Damned If You Do

Today we launched the Digital Agency HOT+COLD list for Campaign Brief and Bannerblog. The idea has been in flux for a while and after many emails between lots of different parties it's all complete. Debate over how much awards should factor in (some wanted it 50-100% based on awards), should size be based off billings vs staff numbers (I pushed for staff numbers as a much easier figure to audit), should it be in Campaign Brief, let's get AIMIA or IAB involved, lets rate by technology, lets make it like the NMA list etc etc. The NMA list in the UK bases all agencies on their digital billings. Agencies are ranked from 1-100 and NMA seem to have the respect of all the agencies and being on the list seems to be enjoyed by most. Even the ones lower down. One thing I realised half way through the Hot+Cold process was that if I ever floated the idea of "a blog for banners what does everyone think?" the site would have never been made. It would have been just a series of emailed opinions about how it should work and how it wont work. I also realised it's a major hassle to wrangle judges to do something. It's a real hassle chasing people for info, scores, comments. I should have charged for entries :) All the judges did their job though so I can't complain too much. It was also a good cross section. Some were very harsh while others were very lenient. The range of scores ended up at 21-79 so they all cancelled each other out into the middle. So the list is up and come major agencies asked not to be part. They had their reasons but these are the same agencies that enter "agency of the year" comps but won't agree to be ranked with all other agencies. This seems like a double standard to me. Why enter B&T and AdNews with their secret juries and not Bannerblog and a known jury of peers? Anyway, I take stuff personally when I shouldn't. The list would have been created with or without my involvement by Campaign Brief. I jumped at the chance to work on it for multiple reasons but mostly to ensure that it was judged by a proper digital jury and not just Michael Lynch's friends. No offence Lynchy :) I could have just judged it all myself and done it as an opinion piece like this post by Visual Jazz's Stuart. My list would look a lot different from the one we ended up with and I also would not have asked for agencies permission and submissions. Much easier but meaningless. I would have also been influenced by 2008 work. Many agencies I thought were killing it a lot of the work I remember was form 2008. Other agencies I had never heard of had solid 2009 years. I had best intentions when wanting to start the list in 2008 and still do. But with all the BS that comes your way (and my nature to take to everything to heart) it feels like it wasn't worth it. Hopefully after the next round of updates and more agencies are added people will start to see the worth of it. It certainly has to have more worth than the recent Forester report of 6 agencies. Next steps for me will be to talk to AIMIA and IAB and see if this is something they want to carry the torch for it and Bannerblog can just host it. This might convince the other agencies that it's something worth while being involved in. Before this there was comprehensive list of digital agencies in Australia and maybe I should have just started with that. So damned if you do and damned if you dont. I've been in this boat many times and it always makes me feel uneasy. Its much easier doing nothing that's for sure. I've had some tough decisions at work also with the same outcome. Either way I get a shit sandwich, only difference is you can choose which bread I'd like beforehand.