PT 84 LSAT Writing: Advertising

The Prompt

After an award-winning career at a major advertising agency where he established a reputation as a creative powerhouse, Miller is starting his own advertising agency and is deciding between two locations for its offices. Using the facts below, write an essay in which you argue for one choice over the other based on the following two criteria:

• Miller wants to attract ambitious and creative employees.
• Miller wants to build a strong client base.

The Canton space is the entire top floor of the Canton Building, located in the central business district of the city where all of the major advertising agencies, including the one where Miller worked, are located. Space in this building is in high demand. Current building tenants include two advertising agencies and a prestigious corporate law firm. The working area for most staff would be a large open space, modeled after Miller's former worksite. Windows in this workspace overlook a large public park on one side and the city skyline on the others. Multiple luxuriously appointed conference rooms are available for client meetings and presentations. Underground parking is provided for clients. All areas of the city are easily accessible via public transportation.

The Fuller space is a fully converted three-story warehouse in the city's thriving arts district (seven miles from the business district), home to numerous galleries, theaters, coffeehouses, restaurants, and bars. The corporate law firm that previously leased the space is relocating to the business district, after two years of falling profits. The space retains many of its original features, including exposed beams and industrial lighting. There is ample space for employees to have individual offices as well as for multiple communal areas and conference rooms. The building has no parking, but street parking and public lots are within easy walking distance.

My Essay

Miller should choose the Canton space for his new firm.

Miller has two goals, to attract creative employees and to build a strong client base, but these considerations are not independent. Attracting excellent employees depends on attracting a strong client base—the lifeblood of any service business—for without such a client base, Miller won't be able to offer his employees creative opportunities or competitive salaries. Attracting a strong client base should therefore be Miller's preeminent consideration, and the Canton space will make it easier for him to do so.

The Canton space's location in the city's central business district is a signifier to potential clients, an implicit advertisement of the firm's stature. Clients know that such locations are expensive and that only successful agencies can afford them. The proximity of two other major ad agencies and a prestigious corporate serve to corroborate the location's elite atmosphere. The Canton space's beauty is likely to impress potential clients in its own right. Miller would be on the Canton building's top floor, affording his clients majestic views of the city skyline and a nearby park while subtly suggesting that Miller's firm is at the top of the heap. Finally, the Canton building is more convenient for potential clients, offering underground parking and luxuriously-appointed conference rooms. An advertising agency that wants to lure clients with the prospect of success should begin by advertising its own success; the Canton space does exactly that.

The Canton space is also more likely to attract ambitious, creative employees, and for the very same reasons that it is conducive to attracting clients. Anyone looking for a job in advertising is likely to go to the business district, and specifically to the nexus of major advertising firms. Potential employees are likely to look for the same signals of success that potential clients will look for—impressive surroundings, luxurious interiors—and will benefit from the same conveniences, including underground parking, an open-air workspace, and well-appointed conference rooms. The Fuller space has only one seeming advantage: its location in the arts district might gain the notice of creatives. But as a successful advertiser, Miller is presumably capable of advertising to creatives in the arts district without maintaining a physical presence there.

The Canton space offers manifold advantages over the Fuller space. It is more beautiful and more convenient to potential clients and employees, and its location in sought-after building is itself a signifier of success.