The start-up, which Arnold stressed would not seek to compete with Feel in the ethical marketing sector, would "sell talent rather than what most agencies do now, which is selling time," Arnold said. "The industry's biggest mistake is to commoditise creative."
"Feel is doing a great job in their territory and are a leader in ethical marketing," he added. Johnny Barradale, who along with Arnold co-founded agency BLAC that subsequently became Feel, is managing director of Feel while Simon Swetenham, a founder of data shop Prospect Swetenhams, is non-executive director.
Arnold and unnamed partners are currently seeking funding for the venture to launch in March 2009.
He said the inspiration to start a new agency came from research amongst 100 clients for a book he is currently writing on ethical marketing. "What emerged is that there is a gap in the market - between what some clients want and what some agencies don't provide," Arnold said.
The start-up is also being inspired by , a US agency known as a design and innovation shop that claims to attack the flaws of the agency machine. "Anomaly has shown that IP and licensing creativity is one way forward for the industry, because at the moment we give away our creativity for tuppance ha'penny."
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