The Value of Service


The best piece of advertising advice I ever received was from a former boss who said to always make sure you give more value than the client anticipates, and that you provide more value than the client has paid for. What this is telling us is: Don’t leave anything on the table. Don’t do a half-hearted effort.

That advice includes the practice of hiring. The old adage about the weakest link couldn’t be more true than in the advertising business. Over the years I have tried to hire folks who know a lot more than I do in every discipline. Fortunately, that hasn’t been too difficult. I have managed to hire some absolutely incredible talent, and I have encouraged them to hire incredible talent. I have managed to run some very good companies as a result.

Talent isn’t enough, though. A strong service ethic is vital. If you don’t have a strong service ethic, and you are not willing to work to take the extra step to do the job better than it could or should be done, then advertising is going to be a tough business for you to work in. It is very important, particularly for a young person getting into the industry today, to realize that this is a service business. Granted, it is a business of products, creative and strategy, but the overriding element that ties these together – especially in long-tenured relationships – is service. It is a service business.

Although the world in which advertisers and their agencies are operating is getting more complex every day, success can still be achieved. I believe it is possible to outwork the other guys rather than just outspending them. I believe that what we do in advertising is special and that not everyone can do it. I believe that a great agency promotes the client and the brand, and not the agency. Bottom line, though, the work agencies do isn’t all that creative if it doesn’t achieve results.

Above all, I believe in the old-fashioned concept of partnership. I believe in helping clients grow. I believe it is important to hire young, bright people, to nurture and train them, and to help them believe that every project they do for any client is the most important project they will ever handle. I believe in accountability. I believe in results. And, I believe that you can do all of this and still have a lot of fun in the business.

David Hadeler is the president and CEO of the Dallas office of MARC USA, the fourth largest independent advertising and marketing services firm in the United States. In addition to helping build some of the best-known brands in the country, he has participated in the launch of new products, in the positioning and repositioning of national brands, and has helped develop advertising and marketing campaigns for everything from fishing reels to airlines, and from fast food to foreign imports.

A graduate of Baylor University, he received his graduate degree from The University of North Texas, where he is an advisory board member of the School of Communications. He is involved in a number of civic activities, and serves on the boards of several national charitable organizations.




The Art of Advertising. CEOs from BBDO, Mullin Advertising & More on Generating Creative Campaigns & Building Successful Brands
The Art of Advertising: CEOs from Mullen Advertising, Marc USA, Euro RSCG & More on Generating Creative Campaigns & Building Successful Brands (Inside the Minds Series)
ISBN: 1587622319
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 68

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