podcast links on this page.

A nice thing… Feedspot has already recognized Advertising Stories as being a top 15 advertising podcast.

Japanese Advertising, Marketing And Sushi

Peter · July 6, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Robert Peterson / Bob-san Grew Toyota, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Now A Skin Care Brand Plus (!) His Peeps Just Won A Big CES Award. Not your average expat life in Tokyo, Japan. And, the perfect guy to give us the lowdown on Japanese advertising, marketing, and sushi.

I think that that about says it all until you listen to this episode. If you did listen, arigatōgozaimashita.

SHOW LINKS – リンクを表示


Bob-san on LinkedIn

Bob’s Book – Make It Happen on Amazon.

Toute Nuit – Please look your best. Oh, and wrinkle-free.

Do not forget to subscribe to Advertising Stories whenever you Listen To Podcasts. See my handy links to podcast players.

A nice thing for me… Feedspot has already recognized Advertising Stories as being a top 15 advertising podcast.

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