Flowers & Partners, Inc., has developed a unique approach with its clients: underdog advertising. The agency handles such "underdogs" as Dickies, Guess? Footwear and GTE PCS and helps them go head-to-head with top dogs like Levi's, Reebok and AT&T PCS respectively.
Agency president Paul Flowers reveals his approach to underdog advertisers, how he started his business and what job-seekers can do to get their foot in the door at an agency.
What prior advertising experience did you have before deciding to start your own agency?
I have only had two jobs in my life. Being president of Flowers & Partners is my second one. Prior to starting Flowers & Partners, I was an account supervisor at the Bloom Agency (Now Publicis/Mid-America).
In 1984, the economy in Dallas was golden - you just couldn't make a mistake in business. I left the Bloom Agency to start a new agency with two partners and the promise of a $1-million account.
As luck would have it, the two partners backed out, the million-dollar account never materialized and by 1985, the economy had gone to pot - and there I was with a struggling agency and no accounts. Had I known then what I know now, I probably never would have left the cozy confines of the Bloom Agency!
How did you grow your agency from the first day you opened the doors to the major house it is today?
The keys to our success to date are:
1. I have been lucky enough to find a couple of outstanding creative directors, who consistently produced great advertising for our shop.
2. A lot of blood, sweat and tears committed to new business development. And this is something I have learned that I had to do myself. I tried assigning the task to others in the agency and I have hired people specifically to solicit new business. But the only thing that has worked for us is for me to be the guy responsible for new business development.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to open their own ad agency?
Don't try to go it alone. Find one to two partners whose talent complements your own. If you are a strong marketing strategist, find a great creative talent and media planner to supplement your abilities.
And don't overlook the financial side of the business. As soon as you can afford it, find a strong financial person to oversee your books and keep your financial house in order.
Finally, be prepared to make the hard decisions. Probably my biggest shock when starting out was that when I worked for someone else, I always had the luxury of passing on the hard decisions to my supervisor. Once I was on my own, I no longer enjoyed that luxury and had to start making those decisions myself. Early on, that caused a lot of sleepless nights.