I’m back bitches…
February 25, 2010
Howdy everybody…
After a long self-imposed blogging break, I decided to take Tribble up on their offer to use this as a platform to come back and check in with all you kids.
Since my disappearance, the ad industry has lived up to its reputation of being a cesspool full of douchebags & clueless pinheads who do shit work and steal money from their clients while produce easily forgettable campaigns that either:
1) People hate
2) People never recall — even under the threat of torture (which usually amounts to having to watch the BDA reels)
In other words, nothing has changed at all since I bailed out from my former blogging platform.
Over the past few months, I have been keeping up with “The Founder” and feeding him bits & pieces here & there…but thought since nothing good is happening in the industry… now might be a bloody excellent time to come back and reinforce the level of disgrace the industry hurls upon itself on a daily (if not hourly) basis.
Like Parker, I’ll probably swear a little too much and go off on non-ad related tangents every so often- but I have yet to reach the age of senility where I am fascinated by Kate or Hitler (give it time…but then again I’m not writing a book any time soon either so nothing to shill. i’m not sure Founder will let me post random tits on his respectable blog either — one has to show a modicum of sense…at least in the first few hours on the case.)
I’ll have more (hopefully substantial) things to say later…but for now… hope the lights are on and the booze is flowing… because little else in the industry is worth going ape-shit about
In the words of Dennis Miller (before he became a right-wing douchebag lunatic who performed sexual favours for the Bush administration):
“But That’s Just My Opinion. I Could Be Wrong.”
(but who are we fucking kidding… I’m never wrong…and if I am…I’m not going to admit it on my first post here, am I?)
Creepy Real Estate Website features Ad Agency Executive
February 25, 2010
Blockshopper.com is really creepy. Now we all know that Robin Elizabeth Beattie bought the one-bedroom, one-bath condo Unit #11E home at 96 Schermerhorn St. in Brooklyn from Mark Stokes for $355,000 on Feb. 4.
We also know where her house is located via Google maps and street view.
We know she was / is vice president and associate creative director at Roberts and Langer DDB, an advertising agency.
She previously was creative supplier and copywriter at Grey NYC. She attended the City University of New York-Hunter College.
and here’s her picture.
This site is far too creepy in terms of personal information, as it then points directly to her linkedin profile, but adds her physical address as well to it.
Bigmouth Media and LBi merge - BDA’s still confused
February 25, 2010
London search engine marketing and advertising provider Bigmouthmedia is merging with Amsterdam-based online brand agency LBi, in a deal that pools €50 million for a beefed-up tilt at the sector.
Bigmouthmedia is taking €40 million in private equity from Carlyle Group, Cyrte and Janivo, and €10 million more due on completion in July, to create a new group, Obtineo; LBi is merging with Obtineo. LBi will hold 51 percent, Bigmouthmedia 25 percent and Obtineo’s new shareholders 24 percent. LBi says the reverse merger sale price is €107.6 million, €68.9 million of which is goodwill.
It creates what the pair call “Europe’s largest digital agency with a headcount of over 1,800 people … with a €50 million fund to strengthen its operations in the US, Asia and the Middle East.” paid content is reporting
Here is the problem, most of the BDA’s still don’t understand how this could be happening. There shouldn’t be Mergers and Acquisitions in this economy. The holding companies are showing all sorts of red on their balance sheet, how could this happen?
The problem is that the Advertising Agency Holding Companies balance sheet is filled with fluff and not enough assets that clients need. Hence why within 5 years the chances are a firm like LBi / Bigmouthmedia might be buying the scraps of WPP group.
Enjoy the new reality.
US to create “government tourism advertising agency”
February 25, 2010
But not everyone has gotten on board. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said creating what he called a “government tourism advertising agency” is unnecessary. Full Story on CNN
It would be a brand new $100 million account that would be open to the old boys network.
Great Stuff, my bet is it has to go to a holding company because they are the only ones with “the reach” .. (still comical since you can rank just as well in Google.co.uk as you can in Google.com … but don’t let the facts get in the way of wasting money). And since the program is coming from Washington , it has to be a US owned holding company.
To put it lightly, coming out of Washington it’s going to already be awarded to Omnicom Group .
They are the only ones that meet all three criteria
1 - old boys network
2 - holding company with reach
3 - US based
Come to the US by the Truckload!
Did WPP and Dell spend a quarter billion on Enfatico?
February 21, 2010
Is there a way to get the actual amount spent on this disaster?
