Reputation survey? Try Top Trumps test instead

All the kerfuffle about the easyJet pitch has got the Diary thinking about how companies pick an agency.

Obviously creative ideas and straplines play their part in the decision-making process, but what about issues like the location of the agency, and how old it is?

Just as the Diary was grappling with these concepts, a mysterious pack of cards arrived on its desk that seemed to give the answers.

Yes, “Advertising Trumps” has finally arrived.

No need now for those long meetings and pitches. Instead, the marketing team can sit down, open a few beers, shuffle the pack, and sit back and enjoy an afternoon card school.

The categories are: billings, number of employees, the year founded (oldest wins) and, of course, awards won. Location also counts as a category – with Fallon scoring a whopping 98 thanks, presumably, to its proximity to the Sun and 13 Cantons. Poor old Ogilvy & Mather, on the other hand, only gets four thanks to its Canary Wharf offices, less than Paris-based agencies.

However, the only thing lacking seems to be the killer card. The Diary was always in awe of the Death card in the Top Trumps horror pack, with a fear factor of 100, physical strength of 99 and a killing power of 95 (although the Diary always found that a bit odd, seeing that it is two points less than Thor’s and Death is the embodiment of Death itself).

The closest the Diary could find was JWT, which boasts a 112 year history and billings of &£328m, but is by no means invincible.

Still, well done to new start-up agency Lunar for coming up with the idea while no doubt assessing the competition.