website

Overdone Ad Agency Design Fries My Brain

June 4, 2015 By Peter Leave a Comment

Overdone Ad Agency Design Fries My Brain

I spend a lot of time looking at ad agency websites. I even have a Pinterest website that includes many (that’s it on the left.)

Soooo many are overblown, over baked, over jam-packed with copy and images. These websites also sound alike with about, work, process (‘our agency’s very own special sauce), client lists, photos of offices, contact pages, hip staff photos and long lists of services. Yes, I get it. These are logical sections. But doing what the other 4,000 ad agencies do is not very original.

I Am Beginning To Really Dig Minimalism

I am not yet sure what I really think about Walrus‘ approach (i.e. the talking walrus.) BUT… it is minimal and does not look like any other agency and there is a bit of humor which is sorely missing in the advertising industry, so I will give it a mighty WOW.

2 Minimalist Inspirations

Ad Agency Videos: A Series

April 16, 2015 By Peter 1 Comment

Ad Agency Videos: Humor Sells

Videos are everywhere. The increasing use of videos for marketing is well known. The power of videos to tell stories is well known. Agencies discuss the power of video everyday.

However, few agencies actually use video power in their own business development marketing.

In an effort to stimulate the use of videos as a business development tool, I offer this ongoing series on which agencies are doing it right and, occasionally, doing it all wrong.

Oh, Canada – Or, What’s Up In Toronto?

Two Tronto agencies have delivered some of the best, very off-the-wall , videos designed to sell the agency and how it works and thinks. If I were a client looking for an ad agency that could deliver a big strategic idea in a way that would get my brand attention, these shops would be on my short list. [Read more…] about Ad Agency Videos: A Series

Fame and Advertising Agency Business Development

March 31, 2015 By Peter 1 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

March 22, 2015 By Peter 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 New Business & Speed

March 11, 2015 By Peter 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.