Picking a new agency is like playing three-card monte – choosing the right one can be iffy.
If you’re looking for an agency that can increase awareness and revenue, here’s a formula based on proven results:
Compile a list of qualified candidates.
Send out RFPs.
Request speculative creative, also known as spec creative.
Review proposals.
Create a shortlist.
Schedule presentations.
During presentations, be sure to ask each finalist about their spec creative:
Is the customer promise crystal clear?
Is the customer promise meaningful to our customers?
Is the customer promise presented in a memorable manner?
Chances are all will answer yes, yes, and yes.
At this point just smile and nod. Because there’s one more question you should ask:
Do your departments SHARE IDEAS?
Working together – not in silos – is the hallmark of a good agency.
Undoubtedly all will say “YES WE DO!”
How will you know they’re telling the truth?
You won’t.
That’s precisely the reason why every client searching for a new agency should insist on spec creative.
It’s really the only way to make an informed decision.
ANDvertisinginc (FKA “& Wojdyla, the first ad agency to put clients first”) is an A.I., Digital, & Traditional Marketing Communications Agency with a proven track record of results. It was co-founded by Dave Wojdyla, luckiest man in adland.
Show of hands – how many times have you watched ‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed?
It’s one of my all-time favorite holiday movies.
And it was the inspiration for a video tribute to Wieden+Kennedy co-founder, David Kennedy. To celebrate his induction into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Advertising Hall of Fame.
Please click here to view the video on AAF’s Vimeo channel. Because it contains an important lesson for all of us:
Our lives touch the lives ofso many others.
Yet if you’re like most people, you have no idea how many lives YOUR LIFE has truly touched.
Suggestion: At the next party or get-together you attend, try this conversation starter…
Tell someone SOMETHING THAT WOULD NOT EXIST if they’d never been born.
I bet both of you will enjoy the conversation.
People ask Dave Wojdyla why he considers himself the luckiest man in advertising. “Because I’ve had the good fortune to work for, and with, the industry’s best minds,” he says.
Recently on ABC’s Good Morning America, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse said the #1 problem for cooks at Thanksgiving time is “not enough oven space.”
Not at our house.
For three decades, we’ve been making our turkey on a Weber® gas grill.
It’s a lot easier than you think. And it comes out juicier than any turkey made indoors. SERIOUSLY.
Turkey comes out juicier when made in an “outdoor oven”
According to Weber grills – our first client – the reason why is simple. Unlike our indoor ovens (which simply recirculate dry air), when your turkey is in an outdoor oven (any top-quality grill) it’s surrounded by a fresh stream of moist outdoor air.
Now you may be thinking “hey Dave, that’s all well and good but I’m afraid to try something new because I might screw it up.”
Try what I tried the first time.
Grill your first turkey after Thanksgiving, when stores slash the price of their remaining birds.
If you screw things up, you’re only out a few bucks. But don’t worry. It’s A LOT easier than you think. And comes out juicier than any turkey made indoors.
In fact, I’d venture to guess you’ll become a grilled turkey convert like me, too.
Dave Wojdyla and PETA first locked horns in 1988. (I was born in 1999.)
This new brochure is flying off the shelf. And not just because it’s free.
Read it now on Flipsnack. Order ink on paper from FBR.
#animalresearch #savespets
53 reactions & 13 comments. (Not a single negative one in the bunch.)
ANDvertisinginc (FKA “& Wojdyla, the first ad agency to put clients first”) is an A.I., Digital, & Traditional Marketing Communications Agency with a proven track record of results. It was co-founded by Dave Wojdyla, luckiest man in advertising.
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The Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR) is the nation’s most experienced and largest organization dedicated to improving human and veterinary health by increasing public understanding and support for responsible, humane research with animals. This is one of the many educational resources created by ANDvertisinginc.
To rebrand “Christmas in April” as “Rebuilding Together,” the ANDvertising team used clips from the pilot episode of the supreme television classic, The Beverly Hillbillies
HGTV’s series Home Town Takeover spotlights renovations by HGTV superstars Ben and Erin Napier in a small town in Alabama. Their goal is to make an impact that’ll ripple through the community for generations to come.
