How McKinney achieved one of the best new-business records among advertising agencies

1 McKinney

Innovation and collaboration, two keys to ad agency new business.

McKinney is an independent advertising agency based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1969 by Charles “Chick” McKinney, the agency is now independently owned by a management team led by Brad Brinegar, CEO.  It has been recognized as one of the nine best agencies in the country by Advertising Age

In 2003, McKinney became one of the first agencies to pioneer connection planning, which determines the most innovative and creative ways of bringing brands and people together in mutually beneficial ways - ADWEEK

In that same year, McKinney hired a group of interactive experts and injected them into the agency’s existing disciplines.

… Continue reading

Cause Branding: It is Now B-2-WE for Ad Agency New Business

WE -habilitating Capitalism – How valuable your agency will Be to ME no longer depends on b2c or b2b but on b2we

Simon Mainwaring is founder of We First, a social branding consulting firm that helps companies use social media to build communities, profits and positive social impact. A highly recognized creative director, he has worked at many of the world’s top creative advertising agencies in Asia, Europe and the U.S. including Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, on Nike and as Worldwide Creative Director for Motorola at Ogilvy, Los Angeles.… Continue reading

7 Benefits from the Right Positioning for Ad Agency New Business

fly fishing

The FOUNDATION of an ad agency’s new business program is its positioning.

When you have the right positioning its like fishing for a specific fish, with  a particular bait. You know where the fish are, what bait is appealing to them, the right equipment to use and you have developed the expertise to catch the real trophies.

“By appealing to everyone, brands end up appealing to no one.  Standing for everything is the same as standing for nothing.” Tim Williams, author of, Positioning for Professionals

So, the starting point for a successful agency’s new business program needs to be positioning.… Continue reading

Can you describe your ad agency’s positioning in 30 seconds?

Stop-Watch

The starting point for any ad agency new business program is positioning. It is a fundamental prerequisite for small and midsize agencies. But it is also the place where most agencies where most fail. Positioning is everything.

“The common failing among agencies seeking new business is the inability, or unwillingness, to name what they stand for” Bob Lundin, Agency search consultancy Jones Lundin Beals

Brand coach Josh says, “If you can’t say why your [agency] brand is both different and compelling in a few words, don’t fix your statement, fix your [agency] company.”

Can you define your agency’s positioning in a simple statement?… Continue reading

Ad Agency CEOs: Social Media Philosophy and Tips for New Business

Ad Agency CEO

 

These are my personal observations, opinions, philosophy and tips from my experience working with social media honed and refined through my personal use and my work with over 50 ad agencies, PR firms, interactive and design shops over the past  three years.

My work with social media, from the beginning, has been from a new business perspective to grow inbound lead generation and personal networks.

I’ve tried to develop the kind of practical new businesses processes, incorporating social media,  that make sense within the environments of small to mid-sized agencies to overcome a commonality of problems such as:

  • No primary target audience
  • No point of differentiation
  • No strong appeal
  • No time left to create a “consistent” new business pipeline

My philosophy and personal opinions for using social media for ad agency new business:

  • Social media “teaches” agencies to promote themselves the way they should have been doing new business all along; to lead with benefits instead of agency capabilities and credentials.

    • … Continue reading

Top 10 Benefits of Social Media for Ad Agency New Business

Michael Keaton, "Multiplicity"

Social media benefits the bottom line for small to mid-size ad agencies  - new business.

Almost my entire advertising career has been in new business. When I waded into social media, it was from a new business perspective. How best to use to social media to generate new business.

I am a believer, an unapologetic social media enthusiast. Not only is social media having a tremendous impact upon the advertising industry, it greatly impacts ad agency new business.… Continue reading

Study: 82 Million Moms Are Reinventing Marketing in the Digital Age

MOM-Entum

The Big Fuel agency is fueling new business opportunities through social media.

A new 50 page report “Mom-entum”,by social media and branded content agency Big Fuel, is generating a lot of  “momentum” and new business for this Manhattan based agency. This research positions this agency’s principals as being “thought leaders” to prospective client companies who should be marketing to moms.

“Mom-entum”, clarifies the new ground rules that advertisers must live by to establish brand relationships with America’s 82 million moms.… Continue reading

Advertising Agency Descriptions in 6 Words – Vote for Your Favorite

mad-men-2

A recent challenge to advertising agencies elicited over 50 responses.  They were asked to describe their agency in six words or less.

They were also asked to describe their agency in six words “without” using these 10 Things Ad Agencies “Usually” Say About Themselves ?

CLICK HERE to select your favorite from among these responses and I’ll post the favorites and recognize the agencies that submitted them:

  1. big agency vets for half cost
  2. Creative nerds focused on user experiences
  3. We make you more awesome.

    4. … Continue reading

Ad Agency Challenge: Describe your agency in 6 words

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Here’s a challenge for you. Can you describe your agency in six words or less?

Let’s take it one step further … Can you describe your agency in six words “without” using these 10 Things Ad Agencies “Usually” Say About Themselves ?

Ten things agencies are most likely to say about themselves:

  1. Full service
  2. Comprehensive solutions
  3. Great ideas
  4. Results oriented
  5. Integrated marketing approach
  6. Wide range of experience
  7. We are strategic
  8. Great chemistry
  9. Out-side-the-box
  10. Award winning creative

If you are up for the challenge, share your description in six words or less in the comment section below.… Continue reading

10 New Business Problems and Solutions for Ad Agencies

free-pictures-rollercoaster-superman-SpacePotato

 

For ad agency new business, why no try doing the opposite of what you’ve been doing in the past.

“The Opposite Episode” of Seinfeld, George comes to the realization that he should try to do the opposite of everything, so he does, his luck changes and everything begins to go his way including getting a girlfriend, a job with the Yankees and moving out of his parents’ house.

Almost my entire career in advertising has been spent in business development. Working with a lot of advertising agencies through the years, I’ve found they all have common problems when it comes to new business:

  1. The overwhelming majority have no target audience
  2. No point of differentiation
  3. Don’t use the marketing tools they recommend their clients use
  4. Have no new business strategy beyond personal networks and referrals
  5. Inconsistent new business practices
  6. Are their own worst client
  7. Use the same descriptive language that other agencies use to describe themselves: Great creative, strategic, outside-the-box thinkers, fun to work with, proprietary process
  8. Poor at promoting themselves
  9. Are always in a mode of redesigning their Websites
  10. Stay in a perpetual state of rebranding themselves

When business is good, new business practices are usually shelved and only pushed when more business is needed which causes a roller coaster effect.… Continue reading