AN AFTERNOON OF TRANSFORMATIVE THINKING
Why not start the week with the elephant in the room.
Why are we here? Who do we serve? Where are we headed? And how do we prosper? Marketing is disoriented and, as agencies, we are in the middle of massive transformation.
• The media has gone from the hands of few to the hands of the many.
• Budgets have gone from the marketing leaders to the procurement leaders.
• Marketing strategy has gone from shouting to listening to engaging.
• Our services have gone from proprietary to commodity.
Despite all that, many of us have remained relevant today. All of us want to stay relevant tomorrow, to hold value in the long-term. So we’ll focus the collaborative energy of 60 agency executives and friends on this very real dialogue, led by some of the brightest folks in the profession.
This year’s 3P Track starts with a presentation by Hamish Pringle, former Director General of the IPA (the UK’s equivalent to the AAAA). Hamish recently co-authored “Spending Money in the Digital Age” and has written or co-authored four other books on branding and marketing. He is coming to us from the UK to speak on agency transformation, namely:
• Recruiting top talent for your agency
• Securing the right budget for the brand
• Rationalizing the optimal media mix
• Selling clients award-winning creative work
• Finding the next new business door-opener
Next, we’ll hear from Dan Pearlman, CEO & Co-Founder at Bob Wolf Parterns/TPG. Dan has developed a deep understanding of the inner workings of the most sophisticated U.S. advertising /marketing communications agencies and clients. His firm specializes in providing counsel regarding agency selection and negotiations.
Dan will be discussing how the new paradigm of technology, social media and the need for integration has resulted in smart new communications choices….many new companies to satisfy the needs of a changing industry and cost-effective ways of putting it all together. This session will offer a fresh perspective on the new normal of getting new business, client-agency relationships and how an emerging agency can compete.
We’ll round out the afternoon with Brent Beshore and Sanjay Chadda – both intimately involved in investing in advertising agencies. Brent is CEO of AdVentures, an advertising and marketing services firm ranked #28 on the Inc. 500. Brent was recently honored by American Express as one of the top 10 entrepreneurs under 30. Originally from Joplin, MO, he used his social media network to generate over $1 million in donations following the devastation there. His firm starts agencies and marketing resource companies and invests in small- to mid-size agencies. He is truly a renaissance man in our industry. Sanjay Chadda is Partner and Managing Director of Petsky Prunier, a leading investment bank serving the Internet, marketing, media, technology, information, healthcare and service industries, with specific focus on businesses in digital advertising, digital media, eCommerce, marketing technology, marketing services and agencies. Brent and Sanjay will help us consider where we are going, focusing on trends in digital and marketing services, interesting deals that have been recently completed, valuation and exit opportunities and thoughts on what to expect in the coming year. They’ll leave you with a better understanding of how those on the outside value agencies and what they look for in terms of financial performance.
The session is interactive. We’ve planned plenty of time for dialogue and discussion of differing opinions. We want to get the entire room thinking big! Then, once our heads are ready to explode, we’ll bring it all into perspective with a hosted happy hour and some casual conversation. Are you ready for some transformative thinking among friends? If so, this is a much better place to spend your afternoon than on a plane or in the pool. We’ll see you here on October 7th!
Get Together and Turn Things Inside Out
The 3P Track is designed exclusively for advertising agency principals, partners and presidents. It takes place from 2-7:45pm, Sunday, October 7, 2012, immediately preceding the BOLO 2012 Conference. To be a part of 3P, you must be registered for BOLO and have an equity stake in your agency. There is no additional fee to register for 3P, but it is limited to 60 participants. Those interested in registering for 3P should register for BOLO and indicate interest in 3P within the “Notes” section when registering.