In advertising, we're all familiar with the agency pitch process whereby brands put out RFPs and agencies come knocking on the door with their best ideas. Well, one agency, Blue Collar Interactive, is flipping that process on its head with JumpStart, an effort which will offer $100,000 in agency services to the small business that demonstrates the greatest need for a marketing jump start.
That's right. $100,000 in agency services. Of the offering, Blue Coller Interactive Partner and Account Director Rob McCready said, "It has always been a goal for our agency to make connections with people who believe in hard work and have a clear vision and passion for their business. We realize that it hasn't been the easiest of economic times for business owners and entrepreneurs, so we want to help energize a passionate business that needs our help by offering $100,000 in agency services. We're looking for a unique and inspired business who offers a great product or service - a small dog with big fight."
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- Ryanair is up to its old games again tantalizing travelers and taunting the Advertising Standards Burea with its new 2013 Cabin Girls Calendar.
- Barbarian Group has launched a new campaign for Pepsi using productivity startup TaskRabbit to give its consumers an "extra hour" in their day.
- Several celebrities are none too pleased with Barney's for depicting a few Disney characters as super slim models for a window display.
- Everything is zombie-themed these days. Why not a CPR effort. And, surprisingly, it makes perfect sense.
- Yo Gabba Gabba begets The Goon Holler Guide Book.
Ah, yes. Content Marketing. The current panacea of every marketer's woes. Snarky as that may sound, content marketing does, indeed, play an increasingly important role in today's marketing mix. Dovetailing nicely with social media, it provides brands a marketing method that is much less in-your-face and far more informative than traditional advertising.
A new whitepaper, part of the Adrants whitepaper series, from communications firm Moveo posits five "laws" that can aid brands stepping foot into content marketing waters. The whitepaper explores: - The relationship between content consumption and perishability
- The mission-critical role of the content curator
- The impact of source reputation on perceived quality
- How agencies and brands can create compelling content
Download the whitepaper now to find how how your brand or agency can achieve the most from content marketing.
With (now denied) rumors having swirled about the advertising industry a while back that giant advertising holding company Publicis Groupe would swallow up Interpublic Group, the notion of agency consolidation has become almost comical. It wasn't so long ago that independent advertising agencies ruled the industry. Today behemoths like Publicis, MDC, Interpublic, Publicis WPP and Omnicom now control the lion's share of ad agencies.
This consolidation has wreaked havoc in many areas of agency operations - not the least of which are the numerous client conflicts that arise when one agency buys another and then the two realize they now handle competing brands, a no-no in the ad world.
But an area of concern that receives much less press and attention is agency operations - the plain, old, boring notion to how an agency gets work done. It's not sexy but, believe me, the fastest way to lose a client is complicated and confusing operational methodologies.
Read the rest on Central Desktop blog
Nothing loses an agency client faster than inefficient process and the frustration it causes. Not even Cannes-winning work can keep a client if the agency can't manage the relationship properly. Previously, I wrote about the impact of industry consolidation and how it has affected the ability of the acquired agency and its holding company siblings to work smoothly and efficiently.
This week I'm sharing seven tips you can put to use right now to ensure your agency is serving your clients swiftly, effectively and efficiently - like the proverbial well-oiled machine.
Read the rest of my article on the Central Desktop blog.
Said to be a fusion between Madmen and Instagram, Instacreagram (that's a stretch) is the work of two creative, Stephane and Alain Caviggia. The pair have created a fake iPhone app complete with download page. It's all to drum up some business for the pair which, together, have worked at agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis, Grey and Ogilvy. On the app download page, you can check out their work.
WalkAbout NYC, a first-of-its-kind event bringing together New York's independent ad agencies, will occur October 19 from 12PM to 6PM. Eighteen agencies will open their doors to the public for WalkaboutNYC 2012.
This event aims to offer an inside look at the designers, writers, and technologists currently shaping these new independent agencies. Although the four top creative agencies (Interpublic, Omnicom, Publicis, WPP) have in some cases cut staff sizes, independent agencies have been growing significantly. Just last year, WPP acquired independent digital agency AKQA in a deal valuing the company at $550 million.
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Over the years, the integration versus unbundling debate has raged on within the advertising industry. One side would argue it's best to have all necessary expertise under one roof. Others would argue it's best to create or partner with entities that offer specialized focus. The integration camp would claim their approach provides for better collaboration. The unbundling camp would argue their approach provides better expertise and greater efficiencies. They are both right. And they are both wrong.
Both specialization and integration have their benefits. But what's most important is working together in the best possible way to garner the best possible results for clients. If that's integration, great. If that's unbundling, great. We're not here to debate the finer points of either camp. We're here to offer up some real-world insight into how real-world agencies are tackling real-world problems.
Read the rest on the Central Desktop blog...
- Pretty girls (and guys) test new JWT Amsterdam website.
- Here's an interesting Sun-Maid spoof.
- Tribal DDB created a site for VW to which people can link their Facebook profile and end up with a customized, personalized story.
- Yet another commercial that portrays fathers as irresponsible blithering idiot.
- Not an ad but worth the 14 minutes you will need to watch this short called Plurality which deals with privacy, surveillance...and time travel.
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AMV BBDO has released a rather epic commercial for Guinness that features a rogue cloud that gains sentience and begins a journey from the sea to the city. On his travels, the cloud becomes witness to human life and, in the end, helps put out a fire with an on-command thunder shower.
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