Just one ad man’s opinion but it sounds a lot like an idea pioneered by a nonprofit that’s been doing exactly that for more than half a century.
In 1973, a small group of volunteers began fixing the run-down homes of people who couldn’t do it themselves. They called their selfless initiative “Christmas in April” to symbolize the unexpected joy their repair work brought to those who needed it most.
As the need for their services grew, so did the need for donations.
Unfortunately, the nonprofit’s cute name was a stumbling block. Some potential donors believed they only worked one month a year.
So C.I.A. changed their name to Rebuilding Together – to more clearly communicate their year-round commitment to repair homes, rebuild lives, and revitalize communities.
Almost immediately a new problem surfaced. Many people thought they were a Habitat for Humanity wannabe.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
You see, Habitat BUILDS BRAND NEW HOMES for low income families. Rebuilding Together FIXES OLD HOMES for low income families.
Think NEW is better than OLD? Not always. A lot of people don’t like change. Especially seniors.
PRODUCTION NOTE: REBUILDING TOGETHER’S LITTLE AD AGENCY (ANDVERTISINGINC) CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO USE GRANNY, UNCLE JED, ELLIE MAY AND JETHRO. RT’S BIG PR AGENCY (PEPPERCOMM) HAD THE RESOURCES TO GET THE O.K. TO USE THEM.
Perhaps the best example of owned media is a website.
In the age of Mobilegeddon, how does your website perform?
To find out, take Google’s mobile-friendly test.)
Meme inspired by 1958 McGraw-Hill ad by Fuller & Smith & Ross, Inc.
As far as I know, only a couple dozen copies of this book exist. Pity. For two reasons.
First, the war time letters in it were written by brothers who loved each other very much. So I think anyone who likes a good love story will enjoy this bromance.
Second, more than any Hollywood film or TV show I’ve ever seen about WW II, Letters Lost Then Found provides the most realistic picture of what life was like back then and gives new meaning to the phrase, “supporting our troops.”
I first became aware of the book while helping judge the West Michigan ADDY Awards earlier this year. We gave it “Student Best of Show.” Yep. This was put together by a student.
To read the surprising backstory of how this book came to be, visit http://bit.ly/1mQMGa0
Amy L. Johnson used her considerable graphic design talent to bring this trove of heartfelt letters written and sent more than half a century ago back to life. Then printed a small run for family and friends.
Got fingers crossed Ms. Johnson will one day connect with a forward-thinking book executive who’ll publish it and make it available to everyone.
HOTT (Helping Others Through Theatre) PRODUCTIONS was founded almost two decades ago by Schaumburg residents Christine Seminaro and Donica Seminaro Luzwick, her sister. The non-profit’s dual mission is ambitious: (1) Provide quality musical theater experiences and (2) donate all proceeds to charity. By virtually any measure it’s been a smashing success and the founders show no sign of slowing down.
With the help of Donica’s husband, David Luzwick (who joined in 1998), and hundreds of others, HOTT Productions has entertained musical theatregoers of all ages with more than 30 classics—everything from “Grease” and “Guys and Dolls” to “Hair” and “Hello Dolly.” Its current production is “Oklahoma!” by Rodgers & Hammerstein.
All proceeds raised by this all-volunteer group have been donated to worthy causes. Recipients include local families in need plus organizations dedicated to autism programming, helping those with multiple sclerosis, cancer prevention and children’s literacy. Tally of their donations so far? In a word, “BOFFO.” Nearly $125,000!
Tickets for tonight’s closing performance are still available. (I went last night and left the Prairie Center for the Arts humming and smiling all the way home.) Show starts at 8 PM. To make a reservation, call 847.895-2828.
Editor’s note: If you believe in what Christine, Donica and David are doing, perhaps you’ll consider donating your time and talents to help with their next production, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” If your calendar’s already full, please consider becoming an Angel to the Arts with a financial donation of $25 or more. You can reach HOTT Productions at 847.650.4688.
When it comes to pitching new business, our agency has a pretty good track record. Reason why? Probably because I’ve had the good fortune to be hired and mentored by some of the best Creative, Account, Research, Media and PR people in the world, including these two Advertising Hall of Famers: Chuck Peebler, (Chairman-CEO of BJKE) and David Bell, (Bozell Worldwide Chairman-CEO). This decades-old video is part of their response to an RFP from agency search consultants Leslie Winthrop and Lisa Colantuono.
