Weathering our business

Breaking news: This has been one horrible winter for any one living in the eastern third of the country. Let’s be honest, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois — even parts of Ohio and New York — you expect to get hit like this. But the South is wholly unprepared (according to my friends in Atlanta), and those of us in the mid-Atlantic region have been … caught off guard. Just talk to any school-aged kid who is losing most of spring break to make up for snow days!

Beyond the emotional frustration caused by this endless onslaught of nasty weather, there’s also the devastating impact on business. Don’t worry; I’m not going to bulldoze you with a lengthy lecture about market trends and impacts — although if you read this blog to its conclusion, you should get one marketing tip. But rather I’d like to focus on one very specific business segment — mine. Advertising and public relations.

Obviously, 12 inches of snow causes schools to close, transportation systems to alter schedules and government officials to call for all sorts of restrictions and designations. Meetings get cancelled, people (on both the client and agency side) are unable to get to the office, schedules are generally screwed up for everybody. But clients retain Aloysius Butler & Clark because they expect us to provide fresh thinking, innovative creative solutions and reliable delivery of services to meet their business challenges. Now at AB&C we are blessed with some of the most talented employees in the industry, but this weather makes our job harder.

Obviously not having the “usual” access to our clients is stressful, but we count on each other as much as our individual skills. So if the Titleist golf account team (a fella can dream!) is unable to collaborate on the new campaign, then timelines are affected and creative stimulus is lost. The pure anguish of living with this weather taps the creative spirit. How do you expect the copywriter who hasn’t had power in his home for four days to get fired up about writing a spirited new radio script?

These are challenging times to be in the creative services business. But I’m proud to report that business is good — our product is excellent and we all continue to work hard to be a great and trusted partner to our clients.

Oh, the marketing tip I promised: It’s getting warmer. The snow is melting. Act fast — now is the ideal time to hire a creative advertising and PR firm!