You Want Your Agency on What Floor?
Client Search News – September 15, 2003
This CLIENT SEARCH NEWS is for individuals registered @ agencyfinder.com. Forward to those in your company or others elsewhere involved in the advertising or public relations agency selection or review process.
CONTENTS:
1. You Want Your Agency on What Floor?
2. Great Agency Essays & Great Agency Data
3. Those Unethical Consultants
4. Special Executive Report
5. New Business Awards
6. RefNet Assignments
YOU WANT THE AGENCY ON WHAT FLOOR?
An association that deals in human resource issues chose agencyfinder.com for their agency review. They wanted the agencies “close” (many clients still find location an issue) and we always try to accommodate. Most invited agencies were within a radius of few miles; but one was in the same building, just two floors down! A pleasant surprise to client and agency. That happened to us once before on a search in New York City for Foot Locker.
GREAT AGENCY ESSAYS & GREAT AGENCY DATA
Your search for a new or replacement advertising or pr firm, even under the best of circumstances, should not be taken lightly. Regardless of your budget, this is a serious assignment with serious consequences. To make the best decision, you’re entitled to accurate information. For that reason, we designed our process to help you winnow your candidates down to a select few. You’re given a chance to read candid essays with content and “tone” that do just that.
By example, here are essays and report from a recent agency registration. These essays won’t appeal to everyone, but they do illustrate how the process works. The agency identity is cloaked only until we speak with you by telephone after you finish your on-line process. This example is long; you may want to skip past it now and come back after you’ve finished this newsletter.
ESSAY: Philosophy
“Image advertising” is dead. We will not add to this emetic clutter of tired sameness.
Instead, our firm exists to bring utterly new concepts to the world, create positive social movements and brand transformation. We came into existence to fight the empty excess, the insulting, the boring, the lying, the fear-mongering and ugliness of advertising itself.
Trying to change the world for the better is difficult, but nothing is more worth attempting.
Clearly, we are not for everyone.
ESSAY: Creative
We laugh at agencies who claim a branded, “proprietary” process. Agencies routinely treat clients and the human beings they wish to persuade like utter fools and idiots. Our “process” feels more like the best lovemaking.
We seek and demand:
trust,
intimacy,
friendship,
understanding,
passion
and long-term loyalty.
(And like much of the best lovemaking, it can happen in a heightened,somewhat intoxicated state where often we can’t remember who did what, but only that it was “amazing.”)
Our process is highly amorphous, messy and challenging–not for everyone.
Profile: Culture
No politics.
No fiefdoms.
No personal space for us.
Utter dedicated spaces for clients.
Think a university, not an elementary school
or cubical ranch.
Human potential is maximized.
Collaboration is higher than you may be
comfortable with.
Advertising itself is seen as a sore on
our lives that needs healing.
No lying.
No fake laughter.
Take your shoes off, flop onto a sofa.
Think, dream and fly with us.
ESSAY: Relations
Client/agency relationships here?
We want absolute lovemaking, based on trust, friendship, passion and commitment to one another. Where two blend into one- consumed in the singular fire of purpose and intent.
We complete a project and smile, knowing we’ve made the world a little brighter and happier–together.
ESSAY: Strengths
When it comes to coming up with rule-breaking, industry-changing, world-transforming ideas about nearly any brand or organization, just give us, say….. twenty minutes.
And our ideas will be bigger, more optimistic, more human than, um,.. hush, .. you know… “theirs.”
Why? “They” are motivated by money. We want to make the world a better place.
ESSAY: Media
Putting your logo or message somewhere people will see it isn’t the goal.
Often, it isn’t even a good idea for the human race. There are far too many messages and logos all over the world as it is.
Help us make this planet more beautiful, compassionate and serene, not uglier and junkie.
Help us by creating, approving and running better, more beautiful work and put an end to the ordinary.
Now, to answer your question: We do creative media planning in-house. Buying is through a partner firm.
But please, no more logos in our kids’ schools.
ESSAY: Last Word
Advertising as we know it
does nothing
to make human beings
more loving,
compassionate,
enlightened
or liberated.
Let’s change that together.
SAMPLE CERTIFIED AGENCY REPORT – This is what the agencyfinder.com system provides, and this information is vital to the selection of well “pre-qualified” candidates. You don’t want to spend your valuable time considering agencies that are probably very “nice” but not qualified.
