I came into GroupM being taught quite a lot of new techniques for marketing. My skill level in online marketing on the global level has really improved & even though it’s been less than a year & a half I’ve already been offered jobs at other digital agencies but the knowledge I get from being at a WPP company is great. One of the first things I remember was the concept of unbiased marketing, & seeing lots of paperwork I had to read & sign before joining & afterwards.

Unbiased marketing is where you do campaign planning without being biased. I fully embraced this concept. Also lots of lines in contracts that state I can’t do business that conflicts with the agency I work for, or compete with clients.

Now we get to the meat & bones of this post.

If Olney is so much into development why doesn’t he have more sites?

At one point I had a lot of sites. I had to take a few down because of conflict with a client. Nothing I need to even consult anyone on. It was too close to my personal clients business. After that I have plenty of domains that directly compete with my companies clients. So for me, development is taking longer. I actually use my personal data to enhance strategies for clients. Yes IDN Domain based strategies. I can’t explain everything so fully but I can’t develop everything I want to the extent I want because of work related conflicts.

Then we get to the next part where most domain investors would say: Why not sell the domains to your clients?
That’s where we look at not competing with the agency, & not being biased. Companies are in IDN testing phase. They need this time to evaluate IDN Domain value. “You get it or You don’t” that phrase is easy to say but the reality is advertising globally took a hit last year, & companies want to realize the strengths & weaknesses of new technology. They are in the testing phase on stuff they can register themselves. Me pushing my portfolio would be biased even if it fit within their business.

So yes I do develop a lot of test sites, you’ll see them throughout my portfolio but sometimes it’s a bit harder to pick what to develop when you work for an Ad Agency. You have to follow guidelines. Also you really need to know the strengths of your portfolio & the associated market. Over the last years I have tons of new discoveries with IDNs & the Japanese market. This only came from development.

This post is just to clear the air. Stay New School guys (& lady folk)