Agency.com Fist Bumps Way Out of Subway Pitch
Hmm. Well it's not like anyone didn't see this one coming. As soon as we woke up this morning, we saw that Ariel, who had her own eloquently negative opinion on the subject, sent us an electronic fist bump to let us know Agency.com had pulled out of the Subway pitch. The reason apparently, is related to a conflict with another piece of business the agency was pitching. Right. Agency.com claims the video debacle had nothing to do with its decision to pull out of the pitch with a spokesperson telling Ad Week in typical face saving fashion, "Our decision was based solely on this conflict of interest." Yes, there's only so many fist bumps a single agency can handle at one time. We guess everyone can't roll big all the time.
Comments
C'mon, does anyone actually believed they pulled out of the pitch b/c of a conflict? They made it to the final round of the Dunkin Brands pitch and they still have a long way to go against some pretty heavy duty competition. So now they have an excuse to drop out of the Subway pitch in some pathetic attempt to save face.
I recall the guys at Agency.dotbomb (and others) were praising themselves for having the balls to try what they did on the Subway pitch. Apparently all the negative press has neutered them. Somebody send them some Viagra b/c they need the staying power to finish what they started.
Also, the Creative director is very fat.
F*ck dot you.
Hey Steve...
This was the funniest thing I read yesterday. I evn posted about it on my "clean" site AdHurl. I mean give me a fucking break. Conflict my ass. I bet anyone dumb enough to work there could now be summed up in the old Guy Seguilac book (I know I spelled that wrong, but fuck it) "Please don't tell my mother I work at Agency.com, tell her I play the piano in a brothel! They should close the place down and reopen under the name...
FistBump.Fucked...
No wonder this biz is fucked.
Cheers/George
Also, the Creative director is very fat.
Way to eat your way out of the pitch.
Also, the Creative director is very fat.
Way to eat your way out of the pitch.
"Agency.com sucks...", "Fist bump...", "When we roll...", blah, blah, blah.
The fact that the negative fervor surrounding Agency.com's innocuous-yet-EXTREMELY-SALIENT tactic has transcended from the level of typical insider criticism to cheap potshots should only serve to validate the fact that this industry is filled with pathetic hacks. It's to the point of being comical. Are we really that predictable?
It reminds me of a very funny online video spoof (it was “viral” before the term existed) from years back called something like "Ad Agency Action Figures", which had kids playing with the "Creative Director" and "Account Exec" figures while screaming "Your idea sucks" "No, YOUR idea sucks!".
And now the discourse has sunken to new depths (i.e., calling people “fat”). Way to go, kids!
JD, I couldn't agree more. As a relative newcomer to this industry, I've noticed that many of the people in advertising (that I've worked with) are quick to criticize, yet over sensitive when it comes to their own work. I think people just make fun and degrade others to cover up the fact that they don't have the balls/talent to do any better.
Having said that, the agency.com video, however clever, wasn't executed well, and some of the bashing is warranted. That's what you should expect when you do something different.
I wonder though, has any business actually come their way since the video was released? I wonder if some smaller companies were motivated to work with them now they have shown they are willing to put it on the line. And I wonder how many lists they were pulled from for the same reason.
"As a relative newcomer to this industry, I've noticed that many of the people in advertising (that I've worked with) are quick to criticize, yet over sensitive when it comes to their own work. I think people just make fun and degrade others to cover up the fact that they don't have the balls/talent to do any better."
Good point, Sean. I do commend people who take risks and every once in a while, we all need to kick ourselves in the ass and take one. However, you're also right, a lot of people will take risks but become very sensitive to criticism. I say, take risks, but also be prepared for the consequences of your risks, good or bad.
I agree that too many people have resorted to just calling them names and bashing them. My original post and the point I was trying to make is they should be honest about what they are doing. In the true spirit of transparency that so many of us in the industry admire, they should just say they dropped out of the pitch...
...because we only have so many resources to dedicate to pitching new biz and we believe we have a better chance to win the other client (not Subway).
Instead they've chosen again to try some cover up bs.