Between Dell and WPP , what literally was allocated to this project, the 10 year leases, the 1000 apple computers bought for Dell, the estimated 600 people on payroll …. etc etc…
Dell said that they would allocate $4.5 billion to the project… but the chances are remote that they got anywhere near that…
That being stated they DID hire hundreds of people, took out roughly a dozen leases, bought nearly a 1000 apple machines… etc etc… they spent money.. big money..
Dell doesn’t line item “Money wasted in Advertising” on their balance sheet… so I guess I need to make a spreadsheet and add it up with estimates..we’re going to do this with really rough numbers because WPP and Dell both refuted our requests for hard numbers due to the embarrassing nature of the question.
But I am guessing it went into at least $150,000,000 to $300,000,000 million range.
The 100,000 Sf office in Manhattan alone would be millions.
My guess is they hired at least 600 people when all the press releases are added up.. if the average salary is $40,000 (when you factor in Boon’s salary with the staffers making $10 bucks an hour)…
So 600 x 40,000 = $24,000,000
Add the customary 30% for payroll taxes, health insurance etc etc…
You got an additional $7,200,000
So you’re looking at roughly $30,000,000 a year for 3 years…
That’s $90,000,000 in payroll alone.
A dozen office spaces at 100,000 a month…
That comes out to be $14,400,000 (12 x 100,000 x 12 months)
So now we’re on or about $105,000,000 (roughly)
Let’s add it an additional 2 million for apple machines, apple software, copies of photoshop, digital cameras, photo equipment, ect etc.
Now you’re getting close to the 110,000,000 mark…
3 years…. of this mess…
How much do desks, phone systems and chairs cost? They didn’t buy that stuff at the thrift store…
I would say between $150,000,000 and $300,000,000 was blown on this project.. that produced one ad in India worth about $2,000 bucks with a small advertising agency.
How many people’s job could be saved with $300,000,000. What new products would Dell have launched with an additional $300,000,000 in the bank?
Yes it’s known that the Enfatico disaster happened.. but did anyone actually look at how much this hurt everyone.. the lost potential income from new products, the mess in terms of lack of advertising. This was a disaster that will have repercussions for the next decade or longer at minimum with the landlord of the buildings that Enfatico signed a 10 year lease with.
So here’s the challenge WPP and Dell .. tell us exactly what the shareholders lost on this?
Tiny ad agency puts out full page NYT ad - 5 figures
February 21, 2010
The BDM ad was unusual because it is an example of something we rarely see in the ad world nowadays, namely ad agencies advertising themselves. “It’s what we tell our clients to do, so we figured that we should, too,” explained Stuart D’Rozario, the founding partner at BDM who wrote the copy-heavy ad seen in the N.Y. Times. The ad cost the small shop a solid five-figure sum to run, but it did what it was intended to do — attract attention. “We’ve gotten many e-mails,” D’Rozario said. Fueling business is reporting
5 figure sum, in this economy, in print media … they must be getting e-mails because people are in shock.
I wish I had an RSS feed to that e-mail account:
“You paid what for that ad?”
“This is the advice you give your clients?”
“Who could you have hired with those 5 figures?”
Since when does the FDIC respond to Youtube Videos?
February 13, 2010
Edit : It appears that the Video was taken down now, only adding fuel to the fire.
The problem before the FDIC responded the view count on the video was 683 total, after the FDIC responded the view count on the video shot up to 14,000 and climbing. In other words the FDIC’s unknowing march into social media boosted the view count of the video and widened it’s reach.
This was a very poor decision on part of the FDIC’s PR department. Honestly I wouldn’t have even noticed the video and posted it on Google News if I didn’t see the FDIC’s press release.
They need some sort of social media savvy ad agency… because what they got now is a PR firm for the people saying bad things about them.
Here is the press release:
—————————-
Press Releases
FDIC Provides Additional Information on its Loss Share Agreement With OneWest Bank
February 12, 2010
FDIC Director of Public Affairs Andrew Gray said, “It is unfortunate but necessary to respond to blatantly false claims in a web video that is being circulated about the loss-sharing agreement between the FDIC and OneWest Bank. Here are the facts: OneWest has not been paid one penny by the FDIC in loss-share claims. The loss-share agreement is limited to 7% of the total assets that OneWest services, and OneWest must first take more than $2.5 billion in losses before it can make a loss-share claim on owned assets. In order to be paid through loss share, OneWest must have adhered to the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).
The producers of this video perpetuate other falsehoods. The FDIC has not requested to borrow money from the Treasury Department. Indeed, we continue to be funded by the banking industry through assessments, not by taxpayers as claimed in the video.
