I know it has been a while since I have posted but it has been a strange and busy year for most people including me. The agency is still doing and has felt the pinch of the economy but we are still going strong because we are still holding to our core values of representing our talent with integrity and working with our clients in the same way.
Times like these have everyone struggling to make ends meet and save money. Cutting advertising is one way to make ends meet but most business advisers will tell you that cutting advertising is not the way to do that. You don't want your clients to forget you and look for someone else when times are tough. There are other options for our clients that hurt our industry (like using stock photos) when times get tough which is why it is important for us to continue to stay the course and keep providing good talent and not resort to selling high priced classes and portfolio packages to make up for any lost revenues.
Some companies have had to resort to using stock photography instead of models for their advertising. While I understand that hiring a photographer and a model for an ad does cost more than using a stock photo-It is risky. When you hire a model and photographer there is no risk of seeing the your photo in a competitors ad and you have made something original that reinforces YOUR brand. It is an image that you created for yourself and no one else. I have heard stories of and seen with my own eyes, stock photos that a company purchased and then seen the same photo used again by another company. That is money not well spent and it can jeopardize a brand.
I have always considered myself a cock-eyed optimist (and a hard working one at that) and I will continue to be one through these times. I think that Americans are tough and will weather this storm as we have done in the past. I think that our industry will not only survive but thrive. I am absolutely counting on it.
Times like these have everyone struggling to make ends meet and save money. Cutting advertising is one way to make ends meet but most business advisers will tell you that cutting advertising is not the way to do that. You don't want your clients to forget you and look for someone else when times are tough. There are other options for our clients that hurt our industry (like using stock photos) when times get tough which is why it is important for us to continue to stay the course and keep providing good talent and not resort to selling high priced classes and portfolio packages to make up for any lost revenues.
Some companies have had to resort to using stock photography instead of models for their advertising. While I understand that hiring a photographer and a model for an ad does cost more than using a stock photo-It is risky. When you hire a model and photographer there is no risk of seeing the your photo in a competitors ad and you have made something original that reinforces YOUR brand. It is an image that you created for yourself and no one else. I have heard stories of and seen with my own eyes, stock photos that a company purchased and then seen the same photo used again by another company. That is money not well spent and it can jeopardize a brand.
I have always considered myself a cock-eyed optimist (and a hard working one at that) and I will continue to be one through these times. I think that Americans are tough and will weather this storm as we have done in the past. I think that our industry will not only survive but thrive. I am absolutely counting on it.
