Stress Free

Coast Capital Savings new No Fees approach



Title: No fees
Agency: Rethink

Snuggie

A great ad from Subaru



Title: Crowbar
Agency: DDB Canada

Retaining Youth Interest: Defying Marketing Status Quo to Reach Gen Y & Gen Z

Lindy Norris, Youth Market Manager at MTS will discuss current youth trends, benchmarking leading youth brands, the challenge of authentic communication, and effectively using social media to reach youth.

November 19, 2009
The Fort Garry Hotel
$35 for Members, $65 for Non-Members (CMA)

Above and Beyond for Clients

What does it mean to be absolutely committed to a client? After 20 years in sales and marketing, it has become clear to me that we need to move beyond long hours and exceptional copy and design. True commitment can only be shown by taking a client’s business and treating it like it is our own.

Over time it can be easy to take a client for granted. Our focus can shift from building an exceptional brand to building our own portfolios, bringing in revenue and winning top awards. This mindset is counterintuitive to what our industry really needs to be about.

Selling relationships rather than products
We are in the business of building brands and relationships. When I launched Precision Marketing and Communications in 1997, I started in the basement of a bungalow. Certainly hard work and creative talent brought the firm to where it is today, but the crux of what led to its success was the ability to build relationships by putting ourselves in our client’s shoes.

One relationship building strategy has been to travel with clients. For us, this means traveling to over 25 industry trade shows in five different countries each year along side our clients. This allows us to market their brand directly beside them. It also moves the relationship beyond a simple client-agency agreement and into a strategic partnership.

The strength of a relationship is what will make a client stay with you during tough economic times. It is the basis for an inherent trust that we must protect and value above all else. A trusted advisor takes calls after hours and on the weekend. They are a part of family celebrations and there in times of personal tribulation. Becoming part of an inner circle is what it’s about and what needs to be the goal of every client commitment.

Providing support not just collateral
Marketing firms that invest well beyond the creative and become part the inner workings or an organization are far more valuable. Bring an agency to sales meetings. Or, help present marketing strategies to a client’s stakeholders during major presentations. This shows the ability to go the extra mile and connect with clients on a level beyond the delivery of basic service. It also proves that you see the bigger picture of their business goals and objectives.

Showing an understanding of time management and timing
No matter how far a campaign is planned in advance, time will be the biggest enemy – there will never be enough of it. Establish a critical path that hits the client’s objective, shows time sensitivity and an understanding of industry seasonality issues. Be honest about achievable goals. This level of transparency can not only be appreciated, it can be rewarded with longevity.
A well timed and disciplined approach is often the most difficult thing to get clients to buy into, but arguably the most valuable. What is really going above and beyond? Taking a risk that your client is going to stick with you for the long term and, when necessary, telling them to hold on spending now and save the budget for later in the campaign. If it’s in the client’s best interest, then it is yours as well.

From CMA blog

Advertising An Agency

Advertising is a funny business. Agencies tell companies how to go about advertising themselves, but its almost impossible for them to practice what they preach. I guess that's why Ogilvy or whoever it was always said "it's about the work".

If you were looking for Toronto Advertising or Winnipeg Advertising Agencies, where might you look? The yellow pages? Google? If you don't have anyone to speak to for referrals, searching for someone to work with can be challenging.

I suppose researching the web is the most likely choice, but there are often times when the best choice doesn't show up in the top 10 too. Now that I think about it more, its a good reason to look at who is winning (or a finalist) for advertising awards. Glad I work at an ad agency and have to find the right one to partner with. It could take me forever to find one!

AAW Seminar - Creative Power Tools

Learn the 17 root appeals you need to incorporate into ad copy to make consumers buy.
Explore how each of these appeals can make your commercials score above average with consumers, and make the cash register ring with your advertisers.

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Canad Inns Polo Park - Ambassador 1
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Locals Know

A few ads from the Locals Know campaign.

Something about the simplicity...



Agency: DDB Vancouver
More at localsknow.ca