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THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 WPP companiesin this issue

Cream of the cropWho’s won what at the

WPPED Cream awards 41-47

Crossing boundariesDown UnderMarket focus on Australia 48-53

Pitching to winNew business leaders share

their tips for success 54-58WPP’s IT Transformation project 60-62

Empowering women initiatives 63-65

Book review: Mad Women 66

Agile design in London workspaces 72-74

What’s the buzz in…Yangon 75

USEFUL STUFF

Exclusive new biz tools 59

Get Connected! 76-77

Stay connected! 78

REGULARS

The Works 18-21

Bulletin 27

New In Digital 35New Offers 40

Sustainability Matters 67



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014

IN JUNE this year a week-longcelebration of the UK’s creativeindustries took place, togetherwith the launch of a new pan-sector strategy – all flying under the

banner #CreateUK. The initiative wasthe brainchild of the Creative IndustriesCouncil, a joint effort between the industryand the UK Government’s business andculture departments.

The aim of the strategy is “forthe first time, to unite the differentparts of the creative industries behindcommon goals and to speak with onevoice on the issues that cut across the sector,”with the broader objectives of “inspiringand equipping the next generation of

talent, helping creative businesses tostart up and grow, and maintainingthe UK’s competitiveness against otherinternational markets.”

4 VIEWPOINT

If you can prove an

idea in advance, it’sbecause it isn’t new

EDITORIAL The search for

market-creating innovations

will not be solved by the business world’s reliance on

spreadsheets, argues WPP

CEO Martin Sorrell .

The creative industries can

play a unique role in inventing the future

Beyond beans



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 20146 VIEWPOINT

He suggests the rot set induring the late 1950s andearly 1960s when businesseducation was slammed forbeing too anecdotal and “not scientificenough”. The business world reacted,swung the other way, and a consensusdeveloped that any decision not based

entirely on analytical thinking, featuringdeductive or inductive logic, was somehowillegitimate.

The problem with using only the left sideof the brain, he says, is that the analysisof past data can only, at best, producereliable incremental results – not game-changing ideas and fundamental stepsforward. In my view, business needs less

incrementalism and more fundamentalism.

Martin makes the casefor the “appreciationof qualities” as well asquantities, the need to

find room in businessdecisions for subjectivity,intuition and judgement– things more generallyassociated with creativeendeavours. You don’t, as

he puts it, “go into the Museum of FineArts and say ‘I saw 800 square feet ofpaintings today.’”

He invites boards to stop asking their

executives to prove that an idea willwork based on past data, as “if you canprove an idea in advance, it’s because itisn’t new,” and instead to ask “what thatis not currently the case could be true inthe future?”

Quantitative and qualitative disciplinesare often presented as incompatibleopposites, but, as CreateUK has shown,

you can sometimes get oil and water tomix.The key, to quote Martin again, “is the

form of thinking that takes the best of both,that analyses what is analysable in orderto hone and refine what’s known now;and accepts and embraces appreciation ofqualities, judgement – even if it includesbias – to invent the future.”

And yes, I am aware of the irony of an

infamous bean-counter like me making anargument like this. But, as I’ve been sayingsince I first started in this business, withoutthe pearls of creativity and innovation,you don’t get many beans to count.

This is an edited version of an article thatfirst appeared in The Sunday Telegraph

on 6 September 2014.

Beans and Pearls, a seminal D&ADlecture given by Martin Sorrell in 1996

can be read at: www.wpp.com/wpp/

marketing/books/beans-and-pearls

Continued from page 5

Beyond beans

Without the pearlsof creativity and

innovation, you

don’t get many

beans to count



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 NEWS 7

Staff Reporter

ULAN BATOR: Y&R has established thefirst majority-held international agency inone of the world’s fastest growing economies,

Mongolia. The WPP network is acquiring amajority stake in the creative and researchunit of MCS Holding, one of the country’slargest business conglomerates, to createY&R Mongolia.

The research side of the business will beaffiliated to TNS.

MCS Holding’s Creative and ResearchUnit was established in 2008 and offers s arange of services that includes advertising,

events management, and consumer andretail market research. Its client list includesMCS Asia Pacific Brewery, Herbalife, JTIand Dell.

Matthew Godfrey, president Y&R Asiasaid: “Y&R Mongolia is the country’s firstinternational agency, just as Y&R Yangonwas a first for Myanmar. We pride ourselveson industry firsts in Asia, as part of Y&R’s

ongoing mission to resist the usual ineverything we do.”

And Gankhuyag A, managing directorof MCS Holding added: “Partnering withY&R is a step forward to achieve ourmission to introduce world standards in ourhome country.”

Mongolia’s GDP is forecast to grow by9.5 per cent in 2014; the country has beennamed among Citigroup’s ‘3G’ countries(the Global Growth Generators), with mostpromising per capita growth prospectsleading up to 2050.

www.yr.com

EXPANSION Two Group companies are partnering

to establish the country’s first international agency

Y&R and TNS gain

foothold in Mongolia



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 20148 NEWS


Indian brands on the march

The combined value of the top 50Indian brands is almost $70 billion andtheir diversity indicates that India isa fertile market for building valuablebrands irrespective of age, origin, structure,category, ownership or price range.

