Agency from Scratch is a call to action for traditional advertising agencies to re-visit their business model and their way of working to get in shape for today's demands on the creative industry. It is not a program about values and missions and other fluffy stuff that's nice to discuss. It is a program about habits, designed to change behaviour rather than just written commitments which are - in a fundamentally opportunistic service industry - rather irrelevant in praxis.

1. AGENCY
FROM
SCRATCH
Re-creating the
Creative Industry

2. INTRODUCTION: CONFESSION OF AN AD MAN
When it comes to shaping up for the future, companies - and
agencies - like to enroll in high-level value-setting and
mission-finding quests. But I don‘t believe that values and
missions have much power to change human habits.
I look at behaviors instead, asking: What do agencies have to
DO differently to Survive the Changes happening now and
those coming next? And not just survive, but thrive?
Most agencies are built towards a single purpose: deliver
superior creative. Business reality now demands them to be
project and logistics managers above all else - which they‘re
still terribly bad at. Not least because they keep denying it
for the time being.
This program is not about tearing the heart out of a business
that is powered by passion and turning it into another ISO
certified service industry. My purpose is the opposite: Show
ways how we bring our Passions to their most fruitful use in
today‘s business ecosystems.

3. „I STRONGLY BELIEVE IN THE
FUTURE OF THE
GENERALIST AGENCY.
BUT WE HAVE TO REMIND OURSELVES
THAT WE‘RE FAMILY DOCTORS,
NOT BRAIN SURGEONS.“
(PETER FIGGE, TRIBAL DDB)

4. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ADVERTISING?

5. YOU RUN A SUCCESSFUL AGENCY. WHICH MEANS
YOU KEEP ITS HEAD ABOVE THE WATERLINE.
NO LITTLE THING IN THESE TIMES. YOU WIN AND
LOOSE AND LOOSE AND LOOSE. AND LOOSE AND
LOOSE AND LOOSE AND WIN. THIS IS YOUR
BUSINESS. THE BUSINESS YOU
WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT
WHEN YOU STARTED.
FUNKY, GLAMO ROUS AND
NOTORIOUS, OOH LA-LA. AND THE
EXCITEMENT KEPT YOU RUNNING.
UNTIL LATELY. WHEN THAT TALENTED
YOUNG STUDENT SAID NO. WITH A PITIFUL
SMILE. AND LATER THAT DAY AT THE PARTY. THE
B L OND E JUST TURNED HER BACK WHEN YOU
SAID YOU‘RE IN ADVERTISING. YES THEY‘RE
RIGHT. THE AD BUSINESS ISN‘T WHAT IT USED
TO BE. S O M E T H I N G IMPORTANT IS MISSING.
THE FEELING. ANY HOPE WE CAN BRING IT BACK?

6. MONEY?
TIME? PRESSURE?
SUPPORT? COURAGE?
CREATIVE? RESPECT?
CLIENT AND AGENCY
SERVICE? TRUST?
(
(
STUCK IN A MISERY LOOP

7. THE INTERNET?
PROCUREMENT & CONTROLLING?
MEDIA FRAGMENTATION?
CHANGES TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ... ?
RESEARCH MANIA?
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR?
SHORT-TERM THINKING?

8. THE INTERNET!
PROCUREMENT & CONTROLLING!
MEDIA FRAGMENTATION!
... OR CHANGES TO BE INSPIRED BY?
RESEARCH MANIA!
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR!
SHORT-TERM THINKING!

9. IN AN INDUSTRY FUELED BY PASSION

10. IN AN INDUSTRY FUELED BY PASSION
WHERE HAS THE LOVE GONE?

11. IN AN INDUSTRY FUELED BY PASSION
WHERE HAS THE LOVE GONE?
AND HOW CAN WE FIND IT BACK?

12. 1. KILL THE RABBIT

13. Creative used to be a Performing Art. We presented
Ideas like the Magician pulls Rabbits from his Hat.
We were hiding our Work from the Client‘s Eye until
the Last Moment.
TA-TAA!
And Clients liked to be Surprised in those Days. Life
in Advertising had its own Unique Rhythm, paced by
the Wavelength between Presentations and by the
Amplitude of Applause.
But ...

14. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOUR PRESENTATION MADE A WAVE?

15. NOW, MAKE THE CLIENT PART OF THE PROCESS OR LOSE HIM

16. „MAKE CLIENTS AN INTEGRAL PART
OF EVERY PROJECT TEAM. ENGAGE CLIENTS
IN A VERY INTENSE / INTIMATE
PROBLEM-SOLVING RITUAL.“
(TOM PETERS)

17. NEW HABIT #1:
BUY A ROUND TABLE
Kill the Rabbit, Bury the Hat,
Burn the Magician‘s Handbook.
Learn to be an Integrator of Teams
across Companies, Disciplines, Cultures.
Listen, Listen, Listen before you Speak
and Learn to Sell by Buying.
Enjoy the Fact that Solution is
a Process not a Product.

