Random Culture on Contagious

Contagious Magazine has posted an article based on a discussion I started on the Viral and Word of Mouth Marketing forum on Soflow. That discussion centers around smaller agencies such as Campfire, who played a central role in Audi's critically acclaimed "Art of the Heist" campaign. While Campfire played a central role, McKinney gets all the glory. And it's not an isolated case. Remember Subservient Chicken? Sure you do... but did you know that another small agency, The Barbarian Group, played a huge role in it.

I say credit should be given where it's due. This is nothing new... large advertising agencies have been doing it for some time, but that doesn't mean it's right. We should be raving about The Barbarian Group and Campfire!

Comments

[pylbug]

Why, then, do Campfire and Barbarian Group have ad agencies as clients?

Don't get me wrong, I tend to agree with you. Talk to almost anyone who's worked at CP&B and they'll claim to have done Subservient Chicken... but they didn't.

But if the production shops like Barbarian Group only court agencies, they're not going for the glory are they? When an agency wins awards for a TV spot, you don't hear anyone complain that the post-houses aren't getting their dues. My bet is that Barbarian group doesn't want the glory, because, as a shop, they can work on accounts that would otherwise constitute conflicts of interest at an agency.

As long as they stay quiet and busy, they don't rock their own boat... but if they go for the notoriety, they might actually preclude themselves from certain jobs. That is, until some big agency conglomerate swallows them up and ruins them anyway.