Plan A's Andrew Essex: 'The industry is ripe for reinvention'

What do you do after writing a book called “The End of Advertising?” If you’re Andrew Essex, you co-found an advertising company.  
 The advertising veteran launched Plan A last year, he says, with a different model in mind than the traditional holding company; “a leaner model, a lighter operating system.” Founded with MT Carney, Plan A is a collection of shops that includes Van’s General Store, Untitled Worldwide, Twin Studio and Beekman Social. 
 “It’s a new kind of holding company,” says Essex, a guest on this week’s Ad Lib podcast. “We tried to set up something that was an alternative for clients. They have two options right now: They can go to a Madison Avenue entity or they can hire a bunch of boutiques. Both have problems. So what’s a simpler model? Centralized account management and strategy and then allocate to a collection of boutiques who are best in class. But we give the client one [master service agreement] so it’s one throat to choke.” 
 At some point, he hopes to make acquisitions in the PR, or crisis communications space, and maybe voice. All of which invites the question: If he believes the advertising model is fundamentally broken, how does his holding company differentiate? For starters, he claims to stand out in stark contrast to another agency veteran launching a new collection of agencies: Martin Sorrell, who practically invented the model with WPP, beginning in 1985 and is starting from scratch at the age of 74 with his new venture S4.  
 “I... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-12 09:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #recent acquisition #parting ways #paid media #parted ways #important skill #decades ago

Other Publishing stories related to: ' Plan A's Andrew Essex: 'The industry is ripe for reinvention' '


Women's fiction is a sign of a sexist book industry

Joanne Harris says the book industry is sexist. Why else are there categories for 'women writers' and no equivalents for writers who happen to be men?This is the year of reading women, people, remember? We're all reading female writers and helping address the literary gender imbalance which is... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book industry #reading women #joanne harris


Industry Stocks: April Performances

The Publishers Weekly Stock Index fell 7.2% in April as share prices dropped for 11 of the 14 companies on the PWSI. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #industry stocks


Book Industry Weighs in on Key Free Speech Case

A coalition of publishers, booksellers and libraries argue that pre-enforcement challenges are "a critical tool for protecting free speech." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Nominations for the 2014 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards

Rep. John Lewis’s "March Book One," Isabel Greenberg’s "The Encyclopedia of Early Earth," Adrian Tomine’s “Go Owls,” and Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ "Saga," were among the wide-ranging comics works nominated for the 2014 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john lewis #march book #fiona staples


ALA Unveils Shortlist for 2014 Andrew Carnegie Medals

The American Library Association has shortlisted six books for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


DC, Warner Bros. Unveil Batman’s 75th Anniversary Plans

DC Entertainment has announced plans for a year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of Batman, the iconic Golden Age comic book character that debuted in 1939 and helped launch the superhero genre. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dc entertainment #warner bros #announced plans #75th anniversary #helped launch #superhero genre


Scribd’s Andrew Weinstein on Bookshops, Territorial Rights and…Scribd

Andrew Weinstein, the new VP of Content Acquisition at ebook subscription service Scribd discusses the role of bookstores, territorial rights and content. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #content acquisition #territorial rights


UK digital download tax will cripple sales and damage the industry

Last week in the UK, the announcement of the new budget for the country was closely watched as citizens kept an eye on whether they'll be paying more for beer and whether taxes are going up or down. There's a lot to talk about in George Osborne's 2014 budget, but this is not the place to discuss... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2014-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #george osborne #technology enthusiasts


How USA Today reinvents for the digital world

USA Today is in the midst of rethinking what it’s all about. Gone is the mindset of being a national newspaper; in is the goal of establishing itself as a national news brand on several platforms -- and yes, that includes print. USA Today president and publisher Larry Kramer explained the... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital world #usa today #national newspaper


Driving the Content Industry Forward: Digital Publishing in Korea 2014

Nothing gets the work done faster, or makes the word travel further, than having the might of the government behind it or the united action of a group of individuals with shared interests. In the Korean publishing industry, such synergy is evident and has been very effective. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishing #shared interests


The Changing Korean Book Retail Industry: Digital Publishing in Korea 2014

When online bookstores came on the scene back in 1999, there were around 5,000 brick-and-mortar bookstores in Korea. Today, there are barely 1,500 nationwide. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishing #online bookstores


Amazon Publishing UK plans 500 titles this year

Amazon Publishing plans to release more than 500 titles in the UK this year, the company's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Small publishers are benefiting from changes in the industry

The advent of digital publishing technology and ebooks has created opportunities for home-based publishersThe world of publishing was once the preserve of very large organisations, huge publishing houses with massive production infrastructures and costs, that kept smaller niche publishers on the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #important tool #biggest difference #practice direct


Court Approves Cengage Reorg Plan

The bankruptcy court overseeing Cengage Learning’s Chapter 11 proceedings has approved the company’s plan of reorganization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Campaigners plan protest for Women's Library reopening

Campaigners are planning to picket the re-opening of the Women's Library tonight (12th March... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


'PW,' 'BookBrunch' Plan London Show Dailies

PW and the U.K.’s BookBrunch are once again teaming up to produce three print Show Dailies for the London Book Fair as well as a supplement focused on the fair’s digital events. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Industry Stocks: February Performers

Both the Publishers Weekly Stock Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounded in February after being down in January. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #industry stocks


How the Meat Industry Keeps Chicken Prices High

This essay is excerpted from The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business, by Christopher Leonard, published by Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #meat racket #secret takeover #food business #christopher leonard #simon schuster


Meat Industry 1, Obama Administration 0

This essay is excerpted from The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business, by Christopher Leonard, published by Simon & Schuster. Read another excerpt from The Meat Racket, about how Tyson keeps chicken prices high. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #meat racket #secret takeover #food business #christopher leonard #simon schuster


H&S wins auction for Joey Essex

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired an autobiography from The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) star Joey... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #joey essex #hodder stoughton