Recently, Charlie MacLeod, President and CEO of SMM Advertising, was interviewed by Long Island Business News for their special “Two Minutes” feature series. The full article, which appeared in LIBN’s January 10 – 16, 2014 issue, is below.

 

There’s a lot going on in the advertising world, with plenty of changes afoot – including the name of one of the region’s better-known ad firms: Smithtown-based Sanna Mattson MacLeod has rebranded itself SMM Advertising. Chief Executive Charles MacLeod explains the reasons behind the shorter name – and sounds off about other developments in an industry that, more than virtually any other, tells us what to think.

Why did you change the name? I though the name of the firm was a little too long and stodgy. I wanted to refresh it without changing it completely. Agencies often go by acronyms – BBDO, JWT.

Was this just a name change, or part of a larger corporate update? We rebuilt the agency. We modernized it. We got rid of cubicles. We have very modern furniture, a beautiful presentation area with high-def TVs and couches. And we built a new website that we launched about three weeks ago. We brought it up to the 21st century.

Which industries are strongest for your firm? We’re doing a lot of work in B2B, manufacturing and financial services. Manufacturing folks are opening their eyes to the idea that they need to increase their marketing budgets. In a recent study, 94 percent of manufacturers said they would maintain levels of marketing dollars or increase them.

There aren’t too many big companies based on Long Island. How does that affect your business? We have some manufacturing clients on Long Island. They sell globally. As the global economy improves, they’re beneficiaries. They also need to be competitive and to market themselves. We help them with international trade shows, getting the word out with social media.

How has the role of the ad agency changed? Agencies have to redefine what creativity is. It used to be, “What’s the best idea, the best commercial?” I don’t think it’s about the best-executed ad anymore. Creativity in the agency is defined by coming up with innovative solutions that meet clients’ objectives.

For example? We have a campaign going on right now for Suffolk County, to raise awareness among fire, rescue and emergency-services personnel. We developed this humanizing concept of creating heroes in people, suggesting you can bring out the amazing part of your character if you volunteer for your local fire department. The campaign has been highly effective and met its goals. We hired a Marvel Comics artist who created different characters. We do a lot of social media on Facebook and Twitter. We’re starting to engage people more.

What’s going on in terms of data mining? With digital, everything is so quick. The dilemma is that chief marketing officers aren’t able to executive good data-driven programs, because of the lack of talent in being able to interpret and make recommendations based on data. Digital agencies are hiring statistics and math people to put data together and make recommendations.

As 3D printing catches on, will we see 3D ads? I think advertising is going to require agencies to understand and utilize 3D printing more to develop different ideas. I believe this three-dimensional form of expression will head our way. It will open up a new age of ad craft. We’ll shape and make things, as opposed to just taking pictures of them.

What’s new in terms of video in marketing? Two years ago, manufacturers rated video seventh in their bag of marketing tactics. Now it’s the No. 1 tactic used by B2B manufacturing marketers. It can be shot on location. It makes it easier to get their message across, with greater clarity. It’s a great way to complement other media.

How are smartphones changing marketing? Smartphones are part of that digital viewing. Smartphone usage is probably up 50 percent. Ad content is going to be delivered more on smartphones. It isn’t always a little bar at the bottom of your iPhone or Samsung. It’s delivered through games, press, apps. A campaign without a smart- phone digital component right now is probably going to be lacking.

How is advertising changing in the age of Twitter? I believe within content marketing, the new word is “small.” Brands are marketing themselves by short-form social media like Twitter, Instagram and Vine, with six-second videos. There’s a new platform called Snapchat. Clients and advertising agencies are engaging prospects through brief snippets of conversation, personality and on video, rather than through long, drawn-out video and tactics.

If you had a New Year’s resolution related to your business, what would it be? To continue to create innovative solutions for our company and clients, something that wouldn’t necessarily be a traditional campaign. A client might be expecting you to come in with a print campaign. You say, “We want to present you with something more innovative. We want you to reconsider the name of your product, reconsider your logo. We want you to reconsider your branding first.”

By Claude Solnik
Published: January 13, 2014