Think different

One thing ad agencies - I mean integrated marketing communication collectives - are supposed to do, in fact the main thing, is differentiate their clients' product from competing products. Even if the competing products are exactly the same.

Yet it seems agencies aren't able to carve out any real differentiation between themselves. It's a little like the cobblers' kids not having shoes. Well, maybe not. But you see where I'm going.

I'm not talking about the work. From agency to agency, it can be vastly different. I'm talking about the way they position themselves on their websites to clients looking for agencies.

One agency with some letters in its name has "...a process that welds together creativity and accountability to produce ideas that deliver a return..." Fair enough.

An older Madison Avenue shop that's constantly trying to reinvent itself says "...we refuse to take a backseat to the creativity of any competitor when it comes to the impact of our work." If you have to say it...

Yet another says, "We deliver the precise and most powerful combination of talents and resources, customized for superior execution." I'm sorry, I dozed off at the beginning of that description.

One big westside shop is just "a group of hard-working, independent-minded, and passionate problem solvers who live to build brands.."

Yeah yeah. Sure sure.

In many ways, like cars and laundry detergents, agencies are parity products. They all do essentially the same thing. They all have essentially the same players. It's how they do it - meaning the work (and the thinking but I'm including that since the thinking results in the work) that sets them apart.

But when an agency is able to differentiate themselves on philosophy, in a way that gives you a genuine sense there are actually people using it as a northern star guiding the work they do, it's hard to ignore.

I read a lot of agency sites for this post. And the only one I could find that did what I'm talking about was Venables Bell & Partners.

I don't have any stake in naming them. They don't know who I am. I'm damn sure they don't read this blog. I've never worked there, and I don't know if I ever will. I don't even know anyone who does.

What I do know is after reading their philosophy, I'd like to.

Another iPhone? iThink iMight be getting tired of this

I was on hold for the iPhone for a long time. The first generation just didn't have the features I needed. The Samsung I had at the time had a five megapixel camera, shot video, and - most importantly as I now know - was on the Verizon network. But I'm a Mac-based individual, so I decided to wait another year for the second generation. Because I knew when it got here, it'd have all the features I was hoping for.

Which, Apple being Apple, it didn't.

So I waited yet another year, and then finally, the third generation iPhone 3Gs arrived. With a slightly better but still not great camera (that shot video but not really great video). More but not a lot more memory. And like the other two generations before it, thanks to AT&T, free call-dropping.

In spite of all that, I made the decision I'd put in enough time waiting and took the plunge. And even with its shortcomings, I love it.

For starters, it's cured my case of phone envy. Because it's an iPhone and everything that implies. But now I'm starting to hear rumblings and rumors, and mock ups like this one are starting to pop up showing what people think the fourth generation might offer when it comes out this June or July. Things like an even better camera. Even bigger screen. Even more memory. Even better sound.

And damn it, it's all making me feel like I should've waited longer.

At least when Apple does this with the MacBook Pro I don't have to re-up for about three years. But every year for the iPhone? The sad thing is I know I'll be in line with everyone else at the Apple Store the first weekend it goes on sale.

I also know if they keep pulling this stunt every year, it'll definitely make me think different about Apple.

Just not the way they want me to.