Adforum Worldwide Summit

[Adforum Worldwide Summit] A day of more

by Philippe Paget on October 9, 2010

Day four of the AdForum CEO Summit in NYC was a day of more. Not just more time in the bus travelling from agency to agency, and not just more eating and drinking and talking with more agencies, thought there was that. The agency meetings are definitely showing that the industry is about MORE. Doing MORE, influencing MORE, co-ordinating MORE and controlling MORE.

If the agencies are right, 2010 will be a year when agencies re-establish their capabilities and influence across all parts of the marketing mix. With the established agency networks heavily investing in specialist disciplines, especially retail activation to cover the “last 10 yards” or specialist segments such as marketing to children, multicultural segments such as the Hispanic and Islamic communities or vertically up into product/service innovation and down into all aspect of digital production.

The great variable is the approach the various agencies are taking.

While the emphasis on the IDEA is common to all, the interpretation of what is the IDEA varies. As quoted by one agency, who maintained it is not an agency, “Most agencies will say they are in the ideas business, but they are really in the communications business”.

With Hakuhodo Tokyo’s Gold Lion this year for K’s Japan “Smash”, a guitar that is designed to be destroyed, clearly agency ideas are moving beyond communications to products to position brands.

Meanwhile, the established networks and agencies have developed approaches to streamline the marketing communications process through collaboration and management of their various areas, divisions and specialist companies.

There was even a company which was established purely to develop and produce creative technology ideas for brands, other agencies and of course the consumer.

But the sum of all these investments, developments and efforts is that the industry is looking to provide marketers with more of what they want in the way that they want it.

The question is, are the marketers ready to pay for it as we come out of the financial crisis of the past two years?

For more, continue to check back on this blog or check out #adforumceosummit on Twitter for frequent updates.

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by Philippe Paget on October 7, 2010

The 9^th Annual AdForum CEO Summit occurring this week throughout New York is providing an extraordinary overview of agency thinking as nearly two dozen agencies—from global networks to independents and specialists—present their views of a changing marketplace and how their companies are responding with better client solutions. Designed to help agency management consultants from all corners of the world better recognize the expanded roles agencies now play for marketers, the week offers a dizzying array of ideas and new thinking.

Two particular themes are becoming clear: 1. New levels of collaboration are often becoming a driving force behind a brand’s success today and 2. Sophisticated problem-solving tools are increasingly at the heart of differentiation in a modern marketing world.

WPP’s Team Detroit, an aggressive concept on the team process initiated by Ford, is transforming today’s agency model. In fact, it may be a 21^st century equivalent of an original full-service agency concept. With one leader and one global P&L, Team Detroit views some of the top brands in advertising as its “shareholders:” JWT, Y&R, Ogilvy, Wunderman, Mindshare and MEC. In addition to picking up two Effies for Ford this year (after a 12-year drought), Team Detroit has now extended beyond Ford as sole client to win Johnson Controls, Ohio Arts, Compuware, Scott’s Miracle Gro, and Sport Authority.

WPP’s work with clients like Kimberly Clark (North America) and Colgate (global) are also demonstrating new levels of team collaboration with single P&Ls that are transforming the WPP culture. Not only does a brand-focused approach create deeper relationships at the client level, but it builds sales. According to Carol Hartman, Global Client Leader of Kimberly Clark, “the science of Shopper Marketing may not be as hot as digital.”

Another view of collaboration is embodied by MDC Partners– now ranked as the industry’s #5 holding company. Just a year-and-a-half old, MDC is comprised of 50 mid-sized agencies doing business with global clients. Almost half of its revenues come from the digital space.

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MDC says that its concept is built for today’s marketplace where clients are demanding more digital expertise and the kind of great talent that still has the founder’s name on the door. Its agencies focus on collaboration with other shops; it is their way of solving problems in a world they don’t believe that “big” is a benefit. Among some of its headline agencies are Crispin Porter + Bogusky and the Media Kitchen.

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by Philippe Paget on October 6, 2010

Day 2 of the Adforum CEO Summit opened with heavy grey skies over Manhattan for our first day of agency meetings. Up early and on to the bus, the mood and expectations were high as we headed up and across town.

