Zion and Zion calls out competition

By Len Gutman on September 1st, 2009 In Agencies

I don’t know much about Zion & Zion, but I do know CEO Aric Zion is willing to take a shot at the competition in print — either that or he was misquoted.

Chris Casacchia wrote a story that appeared online today in the Business Journal, in which he reports on the fact that Zion & Zion has added several new clients and new staff. Bully for them. But it’s Zion’s quote in the story that caused me to raise an eyebrow:

“We’re now up to about two dozen people, and we’ve pulled many of those people from top firms that simply don’t have the energy and appeal that they used to.”

Wow Aric, either I’m impressed that you’re calling out the old guard or I think you’re disrespecting those that came before you here in the Valley. I’m not sure if it’s savvy or stupid. Bold or boorish.

Is there room in the sandbox for everyone to play nicely?

Zion and Zion calls out competition

Comments

Pat Elliott Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 am

Glad you called this out Len. As long as Phoenix has the dubious distinction of being the #1 city in the US for the percentage of workers losing jobs there will be many people playing musical chairs. As they say, it’s the economy…

Sherry Butler Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:29 am

Great comments Len. It is great to have success and let others know about it. However being grateful, gracious and humility goes a long way. Being disrespectful to our competitors isn’t necessary. You are right Len, we can all play in the sandbox together. What a different world we would live in if we did this.

Landon Evans Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:24 am

Sherry, I agree…I guess what they say, There is no I in team, and Zion&Zion has 2. There are still agencies in the valley that are continuing to grow. This slow economy, gives our industry new advantages to think outside the box and work within our industry together to create better solutions for our clients. I am all for working as a team and building a sand castle.

Jackie Wright Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:44 pm

I highly doubt Zion and Zion has the budget or the reputation to “pull” anyone from a top firm! They are just another player in the never ending game of musical chairs and it will be just a matter of time before their new found employees will soon leave them for something bigger and better! It’s called the “agency game” and clearly Zion and Zion is new to the game with comments like this!

Tony Felice Says:
September 9th, 2009 at 1:40 pm

Stand on South Mountain and look at how far the city spans in all directions. It’s humbling. It also means there is plenty of work out there for everyone. Some of us do a fantastic job, others don’t, there’s still no need to call anyone out. Focus on the negative and you draw it into your business. Disagree? Good luck. Me, I prefer that everyone strive to be the best they can be.

Similarly, much has been discussed lately about journalists leaving media for jobs in PR and I’ve seen a lot of mud thrown around in both directions. Let’s not forget the reason why we all do what we do. We’re here to tell great stories colored by authenticity, relevance and ultimately, inspiration.

Valley PR Blog » Blog Archive » Z&Z shaken, not stirred Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

[...] the past few weeks I am stumped by local marketing firm Zion & Zion. Just last month the firm bashed its competitors in a BizJournal article by Chris Casacchia. I had mixed feelings about that tactic, but many of you chimed [...]

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