I am a partner in Ames Scullin O’Haire (ASO) Advertising in Atlanta. We started our company in January of 1997. We grew and prospered, but we kept our souls and decided we were not going to chase just any account to make a buck. We decided early on we were not the right agency for every client.
In 1998, we made a bold decision. We took a stand that was so radical, so revolutionary, so completely counter-culture, it shook the marketing world like Jell-o on a jackhammer in an earthquake. We decided to plant our feet firmly and declare accounts we would not work on– refusing easy money on strong principles.
Below is our press release unleashed way back when. It was news that shook the marketing world, caused calamity in many boardrooms and some might argue eventually sunk a once great company. Had ASO decided to work on GM, perhaps all their financial turmoil could have been avoided.
We’ll never know. We’ll just never know.
PRESS RELEASE:
ASO REFUSES TO WORK WITH ‘GENERALS’
While a sluggish economy has many ad agencies chasing any and all accounts, Ames Scullin O’Haire Advertising in Atlanta has taken a decidedly different tact announcing it refuses to work for any account with the word “General” in its name.
This includes General Motors, General Electric, General Mills, General Foods and General Dynamics. While these corporate blockbusters spend billions annually in advertising, ASO is resolved in its commitment to refuse work from any of these lucrative heavy spenders.
In a prepared statement, ASO declares it “will not work with any client that is so mamby pamby it calls itself General. When these clients decide to get more specific, rather than general––they can give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.”
Corporate representatives from the various General clients did not return phone calls.
11 responses to “Did ASO Kill GM?”
As with most generalities, this has its glaring exceptions.
Yours very truly,
General Kitty
What phrase… super, remarkable idea
Gm is going bankrupt because of its own tactics. 300 Million people have hard worked for that bailout and where is their bailout? There are families going bankrupt whose going to save them?
Simply: stupid.
I think this was an excellent pr stunt for ASO. 🙂 Gave me a good chuckle! Hope your business is great this year!
I think this is the most idiotic post I have ever read!
HAHAHA is is foreal? You must be joking!
hey isnt this like showing that your ass is redder than anyone else’s? GM is a gigantic business unit and its sheer foolishness to hope that a company like yours can have even a slight hand in their fate. dream on..
Say “ASO, ASO ASo a few times, … so do you get the picture? The advertising industry has been a whoring for so many years, you do not have any integrity, respect or brains left… imagine if you got to work on something productive?
So what you’re saying is: ASO isn’t interested in problem solving. You’d rather work with clients that completely understand the needs of their customers, and don’t need any strategic guidance or course corrections. Clients like Apple and Google. Client that really don’t need anything from you at all.
If they’d have only changed their name to “Specific Motors”, we could have helped them.
Pity, such a waste.