Mark Amtower’s Six Habits of Highly Defective People ‘Who Just Don’t Get It’

Instead, these companies provide second or third tier service. Their marketshare “is ‘rented,’ never owned,” Amtower said. But they don’t “pay” the rent with money. “So sooner or later, you’ll lose that marketshare. You can have time at the top, but it won’t last.”

5. Direct/catalog ad agencies that specialize in no particular market and employ a “one size fits all” approach. Catalog clients that use these (often award-winning) agencies, expect campaigns that’ll lead to overnight domination, Amtower said. “This would be laughable if it weren’t so pitiful,” he noted. “Most big agencies have no clue of market niches, the hot buttons, the lingo or ethical parameters to play in those niches. If you ignore the nuances before you execute the campaign, bad things can happen quickly. It’s bling bling and no substance.”