Brands’ needs for “cheaper services” raise ethical questions around the ad industry But, in digital advertising, efficient may be more valuable than cheap The Digiday piece above, breaking down the increasingly “transactional” nature of agency-client relationships, emerged last week alongside side this AdAge piece arguing for ethical media buying, which asked “What would an ethical…
4. Sales
While onboarding a new client (a studio at the very top of their niche in the world), my spidey senses were telling me something. What came to mind was classic bit of RevThinking which I shared with them. It goes like this: The best firms charge the highest prices. Right. But why? Because they produce the best…
"The question is, 'Should I even charge by the hour?' To me it's a collective hallucination that this is the way professional services are bought and sold." – Jonathan Stark In this episode of the RevThinking podcast, Joel Pilger speaks with Jonathan Stark at Ditching Hourly as they join forces to eradicate the practice of...
“The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an intellectual vice.” — Bertrand Russell Two weeks ago one of my clients (a motion design agency owner) was sharing her top goals with me and she let slip this zinger: “Oh, and I want us to generate more consistent revenue……
Earthquakes: Accenture Interactive and S4 Capital models point the way to next gen customer needs As CMO needs evolve to become increasingly digital, two new market entrants find wins I think this interview above should be read side-by-side with this Digiday interview with S4 Capital and former WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell. Accenture Interactive had…
The Video of the Week Nordstrom makes some fascinating creative decisions for a “top-of-the-funnel campaign” This two minute ad, “An Open Mind is the Best Look”, stars part-time actors and non-professionals and is built around ad-libbed dialogue from Carol Hickey, an acting coach. Nordstrom asks viewers to “Be receptive, be flexible, be present”, and wants…
"I've just given up on caring about looking stupid and/or failing... I have no qualms trying, and then adjusting." – PJ Richardson at Laundry In this episode in our Profile of the Creative Entrepreneur series, Joel Pilger speaks with PJ Richardson, ECD and co-owner at Los Angeles-based creative studio Laundry. In our ongoing Profile of the Creative...
We’ve all said it: “We need a rep!” But a sales rep is rarely the solution to your real need. Why? As a studio / prodco / agency principal, your real need is this: to learn how to position your creative firm, perform powerful (and authentic) outreach at scale, built trust, and share your killer expertise. Once…
Studio and production company owners keep asking me how to deal with client underlings and their shrinking budgets. My short answer is: The antidote to a poor client is a better one. I shared this in my private Confab group last week and – as you might have guessed – they weren’t impressed. “Thanks, Joel. But how?” Then…
