AdBailout Plan and Great Agency Promo... It Ain't Obama!

YES WE CAN. YES WE CAN.

I started this blog well after the great collapse or whatever you want to call these times in the advertising business, now don't go thinking I've lost my mind when this came across my inbox... "a fake ceramic carpet crawler smoking a big, fat cigarette".

This particular "baby popped up" as a teaser for Elemental, a Toronto ad agency, accompanied by the following line of copy: “Advertisers have done a lot of wrong.”

“The whole idea was to create a sense of curiosity,” says Elemental founder Brent Wardrop.

As it happens, the baby is the front for a microsite, "whatsinyourbudget.ca", which invites CMO's Mhief marketing Officers) and their like to submit a business problem. If selected, Elemental will provide all strategies and creative services free of charge.

The opening video at the site features Mr. Wardrop giving his best "Yes We Can"... and "it's not about Blue Agecnies, Red Agencies or Purple Agencies...", great stuff and an interesting approach to self-promote.

“We think there's a better way to do marketing,” Mr. Wardrop says. “As a small agency, we've always been very budget respective of our clients.”

Translation: Do you really want to pay $300 an hour for that creative director? If not, Mr. Wardrop's marketing budget bailout may be just the thing for you.

I love the innovation and simplicity of the idea and "kitchiness".