BTW, last Sunday was the 78th anniversary of Chuck’s birth. To learn more about his contributions to the world, click here.
In 1961, a Joint Resolution of Congress set aside May 1 as a special day for all Americans to celebrate our liberties and to reaffirm our loyalty to the USA.
It’s a day for us to consider our duties and responsibilities such as (1) keep informed about government and community affairs, (2) vote in elections, (3) respect others’ rights, (4) obey and respect the law and (5) serve on juries and as court witnesses if called.
David Wojdyla shares last-minute advice with street marketing team helping build awareness of andvertisinginc’s client, Illinois State Bar Association.
Chicago Tribune | Business | Section 2 | Friday, March 28, 2014
The 2014 ADDYs Show is about two months away. Which means the 2015 ADDYs is about 14 months away. Yet I’m going to stick my neck out and predict this bus shelter (which I walk past twice a day) will win an ADDY, or as the AAF renamed it, an “American Advertising Award.”
In today’s paper, Trib reporter Jessica Wohl writes: “The bus shelter is part of a campaign focused on family time… (it) was chosen for its high-traffic location, not its proximity to the rival chain, said Brian Shembeda, a SVP at Leo Burnett.”
Not sure I believe Mr. Shembeda. (Especially since this bus shelter is spitting distance from his office.) But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.
The supersized Happy Meal box is a simple idea executed flawlessly. Bravo!
FOOTNOTE: I don’t have a list of creatives who did this out-of-home (OOH) execution. But I know one name that won’t be on the list but should be: JACK GOLDENBERG. Long before YouTube popularized viral marketing, he launched the Happy Meal with word-of-mouth communication (WOM).
I’ve lost count of the number of TV commercials I’ve done when I told the agency producer – after a long day of shooting – “I don’t care how long they’ve been working. I WANT TO KEEP SHOOTING!”
Then I watched this documentary written and directed by Haskell Wexler.
To all the film & production people I’ve abused over the years, please accept my sincere apology for being a dick.
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Like you’ve never heard or seen it before. (Just click here.)
Creative Credits:
Design & Animation: Adam GAULT and Stefanie AUGUSTINE
Voiceover: Mitch RAPOPORT
Sound design: Chris VILLEPIGUE
Additional animation: Carlo VEGA
Leo Burnett (age 26) and Theodore F. MacManus (age 45)
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of Leo Burnett. And although I never met him, he’s been a mentor to me. I’m serious. (Read Leo Burnett, Star Reacher by Joan Kufrin and you’ll be inspired, too.)
Last week I bought a book written by the ad guy who turned Burnett on to advertising:
Theodore F. MacManus.
In 1915, Burnett quit his job as a columnist for the Peoria Journal and moved to Detroit to work in corporate communications at Cadillac.
Their working relationship lasted about three years. But I suspect the mentor/mentee relationship continued a bit longer.
Because less than a decade before Burnett started his own agency (1935), MacManus wrote a book about the secret of creating effective advertising.
Burnett loved books. And while it’s true I don’t have proof he read The Sword-Arm of Business, I challenge anyone to prove he didn’t.
I just finished reading it. The lessons MacManus shares are timeless.
Which is precisely the reason why I’ve already incorporated some of that learning into our Agency’s capabilities deck.
FOOTNOTE: Some time ago, I gave a presentation to the Chicago Advertising Federation (in a Leo Burnett conference room) titled, “NEW IDEAS FROM DEAD AD GUYS.” (I’m looking at it now. Not bad if I do say so myself.) Perhaps I’ll update it and put it on SlideShare. It’ll be better than the original. B/C now I know what both of these legendary ad men knew about creating effective advertising.
As an art director, I’ve worked with a lot of photographers. Recently, I met a new one through LinkedIn. His name is Larry Huene and here’s the first job we did together.
Not only did Larry shoot this nostalgic still life, he retouched it, too.
Oh, and did I mention before he shot this in his Elmhurst studio, Huene (1) traveled to the client’s storage facility downtown, (2) explored their incredible collection of memorabilia, (3) hand-picked most of the items shown here and (4) added a few of his own to the final composition?
