7 Business Lessons Learned from “Mad Men”

Insurance and advertising don't seem to have much in common. But because millions of viewers and I spend an hour every Sunday night immersed in the 1960s advertising world of “Mad Men,” it's inevitable that the doings at Don Draper's SCDP ad agency should teach us some lessons about modern business.

Insurance agencies and ad agencies actually share some key attributes. Both are built upon the leadership of their founding partners; both succeed by developing intimate customer relationships, and both rely on a team of professionals to deliver the final product.

With that in mind, here are some business tips that could have been imparted by Don Draper himself:

1. Roll with the changes. Whether it's the civil rights movement, the sexual revolution or the British Invasion, history changes business. Change may not be easy, but it's the only way to succeed in any industry.
2. Technology doesn't sleep. From IBM Selectric typewriters to television as a potent advertising medium, SCDP's leaders know technology is essential for success. Insurance has learned the same lesson by embracing social media and real-time technology.
3. Understand what's best for the customer. Dancing beans may not be the best idea for a TV commercial. Smart ad (and insurance) professionals know the importance of understanding the customer's business operations and before coming up with the most creative answer to their needs. 
4. Share the credit. Don't be a smug Pete Campbell and hog all the glory. The agency principal is the face of the business, but the producers, underwriters and CSRs also burn the midnight oil to deliver the goods.
5. Empower everybody. Don was smart enough to recognize potential and promote Peggy from secretary to copywriter; now she's now one of SCDP's top creative talents. Empowering employees makes the whole organization stronger.  
6. Embrace both youth and experience. Pete thinks elder partner Roger Sterling is a has-been—although Roger's expertise at schmoozing prospects over three-martini lunches is part of what built SCDP. Youth is essential, but smart Mad Men don't underestimate the value of seasoned vets.
7. Always keep an electric razor, clean white shirt and a bottle of scotch in your bottom desk drawer. Because you never know. 

Don Draper has already won a Clio award. Why not get some well-deserved recognition for your own agency's creative brilliance? Now through Monday, July 2, we're accepting nominations for the 2012 National Underwriter/American Agent & Broker Commercial Agency Awards for Excellence. And instead of just a naked gold statue, your agency takes home an armful of brand-new iPads if you win. Go to propertycasualty360.com/pages/CAAFE-Awards for all the details.