Has it been a while since you’ve gotten any killer ideas from your agency? Is the creative they give you an echo of the suggestions you gave them? Do you feel like they’re not giving you their best?

You can do something about it.

Give your agency a report card.

Everyone that works for someone wants to know how he or she is doing. Agency folks are no exception. Get together with them regularly to talk about how things are going. They’ll get a better understanding of your wants and needs, and that will pay off handsomely.Read full post...

Five observations on getting the most out of the people you depend on for breakthrough marketing communications, or what 10 years on the client side and 35 years on the agency side has taught me. Among other things.

Give your agency team regular “seats at the table.”

1. Creativity isn’t a commodity. And you won’t get it out of your agency team by saying, “This project is really important…” like you expect someone will hit F7 on his or her keyboard and good things will happen. Creativity is an art, and great art takes time. Give your agency team the time to give you their best.Read full post...

So, what to do when there is a convergence of products, pricing and promotional approaches in an industry that’s overpopulated with players — how do you stand apart?

In this country we are blessed with the opportunities of the free enterprise system that can richly reward the hard work and singular focus of driven entrepreneurs. However, the free enterprise economic model can be a fickle lover. It is devoid of emotion and will turn on the unwary. Today’s success is tomorrow’s Rubicon for those adverse to change and adaption.

Take banking for example. There are more than 9,000 banks in this country, and with very few exceptions they are all exactly the same. Oh sure, B of A, JP Morgan, Wells, Citi and a few others have the lion’s share of branches and ATMs out there, but they are really no different than each other or smaller banks at their core. They have the same products — basically loans and deposit accounts; they are priced the same — the overnight Federal Funds borrowing rate is virtually the same for all of them, and none can charge more interest on their loans or pay more interest on their deposits for very long before competition eats their lunch. So how do you survive? How about convenience — a branch network in a lot of great locations! Nope, not any more — better and better mobile platforms and apps as well as remote capture/deposit and automated tellers have a lot of branch managers dusting off their resumes. And it’s getting easier and easier for customer-facing folks at banks to remember your name and birthday, because branch traffic in the U.S. is plummeting.Read full post...

What are you known for?

You get on an elevator, and the chirpy woman with the same show badge asks, “So, what do you do?”

Concentrating on nothing in particular on the way down to the convention hall was the game plan, but you answer, “I’m president of a bank.” “Wow,” Chirpy says. “What bank? That one they were occupying the other day? The one with the flag in its name?” After imagining that Brian Moynihan just flinched in pain as another pin was stuck in his likeness, you answer, “No, not a big bank.”Read full post...

Train employees to relate easily to all generations

Generally no. But exceptional customer service can get you pretty close.

Baby boomers have the cash and need wealth management advice; families need homes or car loans and college tuition money; Gen X and the Millennials want…well, who really knows, but they own the future. You want them all, right?Read full post...

Your core should be ready for emerging technology, even if your customers aren't.

Techno-changes in banking are coming at the industry with breathtaking speed. Just when you think you know what you should invest in to gear up for one trend, it is leapfrogged by another. As soon as you got done optimizing your website for online banking, mobile came along and required another round of investment and adjustment. Will it ever end? No.Read full post...

Creativing and Advertising

Here are five observations on getting the most out of the people you depend on for breakthrough marketing communications, or what 10 years on the client side and almost 30 years on the agency side have taught me. Among other things.

Read full post...