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>>Or skip to the home page if you've already read this bit.

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Hi.

I'm Grant Sanders from SAND.

I have an analogy for you.

An ad agency is like a tree.

A big, strong tree.

Trees come in a lot of different shapes and varieties.

With specialized parts like bark and roots and a trunk and branches and leaves that all do different things while they all work together.

(You know, like media, creative, account service, digital? You get it.)

A tree can be quite amazing — a marvel of nature.

I look up to them.

(Tree pun.)

But, consider this.

A tree's prime directive is growth.

To grab sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, and photosynthesize the shit out of everything to survive.

(The same is true of agencies, but the three things they need to grab up to survive are workers, time and new business.)

The most successful trees are large and heavy to compete for sunlight.

(Sunlight = clients. Agencies are always pitching.)

Trees are slow to change. And rigid.

You can't get apples from a Douglas fir, am I right?

I've spent a good amount of time in the trees — agencies.

But these days, I'm wondering if being a tree makes any sense at all.

Why be big, slow, and rigid?

Why pitch? Or grow at all?

Why get caught in that "upward" spiral?

So today, I'm standing before you with an ax in my hand.

The "agency" label is getting chopped.

I'm changing my web address and putting something different out there.

Something small, nimble, productive, and resource-rich.

That can run circles around trees. But also live and work among them.

Welcome to the new SAND.

Hope you dig it.

(Sand pun.)

Visit the new site now:

digsand.com

Try your arrow keys. Or swipe, if you’re into that.

>>Or skip to the home page if you've already read this bit.

Good.

Nice. Keep going.

Hi.

I'm Grant Sanders from SAND.

I have an analogy for you.

An ad agency is like a tree.

Yeah, bear with me here, okay?

A big tree.

A strong tree.

Trees come in a lot of different shapes and varieties.

With specialized parts like bark and roots and a trunk and branches and leaves that all do different things while they all work together.

(You know, like media, creative, account service, digital? You get it.)

A tree can be quite amazing — a marvel of nature.

I look up to them.

(Tree pun.)

But, consider this.

A tree's reason for existing is growth.

To grab sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, and photosynthesize the shit out of everything to expand and survive.

(The same is true of agencies, but the three things they need to grab up to survive are workers, time and new business.)

For this reason, the most successful trees tend to be large and heavy in order to compete for the sunlight.

(Sunlight = clients. Agencies are always pitching.)

Trees are slow to change.

Somewhat rigid.

What I mean is, if you want to make an apple pie and need apples, you can't go to a Douglas fir and expect to fill up a bushel basket.

Am I right?

I've spent a good amount of time in the trees — agencies.

CPG agencies, design firms, digital shops, pharma agencies, B2B firms.

I've been a freelancer, copywriter, creative director and an agency owner.

(But not in that order. Long story.)

When I decided to start my latest venture, I fully intended to plant a new agency.

One that I could grow and prune and nurture and enjoy.

But after four years,

(and a little thing known as the global viral apocalypse,)

despite all of the good stuff we've done,

I've come to realize something.

SAND...

Is nothing like a tree.

SAND isn't big, slow, or rigid.

Because we don't need, or want, to grow.

We don't make money off the backs of junior creatives.

We don't have hourly rates.

We don't pitch.

It's not that we are anti-agency (or tree) we just don't want to get caught in that "upward" spiral, you know?

So today, I'm standing before you with an ax in my hand.

The "agency" label is getting chopped.

I'm changing my web address and putting something different out there.

Something that can be small and nimble, yet resource-rich.

Small:

One seasoned pro when you need him (me).

Resource Rich:

A team of 25 seasoned free-agents when you have a big, juicy project that needs to get done.

(Seasoned. Like firewood. Good for heating things up.)

Put another way:

10x the capabilities of a freelancer.

10x the adaptability of an agency.

(Is "freegency" a word? Well, gosh darn it, it oughta be.)

SAND delivers know-how and time.

Insights born out of a proven strategy and process.

And creative that uses those insights in a rather kick-ass way.

(Otherwise, what's the point?)

Plus, we will continue to offer valuable, insightful content. For free.

Like the Clienting Podcast.

Because we believe in giving.

Yes, SAND will be a few different things going forward.

A source for creative thinking.

A strategic powerhouse.

A media producer.

A teacher.

But what we won't be is an agency.

Or a tree.

(Trees don't do so well on the beach, anyway.)

Welcome (back) to SAND.

Hope you dig it.

(Sand pun.)

Visit the new site now:

digsand.com