In 1979, Montreal copywriter Alvin Wasserman headed west to Vancouver to further his career in advertising. More than two decades later, as the president and creative director of Wasserman & Partners, he sees major advertisers leaving the West Coast market despite its long-standing reputation for strong creative.

Wasserman helped found creative boutique Wasserman Cozens Bundon, which became Wasserman & Partners Advertising in 1995 after the acquisition of VRH Communications from BBDO, which raised the Wasserman & Partners profile to that of an agency.

Wasserman says his company has survived by finding its local niche, but that it is very tough to compete in Vancouver. ‘The [creative] bar is very high,’ he says. ‘In order just to exist you have to have a very good agency. Being at the same level here in terms of size as an agency in Toronto, just proportionally, is a huge challenge. The standards are high, and the market is small.’

There are other, less controllable challenges as well. Leakage is a significant issue he and his competitors face constantly.

‘The exodus of major advertisers from here has been steady, ongoing and demoralizing,’ says Wasserman. ‘There has been a continuous leakage of head offices and marketing offices from Vancouver to Toronto, and then back to the U.S. That means there are less marketing jobs here and less agency assignments.’

To combat this, Wasserman & Partners has made itself a local expert. ‘If you are going to spend money in this region, you may as well spend it wisely,’ says Wasserman. ‘That has been a large part of our strategy – to know this region really well, understand nuances and really go deep in terms of consumer knowledge and working alongside our advertisers. It’s becoming part of the business – as opposed to just having a supplier mentality. That is key for us.’

The secret to continued success for all agencies on the West Coast, says Wasserman, is to keep the good creatives they already house, and continue to attract others.

‘Ultimately, good people and the kind of work coming out of here keep us on the map,’ he says. ‘If the work was mediocre, I think the industry would be half the size. We have to keep the quality up and the service up and keep close to the consumer.’

Edgy not always best

Vancouver’s creative work is known largely for its ‘breaking-away-from-the-pack-nature,’ and passing some potentially controversial work through clients. However, as alluring as ‘edgy’ may be to young creatives building their portfolios, Wasserman strongly advises his teams to keep their messages clear. Edgy is not always the best way to go.

‘I look for more relevant creative, which may or may not happen to have edge, depending on what the client’s personality is,’ says Wasserman. ‘I’ve always thought client personalities have to be separate and sovereign, and have to triumph over the agency’s personality. I expect my teams to create really sharp work, but not to get too excited about creation for creation’s sake.’

Wasserman has implemented an interactive department, located, quite literally, in the middle of his offices. Having the department in-house has encouraged integration of advertising and interactive and allows cross-pollination of talents in the many staffers who have backgrounds in both areas.

Facing a number of new advertising models that have yet to fully show their faces through PVR services and the continuous leaps and stumbles in interactive/Web advertising, Wasserman says his agency is looking into getting across ‘powerful ideas on minuscule budgets.’ He predicts low-budget, high-concept TV spots, and the delivery of multiple messages through interactive will be of increasing importance. He is worried, however, by the trend of clients looking to abandon branding in favor of promotional work.

‘I think it would be a huge mistake to abandon brand,’ says Wasserman. ‘I don’t particularly want to become just a promotion delivery system. It wouldn’t be satisfying to me in my career. I also don’t think that is good for the overall growth of brand and profitability. I think that is a dangerous road to go down for any advertising.’

-www.wasserman-partners.com