I want to share a tale of a terrible job interview, as it made me think about how badly structured so many interviews are, and how applying some of the best-practice from the agency pitch process could lead to better outcomes all round. Let me start by saying that the agency pitch process is far from perfect. As I discussed with the lovely Jenny Plant in my recent podcast interview, it’s like asking someone [...]
I recently had the pleasure of chatting to Jenny Plant, host of the Creative Agency Account Manager podcast, about the working relationship between agency account managers and clients. As a Marketing Director who’s also worked agency side and has over 25 years of client experience, I’ve got quite a few thoughts on this topic! On this podcast, I share lots of insights and give some advice and tips on: How to engage with your [...]
WPP's recent decision to merge the J.Walter Thompson brand into Wunderman, to create Wunderman Thompson, has prompted much consternation in the ad community – especially amongst alumni like me. Discarding such amazing brand heritage is astonishing, particularly when that brand is synonymous with the invention of advertising, and doubly so when it's only four years since they reversed a previous decision to ditch the full name for the more ‘modern-sounding’ JWT, having realised it was [...]
* But both sides must follow them... I was writing a follow-up to my Top Tips for Chemistry Meetings piece, talking to agency directors about New Business and their frustrations with the pitch process, when, in a spooky bit of timing, up popped a couple of client/agency surveys from the intermediary FindGood and ISBA. Clearly this topic remains high on everyone’s agenda (although I do agree with some of the the IPA's criticism of the [...]
There was a little bit of agency news this week that made me very happy. Nine years after they dropped it, JWT is reinstating the name J.Walter Thompson. It’s been announced to mark the agency’s 150 year anniversary – the perfect time to celebrate the uniqueness of this once amazing agency. To those saying ‘so what? It’s just a name’, let me explain. Commodore James Walter Thompson was the founder of modern advertising - turning [...]
Unbelievably, this August marked 25 years since I started my career as a lowly graduate trainee media buyer at J.Walter Thompson. So to celebrate this milestone, I thought I’d compile the 12 Deadly Sins of Advertising, as no matter how ‘sophisticated’ our industry has become over the years, there are some crimes that just won’t go away... 1. Pointless Corporate Ads. Fire up the cliché generator and pick, in any order, sweeping shots of rainforests, [...]
Having previously written about how agencies can improve their pitch performance, I thought it was high time I wrote a guide for clients. Working as an interim and consultant, I regularly see examples of (often unintentional) poor client practice, so here’s my Top Tips for Marketing Directors. It's not a comprehensive list, just a starter for 10, so if you have any top tips (or horror stories) of your own, I'd love to hear them... 1. Employ [...]
As I’m right in the midst of a big agency screening process, I thought it was a good time to update my Top Ten Tips for Chemistry meetings. Although they’re written for the agency pitch process, they’re relevant to any new business meeting. I’ve run countless pitches for some very big organisations and have watched many a good agency needlessly trip-up in the very first meeting. Fortunately, the most common pitfalls easily avoided with a [...]
As a Marketing Director who has run countless pitches for some very big organisations, I have witnessed many a good agency needlessly trip-up in the very first chemistry meeting. Fortunately, the most common pitfalls are easy to avoid with a bit of preparation and attention to detail… So here are my Top Ten Tips for productive and successful chemistry meetings; Be Prepared. It’s a job interview, so do your homework. To be honest, I’ve interviewed [...]