Talk about “going the extra mile” for your clients!
Now you know why I consider Larry Huene one of top three shooters I’ve ever worked with.
Worldwide Creative Director: DAVID WOJDYLA; Art Director, MICHAEL JOHN; Copywriter: SUSAN MORRIS; Photographer: LARRY HUENE; Client: NATIONAL RADIO HALL OF FAME
Mr. Schulberg finished his thought by adding, “Without unexpected, brilliant creativity, your message – no matter where it’s placed – will pass like a ship in the night.”
Stuart Elliott labeled this the “Best TV Commercial Ever Made.”
THE YEAR IS 1983 AND APPLE IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH a new computer called Macintosh. Steve Jobs thinks it will change the world. He wants to do a big introduction. Someone says, “Let’s throw a simultaneous launch party in NY, Chicago & LA with the most famous rock bands on the planet.” After Apple’s CFO runs the numbers, the upstart computer company realizes they can either throw the parties or make the computer. Jobs tells his agency, “Do us a TV commercial or something.”
<-- BEGIN “A TRUE STORY BY STEVE HAYDEN” HERE -->
“Why 1984 Won’t Be Like 1984” was conceived as a print headline the year before by Gary Gussick & Mike Moser. The long copy newspaper ad never ran. My art director partner, Brent Thomas, and I purloined it for our purposes. It was the inspiration for the whole spot. Our own “Suits” tried to keep us from shooting a :60 version because the client had only signed an estimate for a :30. Without authorization, I authorized it. After the spot was finished…
<-- BEGIN WALTER ISAACSON STORY HERE -->
Jobs previewed the ad for the Apple sales force. They were thrilled. But when Jobs previewed the ad for the Board of Directors, everyone in the boardroom was mute. Philip Schlein, the CEO of Macy’s California, had his head on the table. Mike Markkula stared silently; at first it seemed he was overwhelmed by the power of the ad. Then he spoke: “Who wants to move to find a new agency?” Sculley recalled, “Most of them thought it was the worst commercial they had ever seen.” Caught between a rock (Jobs) and a hard place (the Board), Sculley got cold feet and told CMO Bill Campbell to “figure it out.” Campbell, a former football coach, decided to throw a “Hail, Mary.” He told his team, “I think we ought to go for it.”
<-- END ISAACSON STORY, RESUME HAYDEN STORY -->
The only reason “1984” aired was because we were unable to sell off half a million dollars worth of Super Bowl time and had to fill 60 seconds with something. So we really owe it all to the ineptness of Chiat/Day’s media department.
ANDVERTISING PARTNERS:
Art Directors: BRENT THOMAS & LEE CLOW
Copywriter: STEVE HAYDEN
Announcer: ED GROVER
Agency Producer: RICHARD O’NEILL
Production Company: FAIRBANKS FILMS
Director: RIDLEY SCOTT
Clients: STEVE JOBS, JOHN SCULLEY, BILL CAMPBELL
To read “Steve Jobs,” by Walter Isaacson on your Kindle, click here. To view “1984,” click here.
…ran into a former client, who was already well under way on his New Year’s celebration. For the twenty-five years or more that I have known this man he has been both a drunkard and a lecher, yet he and his business have flourished like the green bay tree. Pondering on this, I remembered how the prophet Jeremiah had once pleaded with the Lord to tell him, Why do the wicked prosper? And received no answer.
WOJDYLA’S FOOTNOTE: Regarding today’s blog post, the iPhone picture is mine but the words that I paired with it are not. They were written by a “guest” blogger, James Webb Young. The 4A’s Past President typed this snarky comment eight decades ago on December 31, 1942. (It can be found on page 96 of his book, “The Diary of an Ad Man,” published by Advertising Publications, Inc., Chicago.)
Did you know when you search for something using Google, you may not be getting the most trustworthy results?
That’s the point of “Scroogled,” a new holiday ad campaign by Bing. Here’s the script:
HER: Jeff, what are you making?
HIM: My famous chicken cacciatore. You are in for a treat. I just got a new pan for it. Great price online. A top pick on Google Shopping.
HER: How do you know you didn’t get scroogled?
