I just heard about this romantic story of a digital agency romance on Ad Age and we just had to share on such a rainy Friday afternoon in Dallas.  Get more

While millions of Americans are keeping their heads above water using Pay-Per-Click banner and text ads on their blogs and websites, Google has just announced a change to their algorithm that penalizes having too many ads with prime, “Above the Fold” placement.   Let’s dig into this change a bit and see how it might affect webmasters of all websites.

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On Friday, October 21st the Temerlin Advertising Institute (TAI) at SMU will be celebrating their 10 year anniversary and as an early alum myself, I couldn’t be more proud of how the program continues to dominate.

When I graduated from the Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU in 2004, I was part of just the second class to complete the program.  Even in those days, [tooltip content="Patricia (Patty) Alvey, Distinguished Chair and Director of the Temerlin Advertising Institute" url="http://www.smu.edu/Meadows/AreasOfStudy/Advertising/FacultyAndStaff/AlveyPatricia.aspx" ]Dr. Patricia Alvey[/tooltip] was somehow able to attract [tooltip content="Including Stan Richards and Bill Ford--who became a mentor of mine." url="" ]world-class professors[/tooltip] and [tooltip content="Like Paul Flowers, who recently weighed in on our new Digital Agency Model." url="http://dev.jdm-digital.com/2011/news/digital-agency-model/" ]renowned guest speakers[/tooltip] that helped shape my love of strong design, creative copy writing and innovative strategies that allowed my professional career to evolve into owning my own digital agency, JDM–which you’ve likely heard of by now since you’re reading our Shameless News blog.

Since those early days, the TAI has been churning out advertising students that dominate everything from the job market to the local ADDY Awards.  Next Friday, October 21st, the TAI will be celebrating their 10-year Anniversary with an alumni dinner on campus.

Seems not that long ago I attended the inaugural cocktail party for the newly founded TAI and was fortunate to meet Liener Temerlin in person and he impressed me thoroughly not least of which with his modesty.  Indeed, in a press release from the time he was quoted as saying:

[quotes]“I’m extremely proud of this recognition from Southern Methodist University. On my wildest creative landscapes, this was never on the horizon. When I started in this business, I hoped I could make a living and perhaps even receive a little distinction. But this is truly overwhelming.”[/quotes]

Dennis McClain, Liener Temerlin, R. Gerald Turner

Liener Temerlin began his advertising career in 1953 as a copywriter for Glenn Advertising in Dallas and remained with the agency through several name changes over the past 48 years. He now serves as chairman emeritus of [tooltip content="Which is now TM and after a rocky year seems to be making a comeback under their new CEO." url="http://dev.jdm-digital.com/2011/news/tm-ceo-revives-agency/" ]Temerlin McClain[/tooltip], which is the leading advertising agency in the Southwest and part of the Interpublic Group, the largest advertising, marketing and communications resource in the world. Temerlin is widely credited with bringing major national and international advertising accounts to Texas and the Southwest, among them Hyatt Hotels, Max Factor, Quaker Oats, and Pfizer.

I remember when the Ad team from my class won a minor ADDY award.  I thought that was a really big deal.  These days, the TAI Ad team are dominating the ADDYs.  Dr. Alvey, commented on her students domination:  “Just a few years ago, we would have been completely overshadowed by all other art/design/advertising schools. As we began to build a creative program from the ground up, we didn’t even enter competitions for the first few years. Gradually we began to make better showings, and then began to bring home a handful of awards. And now we regularly sweep local, regional, national and even international competitions. SMU’s standing as a true creative bright spot has now been proven with the hardest-to-reach and most competitive part of the advertising and design industries — the creative competitions.”

As SMU itself is celebrating 100 years as a Dallas institution, I’m so very proud of the Temerlin Advertising Institute and its 10th anniversary.  If I know Alvey, and you asked her about what’s in store for the TAI in the next 10 years, I think she’d say, “We’re just getting warmed up!“

TM, a Dallas-based advertising agency, had been in something of a funk, having lost marquee clients like Nationwide and loosing their CEO, Tom Hansen, to wheeled-shoe company Heelys.  In the spring of 2010, Becca Weigman took the reigns with a goal of turning around the shaky agency.

A 20-year veteran who was chief marketing officer for RAPP, Weigman has been working to revive TM, leading a charge to revamp its public image and adding new clients such as Baker Botts, the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science, and the City of Dallas. The agency also has managed to hang on to longtime marquee clients, including: Citi, Discover, and American Airlines.

Advertising Age put TM’s 2009 revenue  down almost 17%.  Although Weigman is keeping her projections to herself, she does admit in a blog post that TM is “definitely growing.”  Evidence of which include adding 30 new employees (bringing the staff to more than 200) and fostering an open, collaborative work environment for her team.

“I want us to be a brand that clients will seek out for our excellent services.” Weigman says.

The agency, originally headquartered just a quarter mile from JDM HQ, has recently moved to Victory Plaza, immediately adjacent to American Airlines Center. Weigman and design firm Gensler came up with an open space plan that works in plenty of lounge areas, as well as small, private work areas. “In a creative business,” explains Weigman, “you’ve got to give the creative types an environment that is conducive to their work.”

“As a Temerlin Advertising Institute graduate myself, I’m pulling for her.” Comments Justin Downey. “Temerlin/McClain (now TM) is a long-time Dallas agency that once embodied the very best our industry could do.  I’m rooting for the new CEO turning things around for them.”

photo by Sara Kerens

I’ve never been much for hunting, but I do like target shooting. A friend of mine taught me to “aim small, miss small.” In other words, aim for the whole beer can and you might miss it entirely. Aim for the hole in the “g” on the label and, even if you miss the letter, you’ll still hit the can.

“Aim small, miss small” also applies to B2B direct marketing.

Most direct marketers play the numbers game and send their generic message to anyone they think might have even the remotest interest in the message. Then they’re surprised when unqualified responses trickle in.

If you “aim small” and develop a small, but highly targeted list, a highly relevant message and drive them to equally relevant content, response rates will drastically increase.

I know what you’re thinking: small list = few responses (even with a high response rate)–and you’re right. The key is your targeted message can only “miss small.” You can’t get too far off-base if you’re speaking to a very select group of prospects the way you can when you’re speaking to an entire demographic.

“Aim small, miss small” is the motto of evolved direct marketers who demand the highest quality responses at a price that will generate a positive ROIm (Return on Marketing Investment). It also spells trouble for beer cans.