{"id":4949,"date":"2016-07-21T15:36:24","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T19:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/responseblog.wpengine.com\/?p=4949"},"modified":"2018-10-17T09:14:54","modified_gmt":"2018-10-17T13:14:54","slug":"ad-age-small-agency-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/responseblog.wpengine.com\/2016\/07\/ad-age-small-agency-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Small But Mighty – Highlights from the Ad Age Small Agency Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

A goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds. Today, the average human has an attention span of 8 seconds (down from 12 seconds in 2000). That\u2019s a fascinating fact that shapes the way we need to think about what we create, but it wasn\u2019t the only takeaway from recently attending the Ad Age<\/a> Small Agency Conference.<\/p>\n

With a solid lineup of speakers and panelists, it\u2019s apparent that great work is coming out of small agencies. From the work that Humanaut<\/a> is doing for Organic Vally (see Save The Bros<\/a> \u00a0 and their \u201cOrganic Valley Coffee Shop\u201d campaign<\/a>\u00a0to the powerful #CallingAllVoices campaign<\/a> that Fusion<\/a> and their agency SS&K<\/a> created. It makes us really proud being a small agency ourselves.<\/p>\n

Here are some highlights from the conference that really stood out:<\/p>\n

Three Powerful Statements from \u201cWhat I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Agency\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jos\u00e9 Moll\u00e1\u00a0of lacomunidad <\/a>had the unenviable task of being the first speaker in the morning at a conference taking place in a city known for its nightlife. However, his fast moving, insightful presentation set the tone for the day. Here are three of his statements that really resonated:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re two accounts away from your best or worst year ever\u201d<\/strong>
\nThere really is a very thin line between success and failure at an agency. It\u2019s frightening and exhilarating at the same time and not for the faint of heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have enough people\u201d<\/strong>
\nYou will never have \u201cenough\u201d people. No matter what size the agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgencies without motivation are offices\u201d<\/strong>
\nMotivation is contagious. Cynicism kills motivation and slowly saps the energy out of an agency. An office may be the place that you come together to do work, but it shouldn\u2019t be the sole place that stimulates motivation. You have to leave it and find the inspiration outside of the four walls. In Jos\u00e9\u2019s case, his agency has one of their offices at a house with a pool, so inspiration may strike post-cannonball and hopefully not after seeing your co-worker in a Speedo.<\/p>\n

When la comunidad sold to a larger agency, the questions from the staff continued to be \u201cHow much?\u201d To address this and have fun with it they created this great video press release:<\/p>\n