The team at Ogilvy NY did not disappoint by getting us to Rethink Ogilvy and inviting us into our breakfast meeting dressed as a smoky nightclub or cabaret complete with tuxedo waiters and a jazz band. But the message was clear and reinforced here and in the following meetings at Droga5 and Grey Global Group.

The industry has come to grips with integrating and having digital as the foundation and platform for brand communication, so now the focus is on creativity and the ideas that drive change and results. But that this is no longer about global head offices developing campaigns that are pumped out into the various markets.

The new paradigm is a focus on delivering customised messages to consumers based on their geographic and cultural needs.

This was demonstrated with live links to their four main growth markets in India, Brazil, Russia and China, which in five years have quadrupled their contribution to the agency’s total revenue.

Each region provided an update of their region and the work. But it was TB Song and Mickey Chak from Ogilvy Beijing who impressed with examples of virtual reality and geo-mobile campaigns for Tsingtao and The North Face respectively.

The fact that China had 380 million internet users, which they claimed will rise to 700 million in the next 5 years, and already had 730 million mobile phone users, were the huge numbers that impressed the consultants from the US and Europe, reinforcing China’s importance in the global market.

To follow the progress during the week look for this blog or check out on Twitter #adforumceosummit for minute-by-minute updates.

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by Philippe Paget on October 6, 2010

Day three of the Adforum CEO Summit in NYC was a day of contrasts, with further evidence that digital is now mass media according to the team at Y&R; Publicis proving that the promises of change are now delivered; Sapient Nitro mastering the relationship between people and technology and the effect technology has on people; CHI&Partners providing three agency models for delivering their client’s evolving needs; and Euro RSCG asking the pitch consultants “Who wants to be a Euro Millionaire”.

Y&R had implemented a back-to-the-future strategy, discovering and evolving the original Young & Rubicam approach to “Resist the usual” through creative revolution of appointing 42 new ECDs globally and replacing every ECD in Asia.

Publicis demonstrated on the promises made in past years, with digital revenue on the way to being 30% of the total by 2015, through a successful online and iPhone application for DePaul UK, the Coca-Cola Village social media campaign in Israel and online gaming for British Army recruitment.

Sapient Nitro demonstrated its expertise in the technology space with the Streets Ice Cream “Share Happy” vending machine that recognises smiling faces and a Sneakerpedia for sneaker lovers and Foot Locker.

CHI changed the pace, providing a different view to the ways agencies can be structured to meet clients’ changing needs, since as Johnny Hornby said, it has not changed since the Mad Men days.

And the day finished with Euro RSCG’s David Jones as game show host as consultants competed in answering questions designed to demonstrate Euro’s achievements.

Certainly a day of contrasts.

For more, continue to check back on this blog or check out #adforumceosummit on Twitter for frequent updates.

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by Philippe Paget on October 6, 2010

By: Darren Woolley

The AdForum CEO Summit kicked off last night, Sunday, 3 October 2010, with 26 pitch consultants from all around the world gathering for a cocktail party at the Cooper Square Hotel in New York City. In the room were consultants from Egypt, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, Spain, Denmark, France, Spain, UK and, of course, the USA.

Collectively, they represent many billions of dollars in agency billings in media, digital, creative and a full range of marketing services.

Looking around the room, I was pondering the collective noun for pitch consultants. There is a murder of crows, a school of sharks, but what could describe a collection of consultants who manage the pitch process on behalf of the clients’ across the globe? Suggestions invited.

We reviewed the week ahead and the agencies we are meeting are Ogilvy Worldwide, Droga5, Grey Global Group, Y&R Brands, Publicis Worldwide, Sapient Nitro, CHI & Partners, Havas & Euro RSCG, WPP, Saatchi & Saatchi, MDC Partners, Creative Realities International, Arnold Worldwide, McCann WorldGroup, Digitas Worldwide and R/GA.

It all kicks off at 8am Monday morning, NY time. To follow the progress during the week, look for this blog or check out on Twitter (#adforumceosummit) for minute by minute updates.

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