So the whole time I was going to see/meet Jason Sack from Zeus Jones since I really enjoyed his presentation at Minnewebcon back in early April (see below)-but-lo and behold Adrian Ho was there, also representing Zeus Jones as the founder (co?).

I jumped into a table with Adrian & Craig Pladson from Colle McVoy, amongst 8 or so others “aspiring mentees” interested in strategy & planning. Adrian was remarkably funny, surprisingly candid, and clearly brilliant.  Craig was super nice, down to earth, articulate, and also intelligent in his own right.  Most of the questions from the group were snoozers, which is fine, but I just wish I/we had more time to for Q & A to really dig in.

My questions:

• What were some of the obstacles and frustrations that you faced at Fallon that eventually pushed you out on your own towards Zeus, and at what point did you decide that it was the right time to make the change?

• You’re recent blog post about the blend of operations & marketing was excellent, but why is this news?

• Where’s your metaphorical mail room?

• Do you have a growth strategy, if so, what is it?

• In your biased opinion, are there any other local agencies that have embraced a similar corporate culture and philosphy to solving problems for their clients? If so, who?

It’s apparent to me that Zeus Jones is blazing their own trail by ditching everything advertising and offering a value proposition and a level of service that is far superior to what most other local agencies can dream of. Admittedly, I felt a little bad for Craig having to be next to Adrian, because it’s so painfully obvious that while there is a time and place for agencies like Colle McVoy, Zeus is gearing up to be way hotter, which is of course what works in the media world.  I just wish there were more Adrian Ho’s around here…

Thank you Adrian for taking the time to enlighten us! Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to pitch myself, but I will eventually

I really want to thank Craig though from Colle McVoy for taking the time to be there as well.  Craig was kind enough to stick around and chat one on one with me for 30 minutes after the event, which was also very informative.

For example, I learned that while Cole McVoy is moving in the right direction, they are still behind the curve.  But, this game is up for grabs and things can change overnight: best of luck to Colle McVoy!

Jason Sack on UX & Community building at Minewebcon 4/6/09: