How to start your own ad agency
by Jon Cherry on 08/11/07 at 12:48 pm
7 comments
As Rui pointed out in the post below, the 80’s snarf-fest business model that most ad agencies are still built on is just a tad bit outdated.
It’s kind of like somebody still trying to sell asbestos as a home building material. It’s not good for you and there are alternatives to the way over-priced, well ignored 30-second TV spot.
Two of the finalists in this year’s BusinessWeek ‘Best young entreprenuers’ are a couple of guys who started a different kind of ad agency.
When Max Durovic and Michael Kenny were in high school, they had after-school jobs advertising for local businesses with sandwich board signs they strapped to their bodies and carried around the San Diego area. But the duo, who were both athletic, became bored with the traditional approach, so they started to do tricks with the signs, spinning them around and tossing them into the air to attract attention. Their antics captured prospective customers’ attention.
By 2002 the pair had started their own business, Aarrow Advertising, with $100. They developed (and copyrighted) a number of athletic routines that involved manipulating six-foot-long arrow-shaped advertisements, turning the human wielding the sign into an advertising spectacle.
Opportunities to rethink the way we advertise are huge right now. The big guys are at a crossroads. They have big overheads, angry and greedy shareholders and their ability to innovate is zero. South Africa is crying out for something fun, effective, cheap and non-disruptive when it comes to advertising.
We personally believe that a product should advertising itself, but there will always be a need for public communication and perhaps ‘athletic sign bouncing’ is a good idea to investigate.
More: 2007 Finalists: Best young entreprenuers – BusinessWeek
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Website: Aarrowads
Jon Cherry is the founder of Cherryflava Media, a Trends & Innovation company. Jon is also the brains behind Cherryflava.com one of the most influential websites in Africa. Jon likes to pick out the business needles in South Africa's haystack. View more articles by Jon Cherry.
nomad-one
Nov 10th, 2007
It’s so true, for an industry which should be all about innovation and out of the box thinking the South African ad industry sure is a closed minded bunch. I remember years ago when myself and a few colleagues at Ogilvy Cape Town presented a new ad agency model to the top guys at O&M Cape.
It would have definitely put Ogilvy in a new league in the SA market and could have been the start of an innovative new conversation with all South Africans. It spoke of empowerment and entering untapped and misunderstood sectors of the market.
They said, oh that’s great but, errr. And then a few months later they had to retrench more than half the company due to the stagnation which hit them.
I wonder if South African Ad Agencies are ready to start a new conversation, Clue Train Manifesto style.
odo festus
Nov 20th, 2008
thanks for cming these far in ad agency.i am a student that needs to start up an ad agency business but do know how and what it takes.please help me
ERNEST
Jun 4th, 2009
HELLO GOOD PEOPLE IM ERNEST MASEKO FROM MPUMALANGA,I AM CURRENTLY A STUDENT AT VAAL UNIVERSITY ,I AM DOING MY SECOND YEAR IN MARKETING MANAGEMENT.SO IM INTERESTED TO START MY OWN ADVERTISING AGENCY.I HAVE ALL THE REQUIREMENT THE THING IS i dont know where to start.///AS YOU ARE AN EXPERTS IN THIS GAME CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME TO THE WAY UP.MY CONTACTS NUMBERS ARE 079 617 8084
ERNEST
Jun 4th, 2009
I WANT TO START MY OWN ADVERTISING AGENT BUT I DONT KNOW WHERE TO START.I AM A CURRENT STUDENT AT VAAL UNIVERSITY ,IM STUDYING MARKETING.I HAVE ALL THE REQUIREMENTS.CAN YOU PLEASE HELP?MY PHONE NUMBERS ARE 079 617 8084
Fred
Jun 9th, 2009
Eish Ernest, this may be something that you want to think carefully about. Marketing is a tough business, and will get even tougher over the next couple of years.
I would speak to your lecturers at Varsity and see what they have to say about it.
THe best thing you can do now is to do an internship at an agency nearby, and learn the ropes by watching and asking loads of questions.
Chantal
Feb 17th, 2010
Where should advertising agencies apply for recognition in South Africa?
Sani Moyo
Jul 16th, 2011
@ Maseko if you are creative and innovative and follow the advice given of pursuing an internship at an ad agency, garnering some contacts in the process it is possible to start an ad agency with little capital. The hardest task will be getting that first contact