The Advertising Agency Business

In 1995, a small band of highly creative people who loved the work but hated the workplace established a company designed not only to get the most out of them, but to give the most back - a company in which creativity, curiosity, versatility, and a sense of fun are assets to be celebrated, not encumbrances to be left outside the door. Law recounts how many St. Luke's employee/owners discovered new sources of satisfaction, hidden talents, and even entirely new careers as they encouraged each other to experiment, learn, and grow. Meanwhile, the agency's annual billings soared to more than $90 million in three memorable years. Complete with revealing tales of advertising legends such as Jay Chiat, Bill Tragos, Frank Lowe, and the Omnicom chieftains, Creative Company offers a fascinating, warts-and-all tour of the advertising industry.

When the first edition of Herbert Gardner's The Advertising Agency Business was published, it was heralded as the most comprehensive management guide to this dynamic, fast-changing business. The second edition established the book as the standard work on the subject. This newly revised edition by Eugene Hameroff continues that tradition. In twenty-eight short, easy-to-read chapters, you will find out how to: Start an agency Manage your agency profitably with key financial insights, including expert guidance on determining income and profit; allocating gross income, developing solid billing procedures; identifying key operating figures; developing timely, reliable financial reports for your agency and for your clients Evaluate an agency Structure ownership Manage, develop, and evaluate personnel Develop mutually beneficial relationships with clients and suppliers Generate new business through aggressive lead generation knowledgeable assessment of client personnel blockbuster presentations Drawing on more than a half century of experience in agency administration, finance, and general management, this all-new edition is the indispensable guide for every advertising professional and for anyone who wants to know more about successful advertising business practice.

Ernie Baker elaborates on his lifelong career in the world of advertising, and provides an insiders perspective on the business. His experiences range from very small local firms to some of the world's largest advertising agencies, where he worked for a multitude of clients.

The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches. is the definitive how-to guide for every advertising, design, digital and PR agency that wants to increase its odds of winning new accounts. Based on 30 years of pitching for new accounts, I know that there is no such thing as a standard marketing services pitch scenario. Every client category, assignment, timetable, budget, search consultant, procurement system, and client personality is unique. However... While there is no standard pitch or agency, I know from experience that there are universal pitch criteria that can be identified and addressed regardless of the type or size of client, specific marketing objectives, or agency. To that extent, The Levitan Pitch is designed to deliver one master benefit: You will win more new clients. In Chapter One of this book, I discuss the very high cost of failing to run well-crafted, efficient pitches. The costs of failure include poor agency staff morale, individual employee burnout, and the financial cost to an agency's bottom-line that comes from the cost of participating in four-month agency searches and funding an agency's annual business development plan. This chapter tells the story of Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising's "The Worst Advertising Pitch Ever." Chapter Two offers an escape hatch. You should not pitch every account that comes knocking. I give you a handy tool to gauge both the value of the prospective client and your agency's chances of winning. Chapter Three begins to help you position the pitch for success. We look at the essential facts of the pitch and dig into understanding the client's mindset by understanding the type of assignment, type of relationship they are looking for, and what type of agency will fulfill their needs. Chapter Four delivers the list of "The 12 Deadliest Presentation Mistakes." These are identified pitch killers that come from my personal experience and the experiences of agency CEO's, clients, and search consultants. The accompanying cartoons wouldn't be as funny if these mistakes were not being made over and over, even by the most sophisticated agencies. In Chapter Five I lay out thirty short but very sweet suggestions for how to build a brilliant presentation that I know will greatly increase your odds of winning. These ideas cover three core elements of a successful pitch: process management, content development, and how to deliver a standout presentation. Each rule is supported by a tip or insight that offers a fast way to achieve your objectives. Chapter Six is all about don't take my word for it. This chapter brings in valuable learning via fourteen interviews with a range of communications industry experts. It is informative and often mind-blowing to hear the pitch related experiences and advice of agency search consultants, compensation experts, an ex P&G procurement executive, a negotiation trainer, the 4A's, the Association of National Advertisers, a silicon valley presentation guru, a leading agency strategist, an ex-Nike and W+K executive on building chemistry, an IP lawyer on who actually owns your pitch ideas, the CEO of a London advertising agency, and the CEO of an independent agency network who has been on both sides of the table. Finally, I've included insights about all too common agency pitch mistakes from 16 of the world's leading search consultants. I hope that you will find the book informative, insightful, occasionally humorous, and most importantly, a good read that ultimately results in more wins for your company.

