There was a time when just about any client was happily snatched up by any agency lucky enough to get ‘em. Regardless of social norms, culture, or political correctness. Advertising was very much a business of commerce, and less about personalities. Today, it’s different. Every agency is a slightly different animal. There are far more boutique shops, like ours, than there ever were in the “Mad Men” days of the early 60s. And those smaller shops are about personality, not corporate culture. The result? In our opinion — better work. More thoughtful work. And consequently, more personal work.

Agencies today (particularly in this economy) still want any client they can get. That’s never going to change 100%. But those clients also have to gel, to some extent, with the values and personality of the agency. In the Golden Age, one of the most sought after accounts was a cigarette brand. Today? Not so much. Someone does the advertising. We still see the ads from time to time, but not nearly as often as in the past. Agencies big and small have to ask themselves, “Do we want this?” And that’s new. Or, relatively new.

With personal opinion, and a vocal public being stronger now than ever before it seems, there are a lot more brands/entities that fall into the “maybe/maybe not” gray area. Political candidates for example. I know agencies that would shut their doors before doing work for a Republican. I also know shops that feel the same way about Democrats. Some would never touch a liquor brand. And, it goes without saying, cigarettes aren’t going to be the proudest piece of business for any agency.

But what about people who we (collectively) would have LOVED to use in an ad at one point, who have since fallen from grace. For example, ummm, and we’re just grabbing a name out of the dark here… Michael Vick?

At our office we have a running joke — Did Nike call while I was out? Someone says it a few times a week. We say it to other clients. It’s just our thing. But picture this: Nike DOES call (no, we’re not holding our breath), and wants to give us their account. The catch? We have to use, and glorify, Michael Vick. Yikes. Talk about mixed emotions. I (the partner writing this) don’t want to speak for all the partners’ personal feelings at the moment, but I think I can confidently say that we would have to decline. (sigh) Respectfully decline.