for all you crispin haters

Before I started blogging I read many ad sites. They varied in focus but as a general rule they had two things in common. They were snarky. And, they loved to bash Crispin Porter Bogusky. If I read a positive posting I figured it was a slow day in Boulder. 

 

Why the vitriolic fervor towards one agency? I kinda understand it. They have raised hype to an art form. The work feels not as good as as the PR would lead you to believe. And, they often ask a lot for not enough money. Ironically they get too many accolades for the average work and not enough for the breakthrough ones. 

Even still, they are pushing the industry like no other singular big agency with the possible exception of Goodby. Don't believe me. Check out their website. It's a virtual bear hug to social media. They are embracing the future and trying to create new platforms. Maybe that's reason enough to mobilize the ad haters en masse. For me, I just found my own reason to love them.

Last week I posted about TIME being our most valued commodity. I placed this in context through the use of an anecdote about a job we were bidding on. The tale was critical of the way the agency handled the bidding process i.e. our time. Adhering to my own standards of keeping parties anonymous unless speaking positively, I didn't specify the agency in question. 

Lo and behold on a Sunday afternoon, a comment appears on that post. It was from David Rolfe, the VP of Integrated Production for Crispin Porter Bogusky, the agency I anonymously referenced. I don't need to recant what he wrote here. Go to the comments section of "Scarcity of Time". Whether he was defensive, which he was not, is irrelevant. What is relevant his transparency and willingness to join the dialog. He had the balls to out his agency, in particular his department. He took the criticism to heart. And most importantly, he is the first major agency figure to publicly comment on my blog. For that I'm extremely grateful. Another barrier broken. Hopefully it will encourage others industry leaders to become more active in social media discussions. Contrary to popular belief, honest constructive dialog helps the community and won't hurt you individually. 

Now for all your Crispin haters who think this is shameless brown nosing to get work, let me assure you...I'm not above ass kissing. Unfortunately, it won't work here. Crispin will use our company when we're right. It's their culture. And, I hope they will but not just for the obvious reasons. Epoch is similar to Crispin in that we are trying to continually reinvent our model. We are committed to being participants in social media not merely observers. David Rolfe personifies that commitment not only by his public comments but by his actions.

David started his own blog, David Rolfe's Posterous. In yesterday's post he gave a rare insight to what an agency is looking for in their relationships with directors. It was honest and constructive. Go read it. I think the kid has a bright future as a blogger.

David Rolfe - Reason #156 why social media is going to save us from ourselves.