I wouldn't completely discount the lack of talent as the reason why ad agencies around here are going under. However, it's not a city vs. suburbs thing, it's a Detroit vs. everywhere else thing. People don't want to live in Detroit. Those of us who were born and raised here may like it, but do you really think talented people from around the country are open to moving here if a local agency recruits them? When I tell people from around the country that I'm from Detroit, I still get stupid questions like "really? But isn't it too dangerous to live there?"

Agencies in Boston, New York and Chicago can recruit talent from around the country because they are cities with good reputations that people [[young and old) want to live in. Businesses in Detroit pretty much can only hire from the pool of Detroiters who were born and raised here and don't want to leave. This is why Comerica left; they couldn't hire the caliber of people they wanted.

This is why I'm such a big booster of the city proper. We need jobs and new industries here, but I don't believe that start-ups and entrepreneurs from around the country will look at Detroit as a viable option, regardless of how nice our suburbs are. Our reputation preceeds us.