On What Makes Marketing Work
Our motto is “Dare to be Different.” It means zig when everybody else zags. People don’t notice you if you’re doing what your competitors are doing too. In fact, the more you look like the competition and do the same things as the competition, you’re hardly more than a generic, a commodity, a service or product without a brand. Instead, we propose you challenge the status quo. Be OK with not trying to be all things to all people. Remember, consumers are hard-wired to pay attention only to those who stand out or stand apart. That’s why we say that the riskiest thing you can do in marketing is to take the safe road.
On Advertising
Whether it’s on Facebook or in a magazine ad, what makes any message work is exactly the same thing that makes word-of-mouth work: the enthusiasm and believability of the message bearer. We discovered early on that the best way to create great advertising is to learn everything there is to know about the product, believe in the product heart and soul, and then simply tell the truth. Everything else is just entertainment.
On Other Stuff
Advertising is glamorous. It gets all the glory. Too bad. Where the glory belongs is any place where any individual is encouraged to prefer one brand, one service, or one product over another. Which is why we also believe in merchandising, promotions, direct mail, bumper stickers, hang tags, sales training and public relations . . . in other words, whatever it takes to make the sale happen. That’s the real glamour and glory of the marketing process. And we love it.
On Accountability
Some agencies hold up their creative awards as demonstration of their success. We hold up our clients’ marketing results. To us, accountability equals integrity. So we define benchmarks, monitor and measure against those benchmarks, and take responsibility for the outcome. We’re not afraid of keeping score. That way we know whether or not we and our client are winning.
On Agnosticism
We believe it’s wrong to put our faith in any one form of communication just because it’s new and popular, or tried-and-true. We’re always questioning. The only thing we firmly believe in is that the selling Idea comes first. Only once we have the Idea will we explore the best mix of tactics to express that Idea powerfully and cost-effectively.
On Two-Way Streets
It surprises us how often agencies seek the trust and respect of their clients without returning it in kind. No one has a monopoly on marketing wisdom. Robert Townsend, former president of Avis Rent-A-Car, put it best when he said, “Avis will never know as much about advertising as our advertising agency, and our advertising agency will never know as much about the rent-a-car business as Avis.” We can’t think of a more succinct guide to ensuring long-lasting client-agency relationships than that.
Our mission is to be an Agent of Change®.
“Agent of Change” is a registered trademark of LA ads – A Marketing Agency