• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, August 18, 2014

Of the importance of staying abreast of changes in the digital space, Deutsch LA Chief Digital Officer Winston Binch says:  “If you’ve been in the business for a while, particularly on the creative side, and are not open-minded and curious to learn new things, someone’s going to take your job.” That sentiment is reflective of many in the industry, some of whom are going back to school, attending workshops or taking courses to keep current. Deutsch offers what it calls D School, an annual course offered to everyone in the agency to -- as Binch says -- "give everyone a brush up on digital, make them aware of the landscape and expose them to some of the opportunities.” And he thinks the ad schools just aren't cutting it anymore. He adds: “There are lots of kids coming out of ad school that still want to do TV spots, but the reality is more and more has to be designed for the Internet, the Internet is first. We really want to help everyone here get the tools and the abilities to get really fast creative.”

Making note of the sad fact that 20 CEOs of creative agencies have lost their jobs in the past 12 months, Avi Dan, writing in Forbes, worries that Madison Avenue's shift from focusing on profit versus big ideas is gravely harming the practice of advertising. He writes: "The growing bottom line orientation of Madison Avenue could affect agencies culturally and lead them to become more risk averse, and damage their value proposition to their clients. Ideas and innovation are born out of a culture of risk taking. And agencies at their best are always an independent voice, pushing the envelope. Will an attitude of 'holding to the client at all cost' mitigate that spirit and encourage agencies to become conformists?" Sadly, yes and sadly, that's exactly what is happening. Which is why we see so much lame work coming out of agencies lately. Management by consensus and approval by committee is killing this business. Do we have the guts to put the brakes on this impending train wreck?

MRY has said goodbye to six of its developers. Of the layoffs, MRY Chief Marketing Officer David Berkowitz said: “We unfortunately did have to part ways with a few of our colleagues earlier this month as part of normal reshaping based on industry demand. MRY continues to grow, though, and we have 15 open positions right now across a number of departments.” But those 15 open positions are not development positions, which causes one to wonder what broader changes are underway at MRY. 

It's interesting, though entirely unsurprising, that those who love to work together, well, continue to do so. A couple of years ago, three Crispin Porter + Bogusky staffers -- Dave Schiff, Scott Prindle and John Kieselhorst -- left to form a new shop named Made Movement. Now CP+B VP Account Director Kate Higgins has also left the shop to join Made Movement. Of the move, Higgins said, “I love CP+B, but I’m excited about the chance to be a partner and to help grow and shape this place. We always joke that at some point you either own your own shop or become a client, and I like the creative process too much to turn the opportunity down." We wish Higgins well. And she's right. If you don't start your own agency, climb to the top of one or, yeah, become a client, you're likely out on your ass the day you turn 40. It's sad but it's true.

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