This video has no credibility. Regardless of the personal or professional motivations behind its production, there is always a responsibility to be factually correct and transparent. The FDIC made available a fact sheet on the day that the sale of IndyMac was announced that details the terms of the contract. It’s too bad that the creators of this video opted to premise it on falsehoods.”
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/onewest_lossshare.html
Must of struck a nerve. This is awkward in many regards, but the FDIC isn’t know to responding to social media discussions, Youtube videos or even bloggers. So what prompted them to respond to this?
This is the video in question
Edit: The guy updated his video here:
http://www.thinkbigworksmall.com/mypage/player/tbws/23088/1013723
Ad Agency Titan Outdoor Holdings owes the MTA $18,000,000
February 9, 2010
It appears that ad agency Titan Outdoor Holdings is 2 inches from bankruptcy. The company is in the hole $18,000,000 owed to the MTA (Mass Transit Authority). The MTA is holding off forcing the agency to deliver the money for fear that it will bankrupt the advertising agency.
Nice Client. Too nice.
The fact is that this advertising agency shouldn’t be in business.
In order to avoid far-reaching subway cuts that would eliminate the M and W lines and cause trains to become less frequent and more crowded, the MTA needs about $18 million—the same amount a deadbeat advertising company owes the transit agency. An MTA audit revealed that Titan Outdoor Holdings has come up short on its monthly payments for almost a year, but the MTA is afraid that recouping the money might bankrupt the company, causing the agency to net even less revenue. Full Story from the Gothamist
The article noted that the Advertising Agency paid the MTA a flat commission rate, and evidently the ad agency didn’t report a whole mountain of income.
So how will the Mass Transit Authority punish Titan Outdoor Holdings? By rewarding them with a new “lower paying” contract rather than sending out an RFP to the 20000 other ad agencies starving for business.
Good Grief.
Why Pepsi dumped Ad Agency TBWA
February 2, 2010
Agency Spy has the article, but this tidbit completely makes the entire article.
It’s not just digital strategy and production that TBWA is lacking — but social strategy/execution, too. Proof of this, since the agency would never admit it, is in who they’ve hired to execute those portions of their business. For example, HUGE handled social media/site development and design, according to the Times. Sources tell us Chiat has also partnered with Undercurrent and MIR, too, though not on this project. It’s an all-too-common practice for bigger agencies.
Word on the street is Chiat tried to buy a smaller social media agency, probably in a bid to prevent Pepsi moving business away (WPP’s VML got the business, btw). But the deal went south, as did the relationship with that shop.
That’s a shocker… oh.. wait.. it’s not. They didn’t try to buy a search social marketing agency because they had forsight to head off the incoming problem (to put it lightly) they instead went half cocked trying to scoop up ANYTHING possible in the last 5 minutes to show Pepsi they had digital skills.
These big advertising agencies are completely clueless when it comes to search and social media. Personally I am amazed that they even are in business.
5 years ago I told you that this would happen
From the link directly above:
The problem however are these pesky SEO firms that seem to be growing faster than the ad agencies are, in fact many consider them the ad agencies of the future. This doesn’t matter for now as we can still make these expensive print media ads and still design sites in unspiderable ways for now. We figure we have at least 5 years left to rake in the cash.
Like clockwork it happened over and over again
You advertising agencies are amazing. You think it’s 1985.
You pride yourself in being creative… cutting edge.. but in fact you guys are a bunch of dinosaurs that even when told it’s happening you just ignore it.. until the client leaves you… and another.. and another..
Well since I was right on the last one… I am going to be right on the next prediction.
Within 5 years from today.. one large advertising agency (or holding company) is going to be bought and virtually dismantled by a search social marketing agency and raid whatever clients are still left. This company that will do it most likely won’t even be on your radar screen now… like how Google wasn’t on you radar screen before…
I am also willing to state that most likely it won’t identify itself as an “advertising agency” because honestly it has a sigma of being behind the times.
You holding companies should be buying every single search and social marketing agency with even a modest client list… it’s like do or die time.. and last minute “we’re gonna buy some tiny digital firm to say we know how to FTP into a website” isn’t going to cut it.
Because if you don’t do this now.. and I mean literally yesterday now.. your firm most likely will be bought and dismantled within 5 years… mark my words.
The first REAL leaked Apple iPad ad !!
January 29, 2010
ok people, this is the first real Apple iPad leaked tv commercial
I’ll admit I liked the other ones better here. But this appears to be the first official iPad ad. Enjoy, or enjoy the other ones… have fun ripping it apart or loving it like a fanboy.
Really doesn’t matter, in my opinion this thing isn’t going where the hype said it would.
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