Build a disruptive marketing agency for the modern age The marketing services industry is on the cusp of a truly transformational period. The old guard, rooted in tradition and resistant to change, will fall and new leaders will emerge. Hybrid marketing agencies that are more nimble, tech savvy, and collaborative will redefine the industry. Digital services will be engrained into the DNA and blended with traditional methods for integrated campaigns. The depth, versatility, and drive of their talent will be the cornerstones of organizations that pursue a higher purpose. The Marketing Agency Blueprint is a practical and candid guide that presents ten rules for building such a hybrid agency. The new marketing agency model will create and nurture diverse recurring revenue streams through a mix of services, consulting, training, education, publishing, and software sales. It will use efficiency and productivity, not billable hours, as the essential drivers of profitability. Its value and success will be measured by outcomes, not outputs. Its strength and stability will depend on a willingness to be in a perpetual state of change, and an ability to execute and adapt faster than competitors. The Marketing Agency Blueprint demonstrates how to: Generate more qualified leads, win clients with set pricing and service packages, and secure more long-term retainers Develop highly efficient management systems and more effective account teams Deliver greater results and value to clients This is the future of the marketing services industry. A future defined and led by underdogs and innovators. You have the opportunity to be at the forefront of the transformation.

This study provides an examination of the marketing technique of brand building. It covers aspects of brand management, brand equity, new and mature brands and extends the concept to new areas such as political marketing, green marketing and the arts.

The Seven Figure Agency Roadmap is the must-have resource for digital marketing agency owners. Increase your income, work when and how you want, get your clients get incredible results...... and live your desired lifestyle. The Seven Figure Agency is designed to solve these issues you may be experiencing such as: * Too many agencies hit an income ceiling, and never make the kind of money (or the kind of impact) that they are capable of. They get stuck at one of the 3 plateaus: Startup, Struggle or even Success * Most agencies blame themselves, and try to work on their MINDSET -- But nothing changes because it's not your mindset that's the problem. It's the MODEL that needs to change. * The model that you bought into when you started your agency business is completely unscalable (Manual prospecting to get a few leads, chasing prospects down rather than getting them to come to you... and living off of project revenue so there's never consistent income or time for you). * For the last 5 years, the author has been working with a select group of agencies, taking them from Struggle to Success, Scale and Significance. Josh Nelson has a very new approach and he shares the very best of what is working in his business & for the agencies he works with to build million dollar agencies. This book is essential reading for agencies of all types and experience-levels and is of particular value for anyone looking to start a digital marketing agency to short cut growing pains and accelerate their growth to Seven Figures & Beyond.Forget the old concept of a general, digital marketing agency that takes years to establish - there's no need to wait when you have The Seven Figure Agency Roadmap. Whether your dream is to control your schedule or earn six figures in a month, The Seven Figure Agency Roadmap is your manual.This set of turn-by-turn directions to building a digital agency teaches: * How Josh went from virtually bankrupt to running a hypergrowth agency that made the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the Untied States 4 years in a row * How to build the team that will manage the day-to-day operations * How top agency owners grow to seven figures within a year * How to add $5,000 in monthly recurring revenue to your agency every single month * How to rapidly establish authority in any niche, so clients ask to work with you When you purchase the book you get access to a workbook that help you put the ideas into action: * Multiple case studies & long form interviews with members of Seven Figure Agency Coaching who have grown their revenue to seven figures, hired teams to replace themselves, or sold their agencies for a nice profit * Josh's templates you can copy for setting goals, designing your marketing, and tracking performance * How the Seven Figure Agency principles create a life shaped to your goals