• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 18, 2014

And here I thought it was always about the 50,000-foot view. But apparently, that kind of view is simply too much to handle for one agency, so they've lowered their sites and are shooting for the 30,000-foot view. And to do so, they've launched a new Web site. Pennsylvania-based Altitude Marketing, a B2B agency, is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Of the new site, VP of Creative Services Stan Zukowski said: “The new site reflects current best practices and design trends, but more importantly, it now accurately captures our brand essence, which has organically evolved over the past decade.” Hopefully, the agency will continue to evolve and finally achieve the vaunted 50,000-foot view.

Medina, New York ad man Joey Organisciak wants to bring Madison Avenue to Main Street. Organisciak has launched SandBox Union which he hopes will become an "entrepreneurial and civic-minded" firm. The ad agency is located on Medina's Main Street. Hoping to serve local businesses, Organisciak added, “Medina is open for business. My goal is to bring awareness to local businesses so they can grow and hire people.” Will this work? Who knows but there was a time when almost all business happened on Main Street. Now everything's at the mall. Are there even any businesses left on Main Street to support an ad agency?

While Organisciak aims to help Main Street, iCrossing aims to bring brands, publishers, start-ups and creative technologists together with the launch of iCrossing Collaboratory. The offering aims to connect the agency's clients with industry players to solve business problems through innovation and collaboration. With this program, brands will have access to new technology platforms, beta launches and other exclusive opportunities that will generate first-to-market ideas and enhance customer experiences. Of the launch, iCrossing President Brian Powley said: "As CMOs are challenged to re-imagine the customer experience and reinvent the future of their brands they look to agencies to be innovation partners. With the Collaboratory, we are able to unleash ground-breaking and unprecedented ideas that will push their businesses forward."

With the advertising industry so focused on creative and winning Cannes Lions, you'd think all advertising types do is sit around all day boozing it up in their offices like Don Draper. Well, Campbell Ewald SEO Manager Hilary Glaser is kicking ass and making sure both those working at the agency and the agency's clients understand the benefits and power of SEO. Yeah, she'll probably never go to Cannes but she'll likely accomplish more for a brand than any piece of creative will. Of her role, Glaser says, “We aid some accounts in understanding their SEO counterparts when the client has a long-standing partnership with another company. We help teach and guide the agency’s account executives in understanding the reports they are given and what questions to ask of those counterparts.&rdquo ;