HIM: Scroogled?
HER: Google sells it’s shopping results. And while they look like honest search results, they’re really paid ads.
HIM: So you might not get the best price?
HER: You don’t even know which stores they’ve left out.
HIM: Man, I just got…
HER: SCROOGLED! Next time, use a search engine that won’t burn you.
ANNCR: Don’t get scroogled. Try Bing.
I think the strategy is brilliant. I think the creative execution is clunky.
I think Bing should buy a bunch of TV time in 2013 and continue educating the public. (And I think Bing should hire a small creative boutique to do new ads.)
Your thoughts?
Is this an “inbound” ad (educational and helpful)?
Or “outbound” ad (whiny and selfish)?
Teaser Ad by FRANKFURT COMMUNICATIONS (1978) Art Director: Philip Gips; Photographer: Henry Sandbank; Creative Directors: Paula Silver & Steve Frankfurt.
A memorial service was held yesterday at the Riverside Memorial Chapel. Read Steve’s obituary. Read about his Hall of Fame career. Sign the guestbook.
In Hollywood, the art director (a.k.a. production designer), is responsible for the visual space in which the film takes place. No matter what your age, you’ve probably seen one of his films. After reading his obit in the NYT, you’ll probably want to see more.
People who know me only through Facebook or LinkedIn probably don’t know I started my career at HBO (in the Time-Life Building). Ever since then, I’ve had an affinity for powerful visuals. To me, this is their best magazine cover in a decade. Bravo, Martin Schoeller & Rick Stengel.
It’s not for the state I was born in. Or the state I live in. Or any other state for that matter. It’s for a country that wasn’t even on my bucket list until I saw this spot.
CREATIVE CREDITS: Cathie Campbell & Pam Ferman & Joe O’Neill & Rich Pels & Peter Smillie (& maybe some others I’ve forgotten).
Former ad woman turned playwright, journalist and performance artist Gale Ahrens is still in the market for an agency to develop an ad campaign for “Penis’ Responses to the Vagina Muse,” slated to begin previews on or around Jan. 15 at the Theatre Building, 1225 W. Belmont.
Billed as a modern-day epic battle of the sexes, the piece is intended to be a response, from the male perspective, to feminist author Eve Ensler’s hugely popular “The Vagina Monologues,” which has been running for more than a year at the Apollo Theater. With a production budget approaching $500,000, half of which is earmarked for marketing and public relations, “Penis’ Responses” is being put on by Dr. Dean C. Dauw, an ex-Roman Catholic priest turned successful sex therapist—and now theatrical impresario.
The play’s potentially controversial content has so far proved problematic in Ahrens’ search for an ad agency. The day after Thanksgiving Ahrens wound up on the doorstep of & Wojdyla, a five-person shop at 333 N. Michigan. The three-year-old agency inciudes among its accounts Weber-Stephen Products, the National Geographic Channel and the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Biomedical Research.
Ahrens approached the agency after browsing a website of Chicago ad agencies, where & Wojdyla had a banner ad.
“I figured if they were diligent about advertising themselves, they would do well by their clients,” said Ahrens. David Wojdyla set up the agency in 1999 after exiting his post as managing partner/executive creative director at Bozell/Chicago.
Ahrens remembers leaving her 90-minute late-November meeting with Wojdyla feeling fairly confident his agency would take on the job of developing an ad campaign for “Penis’ Responses.”
But three days later, Wojdyla called her to say he couldn’t commit to the project until his business partner, Gayle Dieck, returned from vacation. A couple of days later Dieck called Ahrens and left a message. The two played phone tag a few times before Ahrens got another call from Wojdyla saying the agency had to decline the job because several members of the agency staff didn’t feel comfortable working on ads for the play.
Dieck later said she and the other two women in the office all found Ahren’s script objectionable. “I tried to be open-minded, but I read the play and it just felt angry to me,” explained Dieck, who couldn’t figure out who would be interested in the play besides angry men.
But Wojdyla, who lived in New York for many years, had no such qualms. “Nothing shocks me anymore,” said Wojdyla. Still, he and the only other male in the office lost the new business vote, 3 to 2.
Meanwhile, Ahrens said she is back on the street looking for an agency.
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