Ad Agency

According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have settled their turf war and initiated an antitrust review into companies in e-commerce, online retail and search.  The purpose of the probe is to examine whether or not companies such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook or Google's parent, Alphabet, have unfairly stifled competition and innovation and, therefore, negatively impacted consumers.

Relationships with agency partners can be complex. Marketers are not just buying widgets — they have a unique and constantly evolving need to build brands and communicate messages to an intended target audience. Agency partners must be able to adapt to meet those shifting needs while delivering a constant level of quality and service.

The other day I spoke with an agency owner who told me that they aren’t “doing new business” right now because they had just closed a large account. Some readers will understand immediately why that thinking is detrimental to an agency’s fiscal health (and if not, I’ll explain it shortly). It’s a fast way to shut down a conversation with me, given my work as an agency new business consultant—and it’s certainly not the first time I’ve heard it.  by Mark Duval - The Duval Partnership

The ANA has teamed with the Boston Consulting Group and Reed Smith on an initiative to understand the top concerns in-house agencies have for both creative content development and legal issues. Importantly, our work also provides strategies to address those concerns.  By Bill Duggan

This week, I’ve rounded up six valuable tips on pitching from agency insiders. Some come from industry experts who have previously shared their expertise on The New Business Blog and some were sourced from other online sources. All of them will help you win your next pitch. As we approach the time of year when major decisions will be made for next year’s marketing budgets, take a look and think about opportunities to improve your “pitch game.”  by Mark Duval - The Duval Partnership

Agency senior executives are coming to terms with changes in client needs.  “More growth” rather than “more creativity” is what they are hearing.  The agency of the future is starting to sound more like a consulting firm with media and creative capabilities than a traditional service-oriented agency that wins awards.