Hot off the press (The Pioneer Press that is)

The Pioneer Press gave us a big gift to welcome 2012

By: Joshua Fedie | Principal, The “Adholics”

The “Adholics” would like to extend a big thanks to the fine people at the Pioneer Press for yet another incredible article.

We were honored when they covered us around time of launch (click here to read original article) and were even more thrilled when they decided to revisit us and check in on business as we start 2012.

I am happy to report as you will read in the article that business is good. Very good.

Without the support of our incredible clients, or “Sponsors” as I like to call them, and the drive and hard work of the dedicated “Partners” in The “Adholics” we would not have made it past the first 6 months.

I thank everybody that helped make this possible.

So, as long as the link is live, here is a direct link to the Pioneer Press website where you can read the article online.

If you have stumbled across this blog post late, fear not, I have scanned the article in for you;) Just click on it to expand it in your browser.

As always, Thanks for reading.

If you are a business looking for a talented agency to assist with your next marketing or advertising objective, do not hesitate to contact us. We are always looking for new sponsors;)

Cheers,

Joshua Fedie

The “Adholics”

Getting the most out of your creative person

Getting the most from your creative person.

A much needed look into the creative mind.

Joshua Fedie | Principal, The “Adholics”

BNET recently published a study on Creative People and how to get the best out of them, you can read the article here: http://bit.ly/creativepeople

Here’s brief summary from the article about the study:

The experiment involved more than 500 computer programmers, each of whom had a TopCoder ranking. Each programmer was paired with the programmer closest to their ability level. In each pair, one person was asked how they preferred to work: Alone, competing against 19 other people, or as part of a five-person team. The programmers were split almost evenly in their preferences. The second programmer in that pair was given the same work environment as the first person. The result is two equally-talented groups of programmers. The only salient difference between them is that one group is working in an environment of their choice, while the other group has had their work environment decided for them. Some of the participants were eligible for cash prizes, while others were not.

What were the findings?

Teams vs. Individuals

The results underscore how important it is to let team players play on a team and to let loners alone:

• The programmers who got to choose how they worked produced algorithms that scored, on average, 83 percent higher than those who could not choose. That’s about the same improvement as the researchers got by offering a $1,000 cash prize.
• Programmers who got to choose their work environment worked harder. The researchers measured this by counting the number of algorithms the programmer submitted. Programmers often submit more than one version of an algorithm, since there is no cost to doing so and having each version ‘scored’ provides valuable feedback.
• Those who got to choose their work environment worked longer. Without a cash prize, those who got to choose their work environment spent about seven more hours working that those who did not get to choose. If there was a cash prize, those who were in the work environment of their choice put in almost 11 more hours than those who had the choice made for them. The fact that folks who got to choose how they worked put in more hours accounts for almost all of the difference in their performance compared to that of their peers.

My response: No S#!t!

The “Adholics”, having just reached the all-important 1-year milestone are a true testament to the fact that creative people need to be allowed to work when, how and where they want.

I’ve managed creatives at “Traditional” agencies for years where you put people valued for their creativity into boxes and expect them to be their best between the normal business hours of 8 to 5.

Does this work?

For some it can, I’m not saying you never get good creative from inside a cubicle….here comes the but:

But what I’ve found since launching a company that embraces a remote “work where you want” philosophy is that the creative is better more consistently. Furthermore, the people working on the assignments are generally happier to be doing so and have a more “get it done” attitude; many times working through the night to get something done knowing that the reward is a decompress day.

What’s a decompress day? You must work for the man:)

My message to the team of “Adholics” has always been I don’t care when you work on it or where as long as you stay in budget, on-time and produce something you are happy with.

Among other things not looked at in this study that I think worth mentioning is dress code.

Creatives don’t dress like bankers.

I can’t tell you how sad it makes me to see a designer huddled over a desk at 8am in a suit and tie under the fluorescent glow of the office lights in their little cubicle.  It’s akin to buying a minivan, it’s that much of a throwing-in-the-towel moment. No offense to any minivan owners, but you know what I mean right? It’s not the Porsche you dreamed of is it.

