fter 17
years of working for other agencies on accounts large and small, I
decided that the traditional ad agency was dying.
I
chose to model a new agency on the abundance of resources available
from talented people already full-time employed by top ad
agencies.
I
would create the necessary infrastructure, business presence and
organize the resources, but I would not permanently staff any
positions outside of management and administration functions. I
called this concept an 'ad hoc' agency, since it allowed me to seek
out the very best qualified and most enthusiastic art directors and
copywriters specifically for each client or assignment.
I
was fortunate to have a very good reputation and began building a
base of clients immediately. First, Monogram Software, then
MegaGraphics, then Quarterdeck--all within just a few months.
Twelve
years later, we are still offering the same range of
services--everything from marketing plans (mostly for other ad
agencies)--to full marketing communications plans. And all the
components necessary to fulfill those plans.
How did we succeed when so many other agencies have
failed?.
We
ran our business with modest goals: not to over-promise; not to
over-build, and not to let our egos drive us, but to work to grow our
clients' businesses.
Our
background and reputation were our great advantage in starting up.
(See the link to my resume at the bottom of this page.)
I
was fortunate enough to be the first account executive to work with
Apple, dealing directly with the founders and writing the marketing
communications plan that correctly projected this no-revenue startup
could be a $100 million company in 3 years. My team introduced the
Apple II at the West Coast Computer Faire in April 1977, and ran ads
promoting it beginning in Byte magazine's July, 1977 issue (see our
first History page for the ad).
I
briefly left the agency business to go out on my own, working part
time at Apple in the Summer and Fall of 1977, and part time creating
a catalog for an up-and-coming Porsche parts company called
Automotion.
The
President and Vice President of Apple at the time were a pain to deal
with, and I didn't like their (nonexistent) customer support
attitude, so when the premiere ad agency of the Western U.S.,
Chiat/Day called, I answered. I handled National Semiconductor and
BART in Northern California, then moved to the L.A. office to handle
Pioneer Electronics, Mitsubishi Electronics, Kiron camera lenses,
Sears Savings Bank, (later Allstate Savings) and Olympia Beer.
In
1983, I was recruited away from Chiat/Day to Della Femina Travisano
& Partners to run their new account, Kaypro and work on the
campaign for Transamerica Insurance for the 1984 Olympics.
Unfortunately, Kaypro was badly managed and no more committed to user
support than Apple had been.
When
the opportunity came to manage the Microsoft account for
keye/donna/pearlstein, a medium-sized L.A. agency, I jumped at the
chance. I managed the Microsoft account from the end of 1983 through
mid-1986, concurrently working on AMD and Vivitar. In 1986, I lead
the new business 'pitch' for Suzuki Automotive, which the agency won,
and I went on to manage the launch of the Suzuki Samurai. I left
k/d/p in 1987 to start Kelley Advertising and Marketing.
In
the 12 years I was in the 'big agency' business, we saw the continued
consolidation of the industry and the collapse of some
seemingly-bright stars of the ad world. From my own standpoint, I saw
basic marketing principles ignored when an opportunity to win an
industry award arose.
As an independent, we prevailed, developing marketing plans,
doing advertising, package design, and generally helping small
companies become large.
No
ad agency can save companies that are in dying markets or whose
products are flawed, but if your product or service is good and
well-priced, a small shop can help you make the most of your
opportunity. Drop us a note if you'd like recommendations on
companies currently offering similar services, or just give feedback
on this website.
Kelley
Advertising and Marketing