The Innovative Agency
Sharon Toerek
The Innovative Agency is a podcast that exists to help marketing agency leaders answer the question: “What’s Next?”. How are agencies staying on the cutting edge of marketing trends? How are they adapting their businesses to meet new business challenges in the agency world? Hosted by marketing law and intellectual property lawyer Sharon Toerek, we’ll talk with agencies who are at the cutting edge of innovation and industry experts who have a front row seat to the practice of innovation in today’s marketing, communications and creative agencies. The goal is to help listeners learn to look around the corner to spot their next opportunity. Sharon will share her expertise along the way about how to legally protect your agency’s assets, and how to turn your agency’s innovation into cash.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 3, 2019 • 28min
31: 3 Ahas That Will Guide Your Youth Culture Messaging
“Youth culture.” Even the phrase is a bit intimidating. But Jeff Fromm has researched the ins and outs of young cohorts as consumers. And not just the high level — he gets into the details, breaking it down between millennials, Gen A, and even the nuances in between (like married, single, with kids, etc.). This episode of The Innovative Agency, we dive into a few “ahas” that Jeff Fromm has discovered from his extensive research on youth culture as consumers. Jeff is the President of FutureCast, an agency collective and consultancy.
Apr 25, 2019 • 37min
30: Don't Suppress Your Creativity: 3 Reasons You Should Stop Being Risk-Averse w/ Katie Keating and Erica Fite
Ever feel as if your creative juices are being stifled by risk-aversion? Maybe your marketing gut pushes you toward a messaging approach, but your client pulls in the reins: “That’s too controversial.” “We don’t talk about that.” “That’s too risky.” Katie Keating and Erica Fite heard these comments for about 16 years, on the agency side and in-house for brands. It didn’t matter where they went, their creative ideas were pulled way back. So they started Fancy, a truly Innovative Agency geared towards helping brands defy stereotypes, give a voice to the voiceless, and tackle taboo subjects.
Apr 4, 2019 • 39min
29: A 4-Step Process to Helping Your Clients Determine Which Tech Stack They Must Have w/ David Lewis
There’s a ton of technology out there. Knowing which ones to invest will be the most beneficial for your clients, can be overwhelming for agency owners. David Lewis gets it. He’s the founder and CEO of DemandGen, a marketing technology and services consultancy. He came on The Innovative Agency to share his thought leadership on marketing technology. We discuss: Tech in marketing Marketing automation Tech implementation Tools & tactics we all need to help our clients go further (David also hosts his own podcast, called Demand Gen Radio, and is the author of Manufacturing Demand.)
Mar 19, 2019 • 40min
28: Why You Should Stop Giving Clients Your Brilliant New Ideas w/ Ian Lurie
Ian Lurie is a “recovering” lawyer who, a few years out of law school, founded Portent, a Seattle internet marketing agency. Ian was able to harness great technical development talent, plus great content writing, to grow Portent into an attractive acquisition target. Today, Ian is the executive vice president of ClearLink, which acquired Portent several years ago. Ian visited The Innovative Agency podcast to share lessons learned in his more than 20 years as an agency builder. If you’re an agency leader looking to scale, this episode is for you.
Mar 13, 2019 • 18min
27: Collaboration: What You Need to Know About Being a Great Partner w/ Michael Cardwell
Everyone likes to believe they’re thinking outside of the box. But are you really thinking creatively? Michael Cardwell, and his team are without a doubt creative (they literally posted wanted posters of people they wanted a meeting with.) On the latest episode of The Innovative Agency, Michael shared his thoughts on creativity, being a great partner, and thinking outside the box to maximize your lead gen efforts. Michael is the Founder and President of Digital Brew, a video production company based in Orlando. Digital Brew creates both live action and animation videos to help brands tell their stories.
Mar 8, 2019 • 28min
26: Working with Clients to Create Impact, Even When Things are Volatile w/ Rob Shepardson
Rob Shepardson is an expert at working with clients to make an impact, even in volatile circumstances. Founding Partner at SS+K, Rob and his team lead clients to marry business and impact. With a foundation in political campaigns, the team has mastered the art of working with clients to make an impact, even in volatile times or treacherous industries. That’s exactly what Rob came on the latest episode of The Innovative Agency to talk about. He shared his expertise on navigating sensitive climates, working with a brand to effectively weigh in on social issues, and how to get started helping clients who want to make an impact. Here’s what he had to say.
Feb 28, 2019 • 1h 2min
25: Facing the Challenges That Create Successful Independent Agencies w/ Nancy Hill
You don’t become one of the most influential marketers in the country without a great deal of formative experience. That’s what Nancy Hill, former President and CEO of The 4 A’s turned Agency Founder, is widely considered. Her reach into the agency world is deep and profound from years of experience and success. From seeing the first mobile phone to her more recent consultancy, Nancy is changing the way agencies do business. She talked with me about the attributes of success indicative of a long and ongoing successful agency career on this episode of The Innovative Agency Podcast.
Feb 12, 2019 • 28min
24: 4 Steps for Agencies to Generate Massive Revenue With Thought Leadership w/ Josh Steimle
One of the most profitable revenue streams remains untapped at most agencies: thought leadership. The phrase may sound akin to an over-utilized buzzword, but Josh Steimle, agency owner at MWi would disagree. Using his publications in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and industry publications, he’s generated $5M in revenue. And no, it wasn’t difficult to get in. He simply joined contributor programs at each, published his articles without pay, and went from near-bankruptcy to a flourishing agency in a matter of months. He broke down a very easy 4-step process to publication that leads to revenue right here on The Innovative Agency Podcast.
