• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, March 24, 2014

If you're an agency pitching an account and you're not the incumbent, you might want to check out "4 Signs the Brief is Made for the Incumbent Agency." Sadly, many reviews are conducted with the brand having no intention of changing agencies. Sometimes it's required by law. Other times, it's just part of the brand mode of operation. So check out these four signs. In a nutshell, if the brief is too brief and doesn't contain detailed information, then only the incumbent has the knowledge. If it appears there isn't much investment in the review process, it's quite likely the brand is just going through the motions. If the brief lauds the incumbent agency's work, that's a sign the brand isn't going to be very open to change. And if the brief sounds like it's describing the incumbent, it just shows that the brand already has what it wants in an agency and isn't likely to change.

So the Art Directors Club Fesitival of Art + Craft will be hitting Miami Beach again this year from April 7-9. At the event Former VCU Brandcenter Director Rick Boyko will premiere a new documentary film series entitled InspirADCion. The first installment releases April 8 and will feature TBWA/Chiat/Day legend Lee Clow, who shares his deep insight into the world of advertising along with a few good old war stories.

"I'm pissed. We're out there trying to do it the right way and by comparison we're facing a prisoner's dilemma against competitors who show great results from fraudulent traffic. Anyone along the chain who is playing it straight gets screwed." Those words come from the mouth of Tom Phillips, CEO of programmatic ad-buying technology company Dstillery. Sadly, he's but one voice in an industry that is happy to look the other way when it comes to online fraud. But many do look the other way because the effort required to truly stamp out digital ad fraud is daunting and expensive. It's just far easier to go along to get along. Here's hoping more people like Phillips step up.

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