18. !
2. BLOW THE BIG IDEA TO PIECES

19. !
In Advertising, we‘re Obsessed with the BIG IDEA
that just keeps going and going and going like a
Duracell Bunny. But the Big Idea is a Thing of the 3-
TV-Stations-and-2-Magazines-Are-Enough-To-
Make-Your-Brand-Famous Past. Times long gone.
These Days, Clients keep coming back for more and
more and more. In the Competition of the Umpteen
Hundred Daily Ad Messages, they‘re always short of
Ammo. It‘s not Quantity before Quality. It‘s just
Deliver - Deliver - Deliver.

20. !
H
A N D DO W N S
IDEA
TR U U PS
1
FOR A LOOOOOONG TIME
THE GOOD OLD PAST

21. REAL-TIME
R.A.C.I.‘S &
PERFORMANCE
STAKEHOLDERS
TRACKING
CLIENT
TIMING
CHANNELS & IDEAS
IDEAS
IDEAS
IDEAS
CONTEXTS SEGMENTS &
IDEAS
IDEAS
MEDIA NETWORKS
TARGET
SQUEEZE IT, BABY, SQUEEZE IT!
(DEMANDS OF THE PRESENT)

22. NEW HABIT #2:
24/7 FIREWORKS
Cut the Idea Generation Cycle from
Weeks to Days, then Hours.
Make EOB your Default Deadline.
Produce More, Win More, Earn More,
Sell Cheaper, and be Home Early.
Passion is a Monotask: Only One
Brief per Creative at a Time.
Forget 100%. Instead, Produce Your
Best 80% Ever. Every Time.
Don‘t let ,the Brand‘ be Your Lame
Excuse for Repeating Yourself.

23. 3. SHUT THE CREATIVE POLITBUREAU

24. Agencies are more than
centralized. Around the
Creative Director, Everybody else is just a Pale
Moon. His Word is Command, his Judgement a
Guillotine. After all, he is the Centerpiece of our
Business Model. The Agency‘s Reputation, Oppor-
tunities and Margins largely hinge on his Portfolio.
So why are his Moods so erratic, his Leadership
Skills so raw? Because Advertising is the only Sport
that pulls its Top Scorers from the Field and nails
them on the Bench to Coach the Team. Can there be
Happiness in Creative Gatekeeping?

25. GREAT GREAT
CREATIVES MANAGERS
MAKE MAKE
BAD BAD
MANAGERS CREATIVES
2 INCONVENIENT TRUTHS

26. Silver Lion 2003 M&M Pitch 2003 BT Campaign 2004 Effie Award 2004
BMW Pitch 2005 Sanyo Campaign 2006 NYF Shortlist 2006 Silver Lion 2003
AGENCIES MAIN PRODUCE IS WASTE
Images thanks to Franz Billmayer at http://www.bilderlernen.at/marginalia/piktos_abfall_070514.html

27. Fr u s t r a t i on:
HIGH
Efficiency:
LOW
CREATIVE DEPT WEATHER REPORT

28. NEW HABIT #3:
JUNIORS INTO THE FIRE
Put Young Creatives in Front of the Client.
Let Them Find Unfiltered Inspiration
in the Original Problem.
Allow Your Creative Director to be
a Creative Again.
Find a Big Mama to Manage the
Department, not a Hunter.
Leave the Creative Gatekeeping to
the Client. He Does it Anyway.

29. 4. LOVE THE PROJECT TREADMILL

30. Project is a Four-Letter Word. It means: Hand-to-
Mouth Action and Hand-to-Mouth Pay.
Agencies believe in Strategy and Partnership, based
on a perpetual Stream of Briefs and Money. But we
find ourselves alone in that Church lately.
If we‘re honest, our Business has always come in
the Shape of Projects. We call them Campaigns.
And We Like it that Way. Now is the Time to
Confess - and Enjoy it.

31. CHANG E
NGE
CHANGE!
CHA
?
ITY
IL
AB
ST
OUT: IN:
ACCOUNTS PROJECTS

32. Image: www.e-architect.co.uk
DON‘T THINK SMALL OF PROJECTS

33. ow
ll
Fo
s
ct
je
o
Pr
to
d
a
Le
s
ct
e
oj
r
P
r
ge
ig
Tr
ts
c
je
o
Pr
ed
re
B
s
ct
e
j
o
r

34. GET SOME SERIOUS PROJECT MANGEMENT SKILLS.
LACK OF MARKETING BACKGROUND NOT A DISADVANTAGE.
AND HATS OFF TO THE ANAL-RETENTIVE
MILESTONE FREAK.
(TOM PETERS)

35. NEW HABIT #4:
BE HAPPY HAMSTERS,
WHEEL ON!
Hire Project Management Pro‘s. Lack of
Marketing Experience not a Disadvantage.
Beware of Seeking Profitability ,in the Long Run‘.
No Problem is Ever Solved without
Uncovering a New One. In every Project
Find the Seed for its Follow-Up.

