We here at Chez AgencySpy were enjoying a lovely weekend. One of us in Connecticut was basking in the glow of having electricity for more than four days in a row. Another was paddling in some murky body of Pacific Northwest water. And the third person on the team, wisely, didn’t tell any of us where they were going for a long weekend, but we’re sure it’s glorious.
We were all minding our own goddamn business until one of us (me) unwisely looked at Twitter to see if anything interesting was going on. That was where we saw David Griner (aka, the boss) start a personal project/experiment/thing to make you think called The Agency, a choose your own adventure game on Twitter, triggered through polls where, you guessed it, you create an agency.
Welcome to The Agency, a Twitter-based simulation game in which you—or at least the collective “you”—set out to found your first ad agency. Through a series of polls, your votes will shape this startup shop’s priorities and how it adapts to adversity.
— David Griner (@griner) August 23, 2020
Well, this is clever as hell.
Choose your own adventure. Twitter – Ad Agency style. https://t.co/4Yx7PYKMY5
— Garrett Sussman (@garrettsussman) August 24, 2020
Well, this just won’t do, we thought.
Some of us WORK on Mondays 😉
— David Griner (@griner) August 23, 2020
But, when digging a little deeper into it, we realized that this was going to actually be pretty fun. It was also clear that this exercise would strike a few nerves and likely hit a little close to home. It started with a hypothetical that some may relate to: a long-tenured, Chicago-based creative and strategist at a holding company agency is launching a shop, and it’s time to build the business.
After 15 years as a creative and, more recently, strategist at a large and established agency network, you’ve decided to set out on your own. You’ve got some savings, but no investors, so you’ll need to build a client base quickly.
— David Griner (@griner) August 23, 2020
The first step? Deciding whether to stay in Chicago or head out to New York or L.A. For some reason (very likely just common-sense simplicity for the sake of this game), we’re deciding to ignore the inherent possibilities of smaller cities.
It’s 2018. You’re based in Chicago but aren’t sure that’s the best place to set up shop. You have the most connections there, but competition for accounts is fierce. A cousin offers to share an apartment in L.A. and make introductions, while ad friends urge you to come to NYC.
— David Griner (@griner) August 23, 2020
So will you stay in Chicago and leverage your client connections, relocate to Los Angeles for a fresh start in a hot market, or head to New York, where you’ll have easy access to talent and partners?
— David Griner (@griner) August 23, 2020
Then, it starts getting very interesting. What is your new agency? Is it even called an agency? How will you navigate a non-compete? What about all of the gossip floating around Chicago (not an uncommon phenomenon)?
You’ve only said you’re leaving to “pursue other opportunities.” But it’s an agency, and word gets around quickly that you’ll be launching your own shop—one based in Chicago, meaning people who’ve always considered you a coworker now see you as something new: a competitor.
— David Griner (@griner) August 23, 2020
It’s time to make a high-stakes choice that will shape everything about your agency. What kind of agency will you launch?#TheAgency
— David Griner (@griner) August 23, 2020
Next up is the launch client. There are three options, all of which are rife with issues. One is a brewery run by “your sister-in-law,” another is a food delivery startup that’s vague about compensation. The third is Kraft Heinz, a (“shifty”) client of your former agency that could cause you all kinds of legal problems.
The downside of being full-service is obvious: scale. You’ll eventually need a team of experts across a range of roles: account management, production, project management, and ideally media. For now you feel you can serve as both Chief Creative Officer and Chief Strategy Officer.
— David Griner (@griner) August 24, 2020
A second option is a new food delivery startup, launched by a friend of a friend. Their focus is low fees for restaurant owners and a focus on local eateries over chains. They’re desperate for branding and strategy, but vague about compensation.
— David Griner (@griner) August 24, 2020
Your primary client on the Kraft Heinz project is a former client contact of yours—one you never got a good vibe from. He’s a bit shifty and seems to jump to a new job every year or so. Also, Kraft Heinz is a client of your former agency, which might put you in their crosshairs.
— David Griner (@griner) August 24, 2020
The boss hasn’t divulged where he’s going to take this next (we tried asking several times) based on the next round of poll responses. Nor has he told us how many questions he’s going to ask. This makes this adventure truly adventurous and hopefully doesn’t end with the advertising version of dysentery: going out of business or being acquired by Martin Sorrell.
Stay tuned to the thread to see where we end up! More importantly, it may be interesting to see who is commenting/liking/retweeting. It could very well be a signal that some new shops might be opening up soon.