Primary Office Locations:
St. Louis, MO, USA
Number of Employees (total sites): 12
Capitalized Billings (total sites): $2,125,000
Number of Office Sites (worldwide): 1
Year Founded: 2001
Ownership: Employee-owned/or ESOP
Services Offered:
Account management
Account planning
Annual reports
Association marketing
Beta Testing
Brand Positioning
Brand equity development
Broadcast production (TV)
Broadcast production (radio)
Business development training
Cause-related marketing
Collateral design & production
Corporate & Promotional Videos
Corporate identity
Creative services
Crisis management
Custom publishing
Customer satisfaction programs
Direct mail
Direct marketing
Direct response
e-Business Strategies
Employee relations
Employee training
Ethnic Marketing
Events & community marketing
Executive coaching
Focus groups, consumer testing
Graphic design
Guerilla Marketing
In-store advertising and sales promotion
Infomercials
Integrated marketing, communications
Interior design
Internal marketing, communication
Internet marketing
Labor Relations
Loyalty Marketing
Marketing plan development
Media planning
Media relations
Naming programs
New media (CD-ROM, diskette, kiosks, etc.)
New product development
Non-profit marketing
Package design
Political campaign management
Press Kits
Print production
Public affairs
Public relations
Publications, newsletters
Research
Sales Support Tools
Sales promotion
Signage, point-of-purchase
Speech Writing
Sports marketing
Strategic planning & development
TV program content & production
Technical advertising
Trade show production
Traffic
Video & film production
Viral Marketing
Web site design & development
Media Experience:
Aerial advertising
Audiocassettes
Business publications
Cable TV
CD-ROMs
Consumer publications
Direct mail
FSI (free standing inserts)
Infomercials
Internet
Network radio
Network TV
Newspaper
Outdoor
Spot radio
Spot TV
Sunday magazines
Trade journals
Videocassettes
Yellow pages
Fields Served (Market experience):
Architecture & Engineering
Associations, Institutions, Unions
Automobile maintenance & repair
Automobiles & light trucks
Banking
Beer, wine, liquors
Beverages (non-alcoholic)
Charities
Computer software
Computer systems & design
Construction & building – commercial
Construction & building – residential
Consultant
Department & discount stores
Dot.com (extension of brick & mortar)
Dot.com (primarily internet)
Dot.com (startup)
Education
Entertainment
Fashion – Men’s & boys
Fast food
Financial services
Floor coverings
Franchises
Fundraising
Golf Courses
Healthcare
Home furnishings
Hospitals & healthcare facilities
Media (radio & TV)
Motion pictures & theaters
Musical instruments & accessories
Non-profit
Package goods
Photography, cameras & films
Plumbing
Politics
Property management
Real Estate Developers
Real estate – commercial
Real estate – residential
Recreational & Cultural Entertainment
Recreational vehicles
Rental (vehicles)
Research Organizations
Resorts
Restaurants (full service)
Retail stores & chains
Retirement communities, assisted living
Schools, colleges & universities
Shipping
Shopping centers & malls
Snacks, deserts & confections
Sports Teams
Telecommunications & Data Communications
Telephone companies
Tourism
Transportation (other than airlines)
Market Specialization:
Affluent
African-American (US)
Business-to-business
Consumer – Male
Consumer – Female
Consumer – Mature
Consumer – Youth
Dealer/distributor organizations
Franchises
International – Europe
Religious
Urban
Primary Business:
Advertising Agency
Secondary Businesses:
Integrated Marketing Communications Firm
Agencyfinder – Sound like someone you’d like to work with? THOSE UNETHICAL CONSULTANTS
In AdAge’s Viewpoint, September 8th, O. Burtch Drake, President-CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies, wrote a solid piece entitled “Beware Numbers Game” with the subhead “Some consultants abuse compensation review process.”
Burtch reports that “over the past months, a growing number of 4A members have alerted 4A management to questionable and unethical tactics employed by a handful of compensation consultants.” He continued, “A few dishonorable consultants are exploiting these circumstances and promising advertisers huge savings on agency compensation agreements.”
Burtch continues with what reads to be some pretty serious allegations and abuse. But rather than blowing the whistle on the few (by naming names), he suggests that clients planning to hire a compensation consultant ask a series of qualifying questions, in an attempt to determine if the consultant is both qualified and legitimate.
If those agency reports and complaints are true, his evidence suggests clients aren’t able to discern the truth. So why not NAME NAMES? If agencies are reporting the truth, then those agencies and the clients they duped should be happy to serve witness.
There’s already enough rumbling and grumbling about “consultants”; let’s clear the decks!
SPECIAL EXECUTIVE REPORT
In case you missed it, we sponsored a provocative look at a hot topic, and entitled it ” Why Purchasing Stalks Marketing for Agency Control.” Whether your Purchasing (Procurement, Sourcing) department people have expressed interest yet or not, it’s required reading.
Click to access Special-Executive-Report.pdf
We hope this client and agency information has been helpful. If you need assistance or wish to discuss the steps for an agency review, feel free to call.
Sincerely,
Charles G. Meyst, Chairman/CEO
Business Partnering International, Ltd.
Vantage Place, 4327 Cox Road
Glen Allen, VA 23060 USA
804-346-1812
