There's a 14-year-old dark green Toyota Camry in my neighborhood with a "For Sale" sign in its rear window. When I saw it I immediately asked myself, "who would buy a 14-year-old Camry?" and that got me thinking.
Camrys are good cars. And this particular Camry is in mighty good condition. There isn't a dent on it and not a single spot of rust. The shape of the car itself isn't bad either--the car doesn't look half-bad.
Now hold onto your hat and fasten your three-point seat-belt, here's what all this has to do with the advertising industry. nine-tenths of all advertising agencies, it seems to me, are 14-year-old Camrys. There's nothing wrong with them, per se but despite all the innovations in the world--air bags, anti-lock brakes, mp3 hookups, run-flat tires, etc. these cars just hasn't kept up. They will still get you from point "A" to point "B" but there are other ways to travel that distance that are faster, safer, more ecological and requiring less maintenance.
If you run an agency, think of your agency as a car. The world changes almost completely roughly every three years. So you should look at your agency every three years or so, and make sure it's still up to snuff. Otherwise you'll be left with a 14-year-old Toyota.
