Communicating your Brand's potential in an increasingly complex world is no simple task. It is not just a matter of doing a few ads here, a commercial there, a promotional activity during the lean season and then crossing your fingers and hoping somehow all this works. The truth is, it doesn't. Any brand requires not just Advertising, but thinking. Out of which arises a well defined strategy. And that becomes the wellspring of any activity you do : providing the neural network that imbibes all your communication with a unified personality, positioning and tone of voice. The question you should ask is : How many advertising agencies are geared to provide you all this ? Once you apply this benchmark, you'll find confident smiles turn into evasive answers and furtive glances. And you'll see most agencies as what they have always been : just creators of advertising not thinkers or strategists.