A Third of a Century Ago

By Steve Fradkin, President
The Wizard of Adz

In November of 1978 — a third of a century ago — we opened the doors of The Wizard of Adz, introducing a new concept in advertising agencies.  Our initial clients were a lecture agency, an international manufacturer of precision electroformed metal products, a concert promoter, a bank marketing consultant, and a candidate for state office.

A lot has changed over those years, but our philosophy of making quality advertising available to small businesses is still the same.

Technologically, we were in the Dark Ages.  Our graphics department consisted of an IBM Composer (a typewriter-style typesetting device), an AM Headliner (which set headlines one letter at a time on 35mm photographic paper) and a stat camera (there were no scanners back then).  We pasted bits of type and Photostats of pictures and logos onto white cardboards (called paste-ups), and sent those to the printer or medium to be photographed and made into plates for printing.

Our phones were the dial-type.  There were no desktop computers, scanners or inkjet printers.  We did have an IBM Memory Typewriter, which we used for a somewhat primitive form of word processing.  Our first fax machine was a Qwip telecopier (made by Exxon), which took six minutes to scan a page wrapped around a spinning cylinder, convert the images into audible beeps and squeaks, send those sounds out via phone (in an acoustic coupler) to another Qwip, which reversed the process, thermally etching the image on a special paper.

Needless to say, we’ve done a lot of changing.  And learning.  We progressed first to computerized photo-typesetting, then to digital photo-typesetting (a system that cost us $30,000 back in the 1980s).  Desktop publishing didn’t come along until 1984 (we waited several years more for the quality to improve to commercial standards).  Where UPS and taxicab delivery services had been daily visitors, the Internet and e-mail revolutionized delivery of proofs and printing materials.

But the years have done more than impact our office equipment.  Markets and marketing methods have changed significantly as well.  And we’ve kept pace.  To our repertoire of print, broadcast and direct mail ads, public relations and marketing consultation services, brochures, logos, stationery, billboards and bumper strips, we’ve added websites, on-line banner ads, e-mail blast campaigns, voice mail messaging, social network advice and more.

What we started in 1978 was revolutionary for the times.  While most small businesses either couldn’t afford to retain a full-service ad agency or, if they did hire one, didn’t get the attention and level of service afforded the larger clients, we set out to change the rules and make quality business communication available to smaller firms.

·        We eliminated contracts (most agencies required them).

·        We quoted prices up front, on a project basis (most agencies billed by the hour, open-ended).

·        We set no minimum account size (most agencies had minimums of 6 or 7 figures per year).

·        We required no exclusivity (if you wanted to work with other vendors, or place your own ads, we had no issue with that).

·        We provided advertising management services as well as creative and production, to help owner-managers strategize their ad campaigns (most agencies are used to dealing with corporate advertising or brand managers).

We haven’t changed those policies one bit.  And we’ve helped literally hundreds of small businesses set sales records, double and triple in size, quickly sell out of product, and helped candidates get elected to offices from Library Trustee on up to State Treasurer and Auditor.  To see some of our case histories, check out our new website WizardOfAdz.com and click on Strategic Case Histories or Political Advertising.

And to learn more about how we can put a third of a century of experience and progress to work for your company, call Sharon at 781-821-1818 or email her at Sharon@WizardOfAdz.com.