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Patrick Scullin/Creative Mercenary
Ames Scullin O'Haire
How would you characterize 2001 in terms of your business or industry in general? 2001 was a steady year for our agency. For the industry as a whole, I've heard it called "the worst year in the past 50." From the number of people on the streets, I'd say that's true.
Before Atlanta, I worked in the Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco and Baltimore markets. I still have friends in those cities. All reports are the markets are horrible. Pals in NYC report there is a ton of talent on the sidewalks. Big agencies especially have cut back due to client cutbacks. And the number of calls I've received from available people in Atlanta shows our fair city hasn't faired much better.
Pain and misery seems to be the mood of 2001. For our agency to have been steady with great prospects for new growth, I'll take as a terrific success.
What has most affected your ongoing business in particular? Have you taken any drastic steps or gone through any upheaval? Have times been better than ever? Are you maintaining business now or moving forward or moving backward? Is there a rainbow at the end of this storm? The thing that has affected business the most is Sept. 11. It soured the mood of the country and made all marketers a bit leery of selling. But time heals all wounds. I suspect most clients will be back at it, full force, come first quarter of '02.
Our business has remained pretty steady. Much of our business is retail grocery which traditionally does not cut during recessionary times. This is good.
Is there a rainbow at the end of this storm? The rainbow at the end of the storm is getting out of '01 and into '02.
The other big trend, and one that will continue in importance, is the need for advertising to measurably affect sales results. I envision a time in the not too far future where there will be no such thing as 'brand advertising' for any client short of a $200 million budget. The economic times demand results. Clients demand results. I believe the demise of many dotcoms was predicated by poor marketing. Yes, many of the business plans themselves were lame, but the marketing sealed the death deal by not explaining what was in it for people. There was too much time spent entertaining and not enough spent using psychology to make a human connection and sell.
The future belongs to those who can sell.
Look for more money to go into direct response, sales promotion, and public relations. We ad people must justify what it is we do. We're going to have to show results. We're going to have to be smarter and do a better job in helping our clients build their brands. Clients will want us to help make their lives easier. To that end, ASO has a credo-mission-statement-code-of-conduct we have all employees sign. It is how they are evaluated on their performance, and how they are measured come raise and bonus time.
How has the financial drama of 2001 affected your business, from the highs to the lows? As far as how 2001 has affected our business, we fortunately have not had to cut back people. In fact, we're growing as needed. We're hoping '02 to also be a year of growth.
As for the Atlanta ad scene, I suspect it will be stable in '02. The easy money many agencies made in the dotcom era is gone; the cuts have been made, the people are walking Peachtree. We are going to have to continue cultivating our own marketplace and beyond for new business.
What do you think clients will want to see from you? What clients want to see from us is an understanding of their businesses, their customers, their prospects, their markets, and their potentials. They want to see understanding and imagination in creating ways to communicate, influence and persuade people to their brands. Clients also want to work with people they enjoy being around. The days of creative people as angry misunderstood geniuses are gone. We have to be smart business people and be empathetic to the pressures clients face.
What do you think are the lowest dollar, highest bang ways your client can market themselves? I don't know what the 'lowest dollar/highest bang for the buck' ways are for clients to market themselves. It varies client to client. Probably the most cost effective is a well-written letter or postcard.
What new accounts have you won over the last year? Over the past year we've added some assignments from H.J. Heinz, Barnsley Gardens and Crawford Communications. We've also expanded our relationship with Mitsubishi Electronics.
In closing, I think '02 is going to be a better year for ad agencies than '01. But it will not be any easier. This business gets tougher every day. The expectations are high and getting higher. The competition is fierce and getting fiercer. But for those who can demonstrate an ability to help, to grow a business, and do so in a way that is pleasurable, not painful, I believe the opportunities for the future are immense.