Trend: Ad Agency Deathwatch: More on One Word Equity

More on Mark's post about Maurice Saatchi's manifesto for ONE WORD EQUITY here.

While I agree with some points, and disagree with other over-simplifications, I am more impressed with the presentation and use of podcast to spread the agency's propaganda (or "guiding principle"). The Maurice Saatchi P/R attack and recent speeches declaring the "death of advertising" is always good for drawing a panicked ad-crowd. Like Colt45, "it works everytime".

I am always intrigued with just how poor a job most of our agencies do at branding and advertising ourselves. You gotta consider from the client's POV that if agencies are so damn good at simple messages that differentiate products and services, how come nobody knows half of us agencies, and fewer can differentiate what we each stand for?

I am also impressed with Saatchi's focused repackaging of a rather basic tenet - the idea formerly known as "Positioning". It is ironic that in his charge to claim simplicity, One Word Equity perhaps overcomplicates what Al Reis and Jack Trout covered in their '70's treatise.

Perhaps this "new business model" is a clever Jedi Mind Trick to reaffirm what we've mostly accepted,or it is simply brilliant to reclaim the proven classics...sorta like beat sampling - it may not be wholy new, but it's all new to you.