14/06/2017 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... how do I start managing my agency's staff churn better? Staff are the single biggest expense of any agency and average rates of churn for our profession are around 30%, making it a significant part of your biggest cost, so it's something you want to manage properly. Read more
16/05/2017 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... What do the best agencies do differently to outperform as a business? IPA research shows that a key difference between the best-performing agencies and the weakest is owning the commercial challenge; top agencies are more than twice as likely to own the commercial challenge as the weakest. Read more
12/04/2017 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... Does the way clients buy advertising these days destroy its value? And how do we convince clients not to buy on price alone? Read more
15/03/2017 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... do we need to get more Challengers into our industry? It is not Relationship Builders, who acquiesce, but Challengers, who push back, that perform best in a complex environment. Read more
13/02/2017 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... it is often said that agencies should have more “skin in the game” - how should we go about this? It is often said that agencies, if they want to make higher margins, should have more skin in the game, aka more risk. Read more
11/01/2017 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... what can I expect from 2017 and what should I be doing? "Thought 2016 was turbulent? Trust me, the revolution is just beginning. The true cost of Brexit, a backlash in France and a new cold war - 2017 is set to be far bumpier." Read more
24/11/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman, how can we use effectiveness to drive agency business growth? If effectiveness is all about creating value for our clients, agency business growth is about capturing a share of the value created for agencies themselves. Read more
19/09/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... Should our agency set up a Pricing Council and appoint a Chief Pricing Officer? Read more
11/08/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... Our largest client has recently switched its marketing spend from a centralised retainer to decentralised projects across a number of profit centres - how should we respond? Read more
12/07/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... In every pitch, we are told that we are the most expensive agency. Can this really be true? Read more
09/06/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... A client has told us off-the-record we've been awarded the business, but we need to have “a final chat with Procurement” before they can formalise it. What should we expect and how can we prepare? Read more
19/05/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... A client wants to buy one of the ideas we presented in a pitch without the execution - how do we value it? Read more
19/04/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... What are the key success factors in implementing value pricing? Read more
22/03/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... What did the 2016 ISBA Annual Conference teach us about the future of advertising? Read more
11/02/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... I heard Ron Baker talk about value pricing recently; how can I implement it in my agency? Agency Group Commercial Director Read more
14/01/2016 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... What can I expect from 2016 and what should I be doing? - Agency CEO Read more
19/11/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... Should I worry about fraud risk in my business? Read more
21/10/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... My agency has been invited to pitch for a piece of business, but the client wants payment terms of 90 days from end-of-month; should we accept this or refuse to pitch? Read more
24/09/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... I want to motivate my staff by paying them more but margins are thin - what do you suggest? Read more
27/08/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... How do I best train my agency for business success? - HR Director. Read more
30/07/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... I'm thinking of setting up client profitability reporting and making people's remuneration dependent on their financial performance - how do I start? - Agency CEO Read more
18/06/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... How can I manage staff costs and churn better? Read more
21/05/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... How can I get my clients to recognise work value vs time spent? Read more
22/04/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... I am a newly-appointed MD looking to improve performance - what financial KPIs should I use? Read more
25/03/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... What did Adweek teach adland? Read more
11/02/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... Why does my FD grumble when I submit claims for “networking” lunches? - Creative Director Read more
15/01/2015 by Tom Lewis in commercial acuman Dear Commercial Acuman... What does 2015 hold and where does the money lie? Read more
Farting and chewing gum: Buonaguidi on how creativity has lost its way By Dave Buonaguidi, in Inspiration