new business

Fame and Advertising Agency Business Development

Peter · March 31, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Fame For Advertising Agency Business Development

I have an objective that I give to all of my advertising agency clients. I tell them that they need to include FAME as an agency marketing objective. My primary point is that in a universe of 4,000 agency brands in the USA and possibly dozens in their home town, standing out from the clutter is an essential goal. Sounds obvious, right? However, most agencies do not actually have FAME as an objective. Or, maybe more to the point, they don’t actually work hard to be famous.

I put David Ogilvy’s’s photo on the left because he just might be the most famous man in the history of advertising. He worked it. In addition to founding one of the world’s most well-known agencies, he wrote three seminal advertising books that propelled his FAME: “Confessions of an Advertising Man” (1963), “Blood, Brains and Beer” (1978), and “Ogilvy on Advertising” (1983). These books formed the platform for his agency’s thinking and awareness. This is an important point. I’ll come back to it.

What is Fame?

Google defines fame as, “the condition of being known or talked about by many people, especially on account of notable achievements.”

Known and talked about. Interesting, right? One of those easier said than done things. But, I can virtually guarantee you that if you do not make fame an agency objective, chances are you will not get there. [Read more…] about Fame and Advertising Agency Business Development

The Advertising Agency Website Article Of Your Dreams

Peter · March 22, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Getting To The Advertising Agency Website Of Your Dreams

Virtually every advertising agency thinks that they need to redesign their website. This even happens the day after they launch their latest version. This is understandable. The agency built the new site to meet month’s old objectives, they are now bored with the great ideas they had weeks ago and their competitors might have beaten them to some form of design or technology punch. Plus, yous guys are ‘creative’ and lose sleep over every creative decision anyway. It comes with the territory.

9 Free Tools To Build The Website of Your Dreams

To help alleviate anxiety (Or, support it for that matter), here are some tools to help you get started on your next design.

How Is Your Website Performing?

Alexa: Where do you rank? See how WPP’s website kicks Omnicom’s ass.

Woorank: Review your website and its SEO health.

Nibbler: Check out your website… get results on code quality, social interest, marketing, etc.

Need Some Fresh Content Ideas?

Ad Agency Pitch Killing Mistakes

Peter · March 19, 2015 · 1 Comment

Last Batch: Ad Agency Pitch Killing Mistakes

This is the third installment of my list of 16 ad agency pitch mistakes made by, um, you Ms. Ad Agency CEO, Business Development Director, Creative Director and other pitch team members.

This list is in my book, “The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches.” Amazon is holding your copy for you right here.

I’d like to reiterate what I said in part one of the series:

This expert list is one of the last chapters in the book. I consider it a coda to my detailed advice on how to nail a presentation. In this case, I wanted to see what people who have listened to thousands of hours of sales presentations from what should be the best presenters in business (advertising, digital, PR and media agency executives) had to say about mistakes that occur all too often.

“All to often”. Yes, I know it’s crazy. Have you made these pitch killing mistakes? According to these consultants…. You do.

Debbie Morrison: Director of Consultancy and Best Practice, ISBA, thegoodpitch.com, UK

In terms of things agencies do wrong in pitch presentations, the biggest howler I have come across which instantly alienates the client, is disharmony in the agency pitch team!

Either the session is dominated by one senior person and no other agency team members ‘dare’ or are given the chance to input. Or there have been times I’ve experienced in pitches when there has been obvious hostility between agency team members resulting in open warfare during the pitch presentation! Highly off putting and results in an instant de-listing in most cases!

Dan Pearlman: CEO/Managing Partner, Bob Wolf Partners/TPG, California

In answer to your question: Most agencies don’t pay enough attention to the chemistry and culture aspects of their pitch. Where do the philosophies and values of their firm align with those of the client? [Read more…] about Ad Agency Pitch Killing Mistakes

Ad Agency New Business & Speed

Peter · March 11, 2015 · 1 Comment

Ad Agency New Business Needs Speed

I am writing up an agency positioning recommendation for an agency client. To get there, I am looking at a lot of agency websites and agency descriptions. I have to admit that I just got sidetracked by yet another ad agency Contact page that goes off the rails (see past thinking on Contact pages.)

I just visited the website of San Francisco’s Forty Forty agency. Nice website (as in it delivers a bold, “we are creative” message.) However, their Contact page makes two key mistakes; it looks like virtually every other agency out there (most Contact pages look alike) and… Forty Forty’s page has a big gaff I have to highlight. They seem to not want to get back to a new business client quickly. Here is what they say.

New Business Inquiries

Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you as quick as we can.

Huh? “As quick as we can”? Shouldn’t they sound active and hungry and interested in new clients? This might just be a poor choice of words. But, they have that damn form (why a form?) and then don’t go down the road of being speedy. If I were an interested client, I’d rather see an active message like: “Looking for a new agency, call our CEO Bob Johnson at 415-555-1234 today.”

The Speed Drill

Act like you want the call – now. Sound very interested and like you really want to hear from new clients. Tell the prospective client that you will get back to them TODAY.

Make your Contact page friendly. Friendly is a good thing. This is especially critical in a situation where your website may be the determining factor in whether or not a client will contact you. Contact — is not a given. You need to earn it.

While you are at it, sound and look different from other agencies.

Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Ad Clutter & Urinals

Peter · March 9, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Planes, Trains, Automobiles & Urinals = Ad Clutter

I was in New York recently and noticed, actually re-noticed and re-noticed, that advertising messages are everywhere. This hit home when I went to a restaurant urinal after a fine lunch and had to face an ad, you know, one of those framed ads. Not very high tech but very much in my face — like about 6 inches away.

I thought two things: 1) why do I have to look at this ad and, I have other things that I should be paying attention to right now. 2) it doesn’t stop. A few minutes later I was speeding up to a thirtieth floor meeting in an elevator equipped with one of those relentless video screens and more ads.

No peace! No chance to reflect on my upcoming meeting. No moment to be alone in my thoughts in places that used to be ad free. I’ve been attacked by, yes, dreaded ad clutter.

The Cost of Paying Attention

The New York Times’s “Sunday Review” ran the excellent excellent op-ed piece, “The Cost Of Paying Attention” by Matthew B. Crawford, author the upcoming book “The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction”. Mr. Crawford points out that we are bombarded by ads. No news here. But, he makes the strong case that “attention is a resource.” A very scarce resource and the advertising world (that means you and me) are destroying our individual chance to be introspective, alone in our own thoughts and focussed on our own being rather that yet another freakin ad or wannabe social media relationship. Bathroom and elevator advertising isn’t a new phenomenon. However, in Mr. Crawford’s view, they are a form of pollution. I have to agree. Here is how the article begins. [Read more…] about Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Ad Clutter & Urinals