Promo - June 2008 - (Page 6)

www.promomagazine.com A Penton Media publication EDITORIAL PROMO Editor in Chief Larry Jaﬀee larry.jaﬀee@penton.com Larr y Jaf fe e / Editor in Chief THE RESTLESS CONSUMER Executive Editor Patricia Odell Senior Editor Amy Johannes Reporter Richard Tedesco Editor-at-Large, Promo and Direct Brian Quinton DESIGN/PRODUCTION Art Director Jed Davis ADVERTISING MAKING THE LIST New Promo 100 ranking methodology The process of assembling this year’s Promo 100 ranking of the U.S.’s top promotional marketing agencies is markedly different from that of past years. We felt that it was time to change the methodology to wit: Creative work is no longer factored into the formula. Previously, Promo magazine’s editorial staff graded submitted samples of agency work. The decision to eliminate the creative element did not come lightly. We previously had fielded numerous complaints from agencies that had been tossed wildly up and down the ranking from year to year, based on the editors’ opinions. But, editors aren’t creative directors, and we concluded that the subjective whims of journalists could skew the results. Furthermore, our new policy is that any judging of creative is best handled by peer review. That’s how the Interactive Marketing Awards were selected this past spring. In the past few years, we also found that the same campaigns were being entered repeatedly for various competitions. It’s redundant to write about the same things, and we decided to base the list instead on empirical criteria (i.e., net revenue and growth). Magazines in allied fields don’t include creative when they do their rankings. In fact, neither did Promo when the 100 was first published in 1993. Furthermore, promotional agencies have different kinds of creative. An event is entirely different from an interactive campaign, and measuring one against another makes little sense. Rest assured, though, that we’re not trying to denigrate the achievements of previously ranked agencies. For those of you who need a creative fix, included in this issue’s Promo 100 package of articles, is our compilation of the top-15 promotional agencies in terms of creative awards (page 46) based solely on wins and finalists of the IMAs and Pro Awards. By the way, June 27 is the early deadline to enter the Pro Awards (and July 11 is the late deadline). Submit at www.theproawards.com. While the vast majority of agencies this time around that entered the Promo 100 (about 125) did so without complaint, we did get a handful of protests from those that felt the inclusion of creative really set the Promo 100 apart. Two agencies told us they weren’t entering because of the change. One felt it would rank too low on a list based solely on financials, and their creative was largely responsible for their previous respectable placements. The other agency was just ticked off. We don’t pretend the Promo 100 is the ultimate ranking. After all, we’re at the mercy of agencies voluntarily sharing financial details that many consider to be private. P Perhaps the adage “It’s better to have loved than to not have loved at all” says it all. l 6 june 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo Associate Publisher Bryan Benjamin bryan.benjamin@penton.com Dir. of Mktg. Services/Classiﬁed Alan Steen alan.steen@penton.com Resource Sales Associate Cynthia Foristel cynthia.foristel@penton.com Resource Sales Associate Karen Putrimas karen.putrimas@penton.com Online Sales Development Director Rob Shore rob.shore@penton.com Production Manager Diane Straughen diane.straughen@penton.com Classiﬁed Production Coordinator Lindsey Sutton lindsey.sutton@penton.com P E N TO N M A R K E T I N G M E D I A S T R AT E G I E S Senior Vice President, Penton Media Financial Services and Marketing Group Warren N. Bimblick Publisher Leslie Bacon Group Editorial Director Ray Schultz Group Copy Chief Charles Vietri Group Research Editor Richard H. Levey Audience Marketing Manager Seth Olson Show Director Angela Eastin READER INFO Editorial e-mailbox: promo.mag@penton.com Subscriber Service: (866)505-7173 (toll-free in the U.S.); (847)763-9504 (for calls originating outside the U.S.) Reprints: reprints@pentonreprints.com or (888)858-8851 List Rental: Marie.Briganti@walterkarl.infousa.com or (845)732-7054 EDITORIAL OFFICES 11 Riverbend Drive South Stamford, CT 06907-0225 Phone (203) 358-9900 Fax (203) 358-5834 ADVERTISING 249 West 17th Street New York, NY 10011-5300 Phone (212) 462-3580 Fax: (212) 683-4572 Chief Executive Oﬃcer John French john.french@penton.com Chief Revenue Oﬃcer Darrell Denny darrell.denny@penton.com Vice President, General Councel Elise Zealand elise.zealand@penton.com Reprints: Contact Penton Reprints (www.pentonreprints .com) to purchase quality custom reprints or e-prints of articles appearing in PROMO at (888) 858-8851 or reprints@pentonreprints.com. Instant reprints and permissions may be purchased directly from our Web site; look for the iCopyright tag appended to the end of each online article. Portions of our magazine subscriber lists are available to carefully screened companies that oﬀer products and services directly related to the industries we cover. Any subscriber who does not want to receive mailings from third-party companies should contact the subscriber service department at (800) 441-0294 (USA), or (913) 967-1707 (outside USA). ©2008 Penton Media. All Rights Reserved http://www.promomagazine.com http://www.theproawards.com http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - June 2008

Promo - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note 51st State? Brand Weaver Hip Candy Viva Beisbol Hola or Adios? Commentary Agency of the Year: Digitas The 2008 Promo 100 Draftfcb Next Marketing Oddcast All Terrain Gigunda The Agency Center Resource Center Take a Stand Index of Advertisers

Promo - June 2008

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