If the traditional ad agency is dead, what will take its place?

It was 17 years ago this month that McKinsey & Company published a strategy paper called “A revolution in interaction”. It was a look forward at the likely economic impact of the internet and the mechanisms that would drive it. In 1997 few of us had any idea about the changes that were about to transform marketing or how quickly the business models that defined our industry would become obsolete.

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The McElroy "Brand Man" Memo turns 80

Next time you dash off a memo or post, consider young Neil McElroy sitting behind his Royal Typewriter on May 13, 1931 drafting the 800-word memo below.

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Don't tell my folks I work in advertising, they think I'm a piano player in a whorehouse

My friend Cedrik tells me the headline was coined by Jacques Séguéla, President of RSCG before I started in advertising. I heard it from my first creative director at BBDO and have had it repeated to me by practically everyone I've know in advertising ever since.

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Why great sales people don’t always make great marketers

In many BtoB companies the career path to the Marketing Departmment  seems to invariable miander through Sales. Over the years I’ve worked with many salespeople-cum-marketing-managers.

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The meaning of love (for marketers).

Happy Valentine's Day! All of us at The Duffy Agency created this Video Valentine for you to ponder the power of love as a brand. If you like it, spread the love with your favorite marketer this Valentine's Day. 

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The latest International Duffy Tribune

The latest issue of The International Duffy Tribune is now available for download. If you are marketing in the US, you'll want to read about the expansion of our Boston Office with the arrival of our new Managing Partner in the US, Rich Wahl. 

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How to turn your marketing up to ’11

In my latest post for TalentZoo.com, How to turn your marketing up to ’11 (and good news for the rest of us), I put together a list of trends that I wish all marketers would adopt in 2011—but know they won’t.

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Study reveals social media's potential for misuse

Google alerts sent me a link today dated December 8, 2010 whose headline read "Study reveals social media brand marketing potential". I clicked through to find an article talking about the power of social media as a traditional advertising media.

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Stop Listening to the Social Media Experts and Start Watching Andy Griffith

What small towns can teach us about the "new" rules of marketing

 In the 1950s, Madison Avenue decided to reinvent the marketing process.

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Marketing and branding in China

The common perception of China is that it’s a waking giant that is still struggling to rise. The reality is something different. As China expands and stretches its massive arms, expect the Communist powerhouse to take the world by storm in the next decade. 

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Social media and the 10% solution.

I'm often asked if brands should use traditional or social media. The question is often phrased as if the two are mutually exclusive and you need to be on one camp or the other.

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The Absolute Best Way to Get More Value from Your Ad Agency

There is an easy way to get more from your advertising agency. And it's not keeping them on a shorter leash, squeezing timelines and margins even further, or micromanaging their every decision. It's much simpler and less involved.

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Sorry, You Are Not a Marketing Professional (and Neither Am I)

Do you call yourself a marketing professional? What does that mean, really? Call someone a doctor or a lawyer and you get a clear picture of what they do and what skills they have.  In fact, you have to go to school and need to be accredited and certified to be called a doctor or lawyer or even a teacher.The same can't be said for marketing professionals.

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With So Many Specialized Agencies, Who Should Get Your Marketing Dollars?

Today, the various services that make up a marketing campaign are siloed among so many specialized players, from Web developers to PR firms to social media agencies, that one must ask, ‘Who manages the big picture?’

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Embrace Life: the marketing power of positive

Negative can be funny. Negative can be edgy. But if you really want to build brand equity with your marketing communication — embrace the positive.

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The Superbowl’s biggest winners were also its biggest losers

The winner of the populist vote in this year’s Super Bowl ad war is the Betty White Snickers commercial. According to the 2010 USA Today Ad Meter, the commercial received an 8.68/10 score.

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Does the "Starring You" viral video technique still work?

Can your brand benefit from the wildly viral "Staring You Media"?I am not a fan of Sweden's "voluntary" TV-tax. However, I am a big fan of the campaign they have launched to induce me to pay it. Why? Well, it stars moi

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Twitter Lists Triad Part 2: Four types of Twitter Lists and how to use them

This post attempts to provide a way to approach and organize Twitter Lists. It won't cover step-by-step instructions for creating lists. If that's what you are looking for, please check out this excellent post by Mashable. And then come right back!

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All advertising is now direct response

IF YOU WORK IN ADVERTISING — CONGRATULATIONS — YOU'RE NOW A DIRECT RESPONSE SPECIALIST

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