What Advertising Agencies, Virgins & Hookers Have In Common

A few weeks ago, this tweet crossed my path:

agency advising on digital branding that isn't active in the digital space is like a virgin showing a hooker the ropes

Advertising has always been a tough business, but making it today takes true stamina.

What we have historically done for a living -- producing ads, logos and campaigns -- is quickly becoming a crowd-sourced commodity. So who can blame us for selling vaporware to clients? For telling them, "Sure we can do that" when asked if our firm does this or that. "This or that" often means lots of new fees for your firm and with far less price sensitivity than we see with more common outputs like collateral, TV spots, and media buys. "This and that" can be the difference between laying people off and having a pretty good year. So yes, lots of firms say they can do "this or that." Then they fake it or outsource it without ever telling the client the truth.

Read the rest at over at Ad Age's Small Agency Diary

photo credit: Elliott les yeux grand fermés