He said things like, “If you have something pertinent to say, you neither have to say it to very many people–only to those you think will be interested–nor do you have to say it very often. How many times do you have to be told that your house is on fire?”

And, “Our first duty is not to the old sales curve, it is to the audience.”

And, “I like outdoor advertising. I just think it has no right to be outdoors.”

And one of my favorites, “The real fact of the matter is that nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes it’s an ad.”

He talked about creating “conversations” with consumers almost 50 years before social media was invented.

He convinced a gas station chain to promote an imaginary pink additive in their air pumps and stodgy Scientific American magazine to sponsor a paper airplane contest.

Howard Luck Gossage was an advertising visionary who would have been a lot more famous if he’d taken a more traditional path. And just think how much better the business would be if there were a lot more like him today.

Amanda Sanchez

Amanda was originally hired in 2009 as PR account coordinator and was quickly promoted because of her dedication, originality and expertise. Amanda leads projects for clients including Questar, Zions Bank, Polynesian Cultural Center, Dairy Farmers of Utah and Ultradent and excels at media outreach, community relations, event coordination, social media, and the concept and development of grassroots and guerilla PR campaigns.

James Carroll

James first started at Richter7 as a client services intern but quickly showed everyone what an asset he was and was brought on full time as an advertising assistant account manager and analytics coordinator. Having graduated from the University of Utah with a BS in marketing and information systems, James will be working with Living Planet Aquarium, Christopherson Business Travel and Zions Bank, among others.

Peter Brown

Initially joining Richter7 as a public relations intern, Peter has experience with event coordination, video production, media relations, and the planning and execution of PR campaigns. Peter is working with clients such as CR England, Utah Highway Safety Office and Zions Bank and is a great asset to our PR department.

Welcome to the team!

Account Manager. We’re looking for an account manager with 2-3 years of agency or marketing experience. Requires traditional and digital campaign management experience; ad production knowledge; experience in executing marketing plans; budgeting and tracking skills; excellent writing skills; and ability to lead/manage teams and deadlines.  Must be proficient in Word, Excel and Power Point – InDesign is a plus. Please submit your resume to mwinn@richter7.com. No phone calls please.

Account Supervisor. Richter7 needs a strategically savvy Account Supervisor to assume overall responsibility for key accounts. This position requires 5+ years of agency or marketing experience, including an understanding of traditional and digital media strategies.  Capabilities include knowledge/experience in brand building, strategic planning, integrated campaign development, proposals, and strong written and presentation skills. Packaged goods experience is a plus. Please submit your resume to mwinn@richter7.com. No phone calls please.

But I also do not believe this is new territory for anyone. Reviewing AdAge’s recent “80 Years of Ideas,” it’s amazing how far we have come during this past century. Perhaps change is happening at a faster pace than it used to, but nonetheless, we should all be used to things constantly changing.

But there is still resistance. Perhaps part of the reason for this is because we are unsure how to keep up. How do we (all of us in this industry) embrace the constant change?

In the grand scheme of things, I am a newbie. I have been doing advertising a mere 10 years. But already, I can look back at the beginning of my career and am shocked about how different my role and the work I contribute to is today. If that much has changed in 10 years, what will happen in 20?

So, I’d like to share my opinions on how to keep up. These are merely a few ideas that I “try” to practice to be sure I am on the cutting-edge and not falling behind.

• You are never too old to learn new things (whatever your age). Do not sit back and hope something will fade away. You do not want to be one of those people who have lost sight of what is going on.
• If you hear of something new – investigate and dive in with both feet. If people are using a new social media website, don’t just peruse it. Sign up and use it. Having a Facebook or Twitter account, but not actively using it does not count. You cannot sell it or market on it, if you do not understand its idiosyncrasies.
• Set aside at least 30 minutes a day to read up on what is going on. Use Twitter, RSS Feeds, Mashable, Blogs or whatever you would like. Just keep up on the latest news and trends. This can be an enjoyable break from your regular responsibilities.
• Don’t forget to watch TV, listen to the radio and read magazines/newspapers. You need to see what’s popular and what other advertisers are doing.
• Take time to listen to the younger associate’s (or young people in general) at your company. They are likely into current trends and can contribute great ideas.
• Listen to your consumers. Don’t settle for the tactics you have always used to reach them. Speak their language and find where they are.
• If a project comes along that involves something new, volunteer to work on it. Take every advantage to work on projects that involve a new media, technology or process that you do not yet understand.
• Become a futurist. Think big and develop ideas someone hasn’t thought of yet. It’s the fun part of our job.
• Constantly look for ways to make things better. Look to make changes in the way you work. This will help you embrace other types of change that will inevitable come your way.
• Finally, don’t get frustrated. It’s hard to keep up. But keep at it and don’t lose traction.