BBDO New York’s Post

“There's a sense that when you do big brand thinking that it's a slow moving beast. I don't buy that as an argument. Big brand thinking is actually holding on to platforms, holding on to brand behaviours for longer so that you give people, audiences and your brands an emotional advantage.” - Avish Gordhan   “We've got the ability to pull these different skill sets into a room so you get the smarts of media, data, tech, digital, social…whatever is specifically needed…And then we build on that creativity and that idea, and what I can see is that it has this positive effect on the solutions that we're delivering for our clients. By banding together, we’re creating that growth, while also creating ideas to live in new and exciting ways.” - Mandie van der Merwe   Co-Chief Creative Officers, Avish Gordhan and Mandie van der Merwe, sat down with AdNews Australia to discuss their focus for Saatchi & Saatchi, long-term big brand thinking and the growth opportunities that lie ahead. https://lnkd.in/g6drpes4

Nothing is impossible. (How to be an ad-person: Rant No.1) “How to survive as a Saatchi & Saatchi suit.” This is an age old document that was stuck in most of the offices of Saatchi & Saatchi, worldwide. Got hold of this from one of my mentors last week. This document has 209 tips. We can just replace the agency name and the rules apply to any ad agency! I am dissecting these 209 tips with my own points of view, through 209 posts. This is the 1st post in this series! The 1st Tip is Nothing is impossible. Though this is like a universal motivational quote No.1, it weighs more when it comes to agency life. Right from confusing briefs, to unrealistic deadlines of presentations to last minute changes in the art works just before it is supposed to be delivered to the media house. The situation gets into your nerves and you feel it’s over, it’s just impossible. So many times the brief is so confusing, even the client servicing team end up feeling they might not be able to crack it; they are scared to death on how to brief the creative team! Last minute changes in contact number in the dealer panel? Sounds real? However you end up cracking them. The brief, the deadlines, you come out as a winner. Some rules that we need to follow: ·     Remain calm, consistently. ·     The client servicing team should be empathetic to the creative team and vice versa. ·     Be empathetic towards the client. Work as a team and make the impossible, possible. By the way, Impossible is Nothing is my all-time favourite tagline. Apart from the depth of the thought itself, some selfish reasons being it came from TBWA (my first agency) and Sachin was the Brand Ambassador of Adidas for quite a few years. 😊 #agencylife #agencylifetips #adagencytips #advertisingagency #advertising #marketing #nothingisimpossible

This week I've spent half a decade at BBDO Worldwide. I could have never imagined that we would have experienced a pandemic, war in Europe and a recession during this time. But despite these challenges BBDO Nordics stand stronger than ever. We've rebranded the agency, grown from 53 to 85 people, increased revenues by 70% and received more than 40 nominations for our work this last year alone. I don't hold a promise of what the next five years will bring, but if I had the opportunity to travel back in time and give that less wrinkly version of myself some advice, then these would be it: Always ask the "dumb questions": Don't presume that if you don't understand something, it is down to your lack of intelligence. It is more likely due to a problem in communication. So set the example by daring to ask the obvious question. Because if you don't understand something, chances are that the people around don't understand it either. By asking the "dumb questions", you make it ok for everyone to do the same. Which fosters a culture of learning, over a culture of appearances. Learn to love your problems. You won't be able to create an environment where problems don't arise. The world is far too complex. So instead of getting beat down every time a new problems arise, realise that your role is not to ensure problems don't arise, but to make sure they don't grow too big. So learn to love your problems and make them your work. Eat the frog early. My father in law Terry told me this and it is still the best leadership advice that I've received. Just like eating a frog, no one likes the idea of having to make a tough decision. I have had many sleepless nights these last five years, but not in one instance has a problem become better because I didn't make a decision. So deal with the uncomfortable early. Be an elephant, not a crocodile. David Sandstrom told me this years ago. The idea is to have big ears, a small mouth and to use them in that proportion. What I've learned is that good executive decisions are the results of many different inputs. In essence, the more angles you have, the more informed your decisions will be. So make sure to listen actively, often and everywhere. That way you can stay consistent in your leadership. Don't be afraid to show your weaknesses. Don't try to live up to an idealised idea of what a professional leader should be like. Because in the real world no one wants to work with a perfect leader. They want to work with genuine leader that cares, blemishes and all. So don't be afraid to show your weaknesses, even it it shows that some late afternoons you become a human labrador. We not me oriented. The success of BBDO will never be down to one individual. Rather a team of talented people who come in to work everyday hell bent on creating inspiring work! So be ruthless with hiring people who are both nice and talented. Then lead by leaving your ego at the door and work hard to make other people shine. Ps. You guys rock!

The expectations on agency suits have (thankfully) evolved since this poster was created by Saatchi & Saatchi back in the day.... but we love the insight it gives into the agency mindset back in the days when MadMen was more reality than fiction. There are definitely still, some pearls of wisdom in there that apply today. Which ones appeal to you? #sydneyrecruitment #creativeaccountservice #marketingrecruitment #agencylife

I’ve been reading a lot of comments and posts about the recently announced news of the coming together of TBWA, BBDO and DDB. Many of the comments are either focused on the history of those agencies (many fond memories) and/or how terrible it is (bad holding companies, great independents). Here’s a few of my thoughts, -         Yes, all three agencies are great agencies with an extensive legacy of great work, BUT, great work is not bound by the acronyms of any agency (network or independent). Great work comes from great people/teams and great people/teams exist within our community at many agencies (network or independent). -         All three agencies, in their current state, were created through mergers, acquisitions etc., and each time those changes happened, people bemoaned the change but every time the new agencies went on to thrive. Why? (hint: people). There’s no reason to think this change will be any different. -         There’s lots of misleading chatter about the ‘profit motive’. The truth is that every agency (network or independent) is driven by the desire to make profits. ‘Profit’ is not a dirty word (just ask our clients). It’s a business, folks. The key for all agencies (network or independent) is to recognize that profits (at least long term, sustainable) are the result of great work. And great work (sorry repeating myself) is not dependent on your corporate structure …. It’s dependent on the people. TBWA, BBDO and DDB has had many great people over the years, has many great people today and whatever you want to call the new agency, will continue to have great people moving forward.

