• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, December 30, 2013

Wait, what? The agency model is flawed? Who knew? Someone tell Don Draper! Oh wait, that's me in disguise. Hmm. Better read this Ad Age article by DDB CCO Amir Kassaei who has three ways to fix the flawed model. Hmm, that was interesting. Chief among Kassaei's solution? Don't be an ad agency at all. Be a consultant or a manufacturer of awesome products. Hmm. That's rich. No one's ever tried that before. He also says we should "redefine creativity." Oh really? When he writes, "Creativity isn't about the best-executed ad idea. Creativity is defined by innovative and effective solutions that meet our clients' business objectives," one has to wonder where he's been for the last, oh, 100 years. Creativity has always been about doing what it takes to sell stuff. And don't tell me that "meet our client's business objectives" is any different than making the cash register ring. Oh and what would a screed about fixing ad agencies be without a nod to buzzword of the moment, big data? He even tosses in...wait for it..."real time." OK, now that Kassaei has single handedly cured the entire ad business can we now focus on what's really cool? Yes. Salivating over Super Bowl commercials!

In breaking holiday week news, we bring you the top ten most creative ad agencies of...Kosovo. Yes, that's right. Kosovo. You know, that peaceful little country in the middle of Southeastern Europe? Yeah, they have ad agencies just like we do here in America. And there's no reason they shouldn't get all fat and happy celebrating their advertising prowess. Likely, you've never heard of any of these agencies but never fear, their work is just like out work; even this formulaic beer commercial from Karrota, part of Ogilvy.

Oh those dingbats over at fishbat. They're up to their old tricks again. The "leading Long Island advertising Agency" -- there's more than one? -- is, again, responding  to a Mashable article. This time it's about Instagram Ads and fishbat VP of Client Services was quick to say, "Instagram is one of the fastest growing platforms for visual content. Now that it supports advertisements, brands will have the opportunity to reach consumers on another level. When it comes to ads, you want to ensure consumers remember you. The fact that Instagram is showing a 32 percent recall is great. However, brands must remember to create compelling images that do not overwhelm consumers with pushy advertising lingo.” Anyway, who cares about that. What you have to see is their "brag reel" which presents itself like a car dealer ad on steroids. Seriously?

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