36. 5. DON‘T BE SO UNCOOL ABOUT THE MONEY

37. Agencies can either helplessly watch while Clients
explore the fathomless Squeezability of good old
wobbly Retainer Contracts. Or they can go ahead
and exploit the Financial Opportunities of Project
Work.
Most Agencies are terribly bad Negotiators because
they believe their Product is so hard to metre and
quantify. But if it can‘t be quantified, it‘s probably
not their actual Product in the first Place.
Filling the Gap with peripheral Revenue Streams is
only a Remedy from the Liquor Store.

38. !
STILL TRYING TO MEASURE THE VALUE OF IDEAS?

39. OR ARE YOU RUNNING A PRODUCTION FACTORY?

40. NEW HABIT #5:
TIME IS NOW THE MONEY
(GIVE THE IDEAS AWAY FOR FREE)
Erase the Word quot;Retainerquot; from Your Vocabulary.
Your Business is Selling Time. Time you
Spend on Passionately Solving the Client‘s Problem.
Charge Only What Can Be Counted.
Count Only What Can be Charged.
Hire Pro‘s to Negotiate With Pro‘s. Agency
Finance Guys Should Be Finance Guys First.
Stop Whitewashing Your Bottom Line With
Non-Core Revenues. Close the DTP Sweat-Shop.
Stop Double-Charging Your Clients: No Royalties.

41. 6. OH YES, AND THE BRAND

42. BRAND is the Holy Word of all
Advertisers. The Brand is immaterial, yet valuable
and powerful. It is supposed to be the Guiding
Principle of Multibillion Investment Decisions; yet
reading and handling it should be the privilege of a
few Initiated. It is a Killer Argument in Debates and
a Master Key in Budget Negotiations.
In Agencies, We Believe to be the High Priests of
the Cult: Brand Stuarts, Brand Guardians, Brand
Champions - Caretakers with a Driver‘s Licence. In
Reality, Brand Management is a Multi-Disciplinary
Effort with No-One Really in Charge any more.

43. THE CROWN OF BRAND CHAMPION
IS A FOOL‘S CAP

44. BRANDS ARE
SYSTEMS OF
But who‘s
in Charge
here?
DISTRIBUTED
RESPONSIBILITIES

45. BRANDS CAN‘T BE BUILT ...
(NOT EVEN MANAGED)
I make I use
it™ it™
and I love it and I love it
... THEY GROW
(YOU FERTILIZE)

46. when building brick
most innovative
BBQ you know to
system I’ve seen
overlap the blocks to
Buck, USA the player's ideas
create strength in the are restricted
structure due to the
Sara h, New Zealand brick's design -
but in a good
way
Tanja, Swit zerland
LOVEMARKS,
IF BRANDS ARE *
ALL LOVERS ARE RIGHT
puts parents and
Legos make a
kids w here they
a lot of funny
certain sound as
belong. On the
they are raked hours
floor. Together
back and forth Vivatrinacria, Italy
Anne, NZ
across the floor
Nothing gives
Anne, USA
I still secretly
you the same
play Lego
freedom
at thirty five
Alan, Brazil
Zeynep, Turkey
* like LEGO

47. NEW HABIT #6:
DO THE LABOUR OF LOVE
Avoid Brand Discussions. (Futile and Dangerous)
Don‘t Try to Find the Brand Truth. (There are Too Many)
Better Draw the quot;Customerquot; Argument. (See 1 and 2)
Abuse the Brand, Tease her, Squeeze her. (Labour of Love)
Spare Her the Slow Death of quot;Consistencyquot;. (Kills Passion)
Found a Brand Lovers Club and Host it.
(Web 2.0 Beats Focus Groups)

48. NOW WHAT ?!

49. presentation magic client collaboration
b-i-g idea ideas ideas ideas
c.reative d.irection empowered frontline
account management project management
steady income power-selling every hour
brand champion (to be) brand worker (like all)
1. CHECK YOUR HABITS (BE HONEST)

50. IDEA GENERATION
BRIEFING = STICKER NOTE
DELIVERED BY CLIENT
FACE2F WITH CREATIVE TEAM
IDEAS BY SUNDOWN (AS MANY AS P)
IDEA SELECTION & REFINEMNT
AGENCY/CLIENT JURY
SECOND CREATIVE TEAM TO REWORK
BACK TO FIRST TEAM TO FINALIZE
2. THEN RE-DESIGN YOUR HABITS (BE CONCRETE)

51. We‘re the fastest guns for hire
We‘re cheaper AND faster
We‘re faster AND cheaper
------------------------
Simply ...
but
Nothing more than advertising
Advertising, more than ever
why is this so f___ing hard?
3. REFRAIN FROM SLOGANEERING

52. 4. DON‘T TRY TO CHANGE THE WORLD IN A DAY

53. 5.-99. GO OUT AND EXERCISE

54. THANK YOU FOR READING.
THANK YOU EVEN MORE FOR FEEDBACK TO:
MAIL@LOKOMOTIVE.NET