Green Marketing and Social Media Creates New Business for Phoenix Ad Agency

It’s always helpful to hear how agencies have used social media to create new business opportunities, a point of differentiation and a positioning of expertise.

Park&Co is a full-service advertising agency in Phoenix, Arizona. They were your typical small to mid-size agency and no real difference from most of their competitors. There was no perception among their prospective client audience of having any expertise. But, their use of social media, over the past three years has rapidly changed their business and has impacted new business.… Continue reading

B-2-B Agency Gains New Business from a Narrow Niche and Social Media

Social media can end the anxiety of creating a niche and differentiation for ad agency new business.

John Sonnhalter, CEO of Sonnhalter, a B2B ad agency located just outside of Cleveland, OH, shares an example of an agency that found a way to finally “draw a line in the sand” and openly declare his agency’s area of expertise for a particular market.

John was able to first ‘test the waters before jumping in’ by creating a ‘niche blog’ clearly targeted to a very specific audience.

… Continue reading

Is Advertising a Respected Profession?

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A lack of respect is bad for ad agency new business. You might not be able to change the perception of our industry but you can control the perception of your agency.

Over the last decade, the advertising industry has become one of the least liked by Americans. In a recent Gallup Poll Advertising and Public Relations ranked 10th on a list of the least respected industries in the nation.

Author Tim Williams is an author and consultant, closely associated with the advertising industry.… 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

10 Advantages When Ad Agencies Focus New Business Efforts on Their “Sweet Spot”

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New business targeting is about finding an agency’s sweet spot. Deciding on the most fruitful audience that match your agency’s core competencies and wastes the least amount of your agency’s energy and resources to win.

The sweet spot is that part of the club, bat, tennis racket, etc. that wastes the least amount of energy when it collides with the ball.

Too many agencies fall into the trap of pursuing any prospective client with a budget.… Continue reading

Ad Agencies: Three Things a New Business Director Needs for Success

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A significant paradigm shift has taken place that impacts how ad agencies acquire new business that effects the knowledge and skills new business directors need to make it happen.

“With over 50% of client relationships lasting less than two years and the average CMO tenure 27 months, the role of new business at our agencies is more important and a bigger focus than ever.”

Heather Witalisz, Training Director for Mirren Business Development, recently asked me, “what are the top three things a New Business Director must do to be successful?” As I reflected back on my answer I thought this would be a helpful topic to flesh out a bit more.… Continue reading

Why Ad Agencies Should Stop Obsessing Over Their Competitors

Michael in Maine


“You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to step away from the shore” – Nobel Prize-winning author André Gide.

I recently read an insightful article on why the focus of a company’s (agency’s) business strategy should not be upon its competitors. The article was written by Gabor George Burt, internationally recognized expert on innovation, creativity and strategy development and the author of  the book, Slingshot.

Burt states, “In today’s marketplace, I would argue that doing something unprecedented is not just adventurous but imperative … eliminating competition by trying to beat it is dangerously shortsighted.”

Small to midsize ad agencies, for the most part, have been asleep at the wheel while our industry has been totally reshaped by The Great Recession, the transition from traditional marketing to digital and the rapid emergence of social media.… Continue reading

2011 Forecast: 100 Global Trends That Will Drive Consumer Behavior

Concise and helpful information for prospective clients regarding the trends that will impact consumer behavior in 2011 and positioning as an advertising leader for JWT.

JWT has released its sixth annual year-end forecast of key trends that will drive or significantly impact consumer behaviour in the year ahead. The result of quantitative, qualitative and desk research conducted throughout the year and pulling from the input of more than 50 trend-scouts around the world.  JWT is a believer in scoping out trends through its JWT Intelligence unit.… Continue reading

243 Ad Agencies Share How They are Different from the Rest for New Business

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The agencies that win the most new business will have a differentiating position from their competitors.

In a recent blind ad agency new business survey I asked the question, Does your agency have a unique point of differentiation from competitors? Of the 430 agencies that answered the question, 76.8% (326) said that they did, 23.1% (98) said they did not.

I then asked, if you answered “yes”, please briefly describe. “how your agency is different from the rest.” The following are 243 agency responses to how they are different from every other agency.… Continue reading

Ad Agencies: 10 Tips That Separates the Best From the Rest

The agencies that win the most new business have a differentiating position from their competitors.

“Most managers invest their time and energy in trying to make their firms better, when in fact they should be also be working to make their firms different” – From Positioning for Professionals

I had the privilege to attend a Tim Williams seminar, “What Separates the Best from the Rest,” when I was the new business director for a regional advertising agency.… Continue reading