THE 2010 BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT As we enter 2010, the advertising and marketing services agency world will once again be emerging for a challenging 2009.  Companies restrained most hiring in 2009.  Now with the economy slowly turning around, 2010 should see an increase in hiring.  Interactive/digital agencies and corporate departments will lead the way in staffing and traditional “legacy agencies” will lag.  Obviously a major shift in marketing spending will continue to be in favor the digital space with a sharper focus on social media and smart phone mobile platforms.  Legacy media (newspaper, magazine and television) will continue to decline in favor of one-to-one digital media delivery.   Look for large global consumer companies to bring more of their digital marketing services in-house.  This will have an impact on the traditional “interactive agency” growth.   Four, key 2010 events of a tectonic nature in media delivery will be:  1) the accelerated movement away from PC web browsing to smart phone web browsing; 2)  the emergence of “smart readers” (i.e. the Kindle on steroids – which the i-reader from Apple will represent); and 4) the continued rise and legitimacy  of phone apps (primarily intra-apps used inside large corporations).    SERVICES ADDRESSING THE 2010 BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Eric Kercheval & Associates LLC can help you and your management team to evaluate the best options for your company as you enter this challenging year and business environment.  We can help you by offer the following services:   Executive Recruiting: ·         Digital/interactive: agency-side and corporate-side (all disciplines – strategic and execution) ·         Marketing and brand management on the corporate-side ·         Traditional marketing services agencies (advertising, PR, promotion, direct marketing, experiential) Agency sale: ·         Review of current market conditions ·         Who’s buying and why (what buyers are looking for) ·         Agency valuation ·         Low-cost or no-cost ways to improve agency valuation ·         Preparing your agency for a sale ·         Representing your agency in a sale ·         Identifying the best buyer(s) to sell to   Agency merger or acquisition: ·         Why a merger rather than a sale or acquisition (pros and cons) ·         How to acquire an agency (strategic or financial purchase) ·         Acquisition of funding/financing ·         Identifying acquisition or merger targets ·         Representation in an acquisition or merger   Key management recruitment (or adjustments) ·         Evaluation of current management team (strengths & weaknesses) ·         Review of compensation and benefits ·         Recommendations on changes or additions ·         Recruitment of additions or replacements ·         Overhead-to-operating cost analysis ·         Client-by-client profitability analysis ·         Debt reduction analysis ·         Intellectual capital cost and ROI analysis Managing your current clients: ·         Financially ·         Strategically ·         Creatively   New business development: ·         Agency positioning: ·         Understanding your primary competitors ·         Leveraging your agency’s dominant strengths ·         Prospect targeting (aligning agency strengths with the prospect’s needs) ·         Marketing and solicitation strategies and tactics ·         Putting you new business program into place   Email:                eric@ekassoc.com Web:                 www.ekassoc.com Linkedin:           www.linkedin.com/pub/3/35b/ab5 Twitter:             http://twitter.com/admaniac   15 South First Street, Suite A1220 Minneapolis, MN 55401 328 West 83rd Street, Suite 4A New York, NY  10024