Alan Gottesman

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Art & Commerce: The Long Road Back

Brand Marketing

The U.S. marketing communications industry, broadly defined, is, by one key measure, within a hair’s breadth of a complete recovery from the Internet bust. Based on the latest data from [...]

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From Boom to Bust and Back Again

Brand Marketing

It’s been six years, but by one key measure, the marketing communications industry has worked its way back to where it was at the height of the Great Internet Bubble. [...]

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The Labor Barometer

Brand Marketing

Employment trends are a useful barometer for gauging the business climate at ad agencies. This trend analysis is especially useful in spotting upturns, and the most recent readings are encouraging.Few [...]

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The Myth Of Synergy

Brand Marketing

Marcom practitioners, even the very best ones, face certain pressures, which, though not unique, are more acute than in most other businesses.Agency/client relationships are never permanent, and even the best [...]

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Employee Economics

Brand Marketing

Ad agencies are about as labor intensive as businesses can be. As much as 60 cents of every fee or commission dollar that comes into an agency flows back out [...]

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On Costs and Effectiveness

Brand Marketing

Even the best-run ad shops have learned a lesson or two about cost controls during the past three years.Ad spending in the U.S. peaked in 2000, and most leading prognosticators [...]

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Yes, Big Can Be Beautiful

Brand Marketing

Report Cards study shows larger shops outpaced industrySometimes size matters. Last year was a challenge for agencies financially, but the largest national ad shops managed, in the aggregate, to increase [...]

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Uncovering the Silver Lining

Brand Marketing

Upfront outlook is upbeat, but news isn’t all goodThe record-setting attendance at the Association of National Advertisers’ all-day TV conference two weeks ago was probably a sign that the advertising [...]

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Winning in a Down Industry

Brand Marketing

Some investors have been scorched by ad-industry stocks’ flameout during the past year, but others—especially investors savvy about options—may get a shot at a phoenix-like recovery over the next year [...]

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Art & Commerce: Free Spenders

Brand Marketing

If people are pessimists because of intelligence and optimists because of will, there appears to be enough willpower to go around in advertising this winter. Pretty much across the board, [...]