Post 25/60 Guiding Lights and Loyalty: The Mark of Eduardo Vargas, My Guardian Angel Eduardo Vargas came into my life during my presidency at Mindshare Colombia. It was a time of change in the advertising industry, marked by intense competition and account losses. Yet, with innovative strategies we began to turn the tide, catching the attention of our competitors. I remember a meeting with Nelson Enrique Garrido Sánchez from OMD Worldwide expressing concerns about client loss. My response was a proposal for collaboration, sharing our tools and knowledge to strengthen our agencies. Despite the obstacles and doubts, we persisted, and eventually, our meeting with Alvaro Arango, President of Sancho BBDO marked a decisive turn as they saw an opportunity in the tools we were using at Mindshare. In that context of ambition and collaboration, Eduardo Vargas, then Chairman of BBDO for Latin America, emerged as a key figure. His reputation preceded him: the founder of BBDO latinamerica, with acute business vision and deep market knowledge. After the meeting with Eduardo and other leaders of BBDO Worldwide and DDB we went to talk to our bosses, there was an agreement, but then it fell through. Although Eduardo believed combining our efforts would create a winning team. A year after, Eduardo called to tell me that he had recommended me to Joe Uva, the CEO of OMD, who would interview me. I became the president of the region, and that's where the story of post 22/60 begins. From that moment, Eduardo became more than a colleague; he became a mentor and advisor in challenging times. His support was vital, during false accusations and critical situations. His business wisdom became a guiding light. His presence, not only in the professional realm but also in my personal life, has been an invaluable gift. His guidance has been immensely valuable, offering advice that transcends technical aspects, valuing human relationships more than commercial successes. He is like a father to me. Today, as a part of SAB Marketing Connections his role is essential. We work together facing challenges with confidence and mutual respect. He not only brings experience but also high-level connections he has cultivated throughout his incredibly successful career. Eduardo said that I became an international entrepreneur that hasn't stopped since. However, the truth is, it wouldn't have been as enjoyable if he hadn't been by my side. His influence has been transformative. The numerous anecdotes I have with him wouldn't fit in this post, but I always recall them. His leadership, wisdom, and unwavering support left an indelible mark. This post is a tribute to his brilliance and authenticity, values that define a fulfilling and successful life. Thank you, Eduardo, for your unwavering loyalty and for being a constant inspiration. Your legacy extends beyond professional achievements; it is a story of mentorship, friendship, and a genuine and enduring human impact.

Imagine a holding company folded their brands Converse, Umbro and Cole Haan into Nike? What does it say? It says the businesses weren’t doing well. The irony is we’re in the business of building brands, telling businesses brands are important, integral to growth, that it’s a long term investment and yet, we’re not demonstrating that ourselves. Honestly I think the disruption is here. I joined when it was a growth industry. It’s not now. Adobe now has AI that can customise banners and website experiences individually at scale, connected to your backend logistics, so promotions are personalised. We lived off the day of awareness. Now it’s razor thin margins of conversion. Do we still need big ideas. Of course. But maybe not in the form we’ve been selling. Maybe it’s not what clients want. Or their customers. Look at Liquid Death, the fastest growing fmcg brand in recent years. Pure brand innovation. Who was their agency? Their consultants? If they were to become brand consultants, wouldn’t you rather go to them? I don’t think it’s a holding company or boutique agency issue. It’s an exponential change issue. It’s AI that moves at that speed. You need to harness that power, move at that speed, come up with ideas that convert, and maybe reconsider instead of charging for time, you charge for speed. You need to move at the speed of technology, business and customers. Time is what you don’t have. We used to be the disruptors. Now we’re the disrupted.

I saw this on the M&C Saatchi website. And thought… Genius. I’ve posted about not using jargon in marketing comms, about the importance of a compelling value prop and the essential nature of clear messaging… This is why. Expressed exquisitely in the words of a creative agency, I believe to be, the best in the world. Simple stuff sticks. #marketing #publicrelations #communicationstrategy #BeDistinct

I believe this signifies the beginning of the end for advertising agencies. My observation is that as consumers demand more personalization, a lot of brands downplay their identity to broaden their appeal to a wider spectrum of tastes - i.e. recent logo redesigns to become more generic. Now, the downstream impact this has to advertising agencies is only logical. Agency brands representing client brands are also becoming less relevant, especially considering the fees they command. Brands are directly engaging influencers and getting better contractual flexibility without significantly reducing their conversion results. Alternatively, they are building up their in-house capabilities to effectively “engage” with consumers sustainably, as opposed to “advertising” their products and services to them. Yes, there are technological advancements (such as GenAI) that is speeding up the change, but I believe the crux of the seismic transformation was triggered by gradual shifts in consumer behavior over the last decade and how the whole commerce value chain had been permanently altered as a result.