Allowing a creative mind to really produce takes embracing all the uniqueness of the individual.

Do you work best while listening to James Taylor or Tom Waits? Fine, do that.

Do you work best at 11am or 3am? Fine, do that.

Do you work best with me hovering over you watching your every move or staying out of the way until you’re ready to share? Fine, I’ll be over here when you want me.

It would be great if this article caused business owners employing creative people to take a step back and reexamine their own management style. But like a wise man once said, you can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first.

Until that day that may never come, The “Adholics” will be continuing to do what we love, where we want to, when we want to and we’ll still be doing it better.  Was that a bit arrogant?

Try us. We prove it every day.

Cheers,

Joshua Fedie

Principal | The “Adholics”

I think we’ve become a trend.

david vs. fallon

Appeared in Metro Magazine’s February 2011 issue

Written by: Drew Wood

The following article was pulled out of Metro Magazines February 2011 issue.

Though The “Adholics” had no contribution to the content of the article, nor do we received any mention as one of the smaller agencies entering the Minneapolis space, I found it affirming that the concept we work within continues to gain validation as a structure that works.

If you read our pioneer press writeup last October you’ll notice some very consistent themes to handling creative execution in the current marketplace.

If I notice they include this article on their site, I will attach a link. For now I apologize, this scan is the best I can do.

Cheers.

Joshua Fedie

Principal | The “Adholics”

I’m Humbled.

The Pioneer Press gave us a whole page in Sunday’s business section.

By Joshua Fedie | Principal, The “Adholics”

10/18/2010

When I started courting the staff of the Pioneer Press in St. Paul MN about running an article on The “Adholics” I thought I’d eventually receive a business card sized blip about our launch.

I never imagined that we would be granted an entire back page spread.

They even sent one of their staff photographers to our A.A. Meeting to snap pictures for the article.

I am humbled by the generosity of the Pioneer Press and thrilled to share this great article with anyone willing to read.

Below is the text of the story, you may also read the article on the Pioneer Press website if you prefer.

Open for Business: Adholics

Owner: Joshua Fedie

Step 1.

Step 1.

(Our first piece of press)

Today is an exciting day for The “Adholics” because today we received our first piece of press. Upon landing our first account (to be more formally announced at launch) I was contacted by Dan Haugen at The Line Magazine www.thelinemedia.com who asked if he could interview me for an article for the online publication. Being a subscriber myself to The Line, of course I was thrilled at the chance. Below is the text from the article, but feel free to read on The Line as well here: bit.ly/9ixA5p

Innovation + Job News

The Adholics freelance collective admits that it has its first client

The Adholics have taken a step toward proving their business model.

The freelance advertising collaborative last week signed up its first client, a local web startup company, which they don’t plan to name for at least a couple more months.

The Adholics is the brainchild of Josh Fedie, a new business and account manager for various small and mid-sized agencies over the past decade.

The advertising industry is increasingly relying on freelancers. What’s bothered Fedie in recent years is the lack of transparency around that trend. Clients are paying top dollar for an agency’s work and often don’t realize the work is being farmed out to the least expensive freelancers on the market, he says.

“That’s not what’s being sold to the client,” Fedie says.

About six months ago, Fedie started scouting for freelance professionals to join a virtual agency. The result is a 17-member, full-service advertising and marketing shop. Its members’ expertise covers most of the major disciplines, from web and graphic design to copywriting and social media strategy.

What separates The Adholics from other collaboratives, Fedie says, is its transparency. All of its partners are listed on its website. It has a photography studio and one partner has donated office space, but the model eliminates most of the overhead associated with running a conventional agency.

Fedie believes the model will allow The Adholics to compete with any agency in town. He says the goal is to win business that would be out of reach for a solo freelancer:

“That’s the number-one goal: to go after dream accounts,” says Fedie. “We want to work for enthusiast brands. We want to go after those accounts that all of us have always wanted to work for and it’s been hard to get to on our own, but I think with a group like this it’s definitely in reach, and definitely within our capabilities.”

Source: Josh Fedie, The “Adholics”
Writer: Dan Haugen