Category: agency news

I read an article a few months ago about the trouble that local businesses, specifically those of a technical nature, were having in finding qualified employees. While it should come as no surprise to anyone, it does beg the question that can be asked of the agency business here in Idaho — can more be done to attract and retain well-qualified candidates to local agencies?

I’ve seen a number of job openings running repeatedly as of late, which suggests that either the employer is not finding the qualified person, or that the qualified person is not interested in looking for a new job. Add to it the fact that agencies from outside the area have been known to recruit in the area (agency job openings in Portland on the Boise Craigslist are common), and the problem only gets worse.

So, the question remains — can more be done to attract and retain well-qualified candidates?

Technorati tags: advertising agency talent, craigslist

I know that I’m way behind on this one, but what can you do…

Both Tac Anderson and Brian Packer have left Blueline recently — each for their own reasons. To their credit, the folks over at Blueline laid out the details (or as much of them as they’re willing to share) on their website.

Technorati tags: blueline

Some of you know me. Many of you do not.

For those that don’t, here’s a brief introduction. My name is Brian Harrison.

When I began publishing this blog, I was little more than an interested observer of the agency business here in Idaho. I had worked for Stoltz Marketing Group many years ago, and as such was familiar with many of the players around town. I’ve had a day job that has allowed me the chance to keep up on the ins and outs of this business, and natural curiosity about how the whole Web 2.0 thing will affect the work that local agencies are doing.

Well, that’s all about to change.

As of Monday morning I’ll no longer be merely an interested observer. I’ll have skin in the game, so to speak.

I’ve accepted a position with Closed Loop Marketing & Advertising.

Is that going to change what I do on this site? Probably.

Obviously, I won’t be writing about what’s happening inside the agency — that would be nothing short of career suicide. I will most likely keep up on who is coming and going, job openings, and other assorted news. Also, if I see a particularly good, or bad, campaign, I’m still going to call it as I see it.

Even in a “smaller” business community such as Boise, I think we still need to be able to pat each other on the back once in a while, respectfully call bullshit when appropriate, and raise the level of discussion, and consequently the quality of the work.

With that being said, have a good weekend everybody.

Robert Adler, the co-inventor of the TV remote passed away yesterday.

And he lived in Boise, Idaho of all places!

“WE WANT MORE POSTS” — Anonymous comment. Thursday, February 15th, 2007.

First off, thank you. This type of comment, to me at least, says that what I’ve been doing with this blog for the past year or so is of interest to you, dear readers. And, while you may not always agree with thoughts, comments or opinions, you’ve taken the time to get involved in the discussion. For that, I say “thank you” to you.

Now, let’s see where we can go from here.

The offer is still open — if you’d like to contribute something to this blog, you’re welcome to do so.
If you’d like to show off some of the work that you’ve been doing, feel free to send it my way.

Also, here’s a thought for you — whenever the advertising/marketing industry as a whole goes through any large-scale changes (think the rise of interactive work in the mid- to late-nineties), those same changes seem to trickle down to the local level a couple of years later.
We’re now about two years into the rise of the Web 2.0 world, which, if history serves as a guide, means that it will start to impact the local agencies at any time, if it hasn’t already. Who is best positioned to take advantage of this? Will it have an impact on anyone’s business?

By the way, the title of this post is also the title of a song. Bonus points to anyone who can name the band. Even more points if you can do it without looking it up online.