Sears and our industry.

I've been burning the candle at both ends of late and have done a pretty shitty job of writing about advertising. 

That's bad when your blog is named Ad Aged. And is about, er, advertising.

But yesterday I read that Sears, the once mighty retailer, has fired McGarry-Bowen, a once-mighty agency. Or the other way around.

And it made me think.

When I started this blog, it was subtitled: "Will Madison Avenue Become Detroit?" That is, will the industry adapt to modern audiences or will it perish?

I suppose you could ask the same of Sears--will it go belly up?

More important for us in the ad industry, what agency has the brains and the experience to turn a moribund brand around? To bring it back into relevance?

Not through K-Mart-like bullshit like "Ship My Pants." Which does nothing for the brand, but fundamental re-building.

Does any agency have a turn-around process and turn-around case-studies? Does anyone have turn-around cred and a five or ten year plan?

I think Deutsch LA is doing an excellent job with their "Cut your bill in half" work for Sprint. It's not the most creative work in the world, and will probably soon start polarizing viewers, but you immediately get what Sprint's about. And they appear to have momentum.

If I were CMO of Sears, I don't know who I'd turn to as an agency.

I don't need a tweet. Or a viral video. Or a dopey stunt.

I need a vision. A plan. Stamina and patience.

All in short order in our industry.

And the world.