gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards"

ad agencies: "their business models suck and they're expensive for what you get."

My life has been completely governed by an e-mail exchange I had earlier in the year with Bob.

Bob is the Japanese brand director for a very large international brand. A famous one. You've heard of it. Bob is a very smart and talented guy.

At the time I was starting to really get into the whole Cluetrain thing. I was looking at the advertising industry as a whole, and not liking what I was seeing, frankly.

So I exchange a few e-mails on the subject with Bob over in Tokyo. I remember Bob writing back something in particular about ad agencies- I don't even have to look it up, I can easily recite it from memory:

"Their business models suck and they're expensive for what you get."

There's the rub. Their business models do suck and they are indeed expensive for what you get. Bob is no fool.

So, my advertising friends, here's the new deal:

It's not about strategy.
It's not about media.
It's not about creative.

It's about having a business model that (a) doesn't suck and (b) isn't expensive for what you get.

I have a plan. Do you?

Posted by hugh macleod at September 12, 2004 12:17 PM | TrackBack