How would you characterize 2001 in terms of your business or industry in general?

Despite the horror of Sept. 11 and the disastrous economy, we were lucky enough to grow our revenue by about 13%. We did that through some new business acquisitions and by helping our existing clients grow.

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?

Like everyone else in the business, we are clinging ever so tightly to our existing clients making sure that they are happier than ever before. I think they're actually quite happy with this new setup. My guess is that within most agencies, there is a heightened sense of ownership of the work that goes out the door. That's not a bad thing.

What do you see changing for your business in the year 2002? How will your industry change?

I think clients will want more results. And they will want them quicker and cheaper than last year. But then again, I say that every year.

Some say better times are in store for Atlanta agencies, claiming that the heyday of the dotcom was bound to fall and now things are stabilizing rather than plummeting. Do you agree?

Atlanta has always been a bit of a haven from the rest of the world in most ways. Certainly we don't seem to go through the massive upheaval that other major markets do. And I believe that, with a couple of exceptions, most shops survived the dotcom debacle simply because we never got much of that business.

What do you think clients will want to see from you? How are clients changing the ways they spend and what they want to see for their dollar? What do you think are the lowest dollar, highest bang ways your client can market themselves?

More than ever before, clients seem to want to see an almost immediate reaction from the advertising they run. "OK, we ran that spread last week, how many calls did we get today?" Fortunately for us our clients still understand the need for branding - they still want the immediate calls, of course - but they understand there is a difference between branding and a coupon ad.

What new accounts have you won over the last year?

TUPS, ajcjobs.com, Mannington (commercial division), and a couple others.

Oz The Journal of Creative Disciplines is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing, Inc. 3100 Briarcliff Rd, Suite 524, Atlanta, GA 30329. Copyright 2001 by Oz Publishing, Inc. (404) 633-1779. All Rights Reserved. Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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