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Casting for Big Ideas: A New Manifesto for Agency Managers

ISBN: 978-0-471-30954-3

June 2003

256 pages

Description

Managing an advertising agency in today’s environment is a challenge. Market saturation, the decreasing effectiveness of traditional advertising, an ever more skeptical consumer, and the introduction of new media outlets have all made connecting with customers more difficult than ever. It’s no wonder then that clients now demand more bang for their advertising buck.

For agency leaders, hooking new clients is like fly fishing: it takes patience, the right bait, and a deep understanding of your environment and your prey. With fewer fish to catch, the agencies that succeed in tough times will be those that lure their clients with the most effective bait. Casting for Big Ideas shows agency leaders how to transform their organization in order to foster the creative thinking that can reel in new accounts.

Andrew Jaffe, an advertising veteran and Executive Director of the Clio Awards, argues that the structure and business model of most agencies fail to meet the demands of the current environment. He says it’s time to rethink the central purpose of the ad agency, as concentrating solely on making ads will quickly make you obsolete. Casting for Big Ideas will show you how to restructure your agency for advertising’s new reality, breaking down organizational walls and refocusing on creative ideas that go far beyond traditional advertising.

Drawing on his years of personal experience working with the world’s most successful agencies and their leaders, Jaffe offers a practical plan for rebuilding your agency or for building a new agency from the ground up. You’ll learn how to balance creativity against financial viability, change your focus from traditional media planning to strategic “channel” planning, improve your account management, and make a more dynamic pitch to prospective clients. Packed with important lessons on agency management and growth, Casting for Big Ideas offers a blueprint for the agency of the twenty-first century.

To learn more, visit www.casting4bigideas.com

About the Author
ANDREW JAFFE is the Executive Director of the Clio Awards, which salutes the best efforts in advertising every year. He is also the President of Compass Consulting of Norwalk, Connecticut, a consulting group that advises advertising agencies on organizational and management issues and conducts agency searches for clients. He is a former editorial director and vice president at Adweek.
Features
  • Students will have access to interviews with leaders in the advertising industry. Because of Jaffe's range of experiences in the advertising world, he has a an impressive and extensive network which will inform students reading this book, including: Bob Schmetterer, CEO of Euro RSCG; Shelly Lazarus, chair of Ogilvy & Mather; Jean-Marie Dru, chairman and CEO of TBWA Worldwide; and Roy Spence, chairman and founder of GSDM.
  • There is virtually no competition on the topic of agency building and management, though there is a wide market for it. The topics covered throughout this book are perfert for an advertising course.