Key findings highlighted in the reportinclude:

• Being meaningful and different buildsvalue: One such example is personal carebrand Colgate (28) – even after 70 years inIndia the brand has successfully remainedrelevant and continues to differentiate itselffrom the competition.

• India has evolved into a brand

powerhouse: Its Top 50 most valuablebrands have as much Brand Power(consumers’ predisposition to choosethat brand over another) as the global

Top 50, ahead of the other emergingeconomies.

• Private sector players andmultinational corporations dominate:together these contribute around85 per cent of total brand value.They have succeeded by nurturing a strong

relationship with Indian consumers.• ‘Balanced brands’ is the mantra: Brandsthat build both strong connections withconsumers and business scale that creates

9,425 Banks

8,217 Telecoms

6,828 Banks

3,536 Banks

3,034 Automobiles

2,812 Paints

2,164 Automobiles

1,882 Telecoms

1,721 Banks

1,636 Telecoms

Brand

Brand Value

US$m Sector

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

The successful

international brands

have taken the time

to understand Indian

needs and tastes and

adapt to them




financial value are contenders for enteringor rising up the rankings. Three out of thetop five Indian brands demonstrate thisbalance.

• Consumer technology is ‘the categorywaiting to happen’: There are nohome-grown consumer technologybrands in the Top 50, but the presenceof Indians working in the sectorglobally is high, and consumer-facingtechnology brands founded by youngentrepreneurs are gaining ground.

• ‘Indianising’ products and services is

important: The successful internationalbrands have taken the time to understandIndian needs and tastes and adapt to them.Noodles, food seasoning, soup and saucebrand Maggi (18), personal care brandColgate (28) and beverage brand Horlicks(20) are masters at this – and are thoughtof as Indian brands by most consumersas a result.

• Old and new sit side by side: Livingwith one foot in the ancient world and onein the modern makes consumers equallyreceptive to heritage brands (Bajaj Auto (5),established 1945) and new brands (Airtel(2), established 1995). More than a quarter

of the Top 50 brands were created after theeconomic liberalisation in 1991 while Dabur(22) was established 130 years ago.

The full 2014 BrandZ reports for India

and Latin America, plus other resourcesincluding a mobile app and videos are

available at: www.wpp.com/brandz



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201410 NEWS

CLIMATE How a team of

WPP agencies decided

to try and save the planet Jon Steel

ONE Saturday morning, in July of last year, I broke mynormal weekend rule andchecked my email. I wassurprised to find around10 new messages from SirMartin Sorrell, interspersed with around thesame number from someone named Al Gore.How strange, I thought, that someone withthe same name as the former US Vice-Presidentshould be writing to me.

It was stranger still to find myself, just acouple of months later, sitting on a sofa in AlGore’s living room in Nashville, as the formerVice-President and Nobel Laureate presentedhis slide show on climate change, made famousin the 2006 movie, An Inconvenient Truth.

VP Gore had worked for many years with TheGlover Park Group, a strategic communicationsagency in Washington, DC, that joinedWPP in 2011. Through that relationship,he asked whether any other WPP agenciesmight be interested in creating an integratedcommunications campaign, to put pressureon world leaders to commit to reductions incarbon emissions. (These commitments wouldbe discussed at a United Nations Summit inNew York on September 23 2014, and ratified

at the UN Framework Convention on ClimateChange in Paris in December 2015.) Sir Martinturned the request over to me, and to worldwidecreative director John O’Keeffe, and asked usto gather a team of individuals and companieswho could help.

With me in Nashville for our first briefingwere former WPP Fellows Will Galgey, CEOof The Futures Company, Melissa Parsey, agroup planning director at JWT New York,and Kiernan Schmitt, strategy director at

Blue State Digital. The Glover Park Group’sDagny Scott, a long-time collaborator withAl Gore, also joined us.

“We are entering a period of consequences,”VP Gore told us, invoking Churchill. “And we

have a moral duty to act now.”And therein lies the key to our brief, and to

the subsequent campaign. There is no longerany debate in the scientific community aboutclimate change and its causes. More than97 per cent of scientists who have studied itconclude that the world is getting warmer asa result of human activity. Every NationalAcademy of Science agrees. There is nowmore carbon dioxide in our atmosphere (400parts per million as of April 2014) than at any

Why




Question time: GPY&R’s powerful campaignidea challenges the status quo

time in the last 800,000 years, and probablymore than at any time in the last 4.5 millionyears. With higher carbon levels come highertemperatures. And with higher temperaturescome melting ice and rising waters; increasedlikelihood of superstorms, droughts, wildfires

and extreme temperatures; diseases spreadinginto new areas; diminishing food and watersupplies; and political instability. The majorityof the population in most countries alreadyunderstands the link between these problem

and climate change, but this understanding isnot reflected in national policy and action onthe issue. The task, Gore said, was to “put aprice on carbon in the economy and a price ondenial in politics.” He wanted to change laws,not lightbulbs.

We suggested that this was a communicationsproblem, not an environmental problem. Insolving it, we wanted to make the argument asmuch about common sense as about science;we also needed our message to be personal,and immediate. (Climate change is not a futureproblem – its effects are being felt right now.)Perhaps most important, we wanted to avoidthe “we’re all going to die” tone of muchrecent messaging, preferring to present a moreoptimistic view of what can be done, and indeedis already being done, to combat the problem.

Continued on page 12

not?




Five WPP agencies were briefed – Ogilvy &Mather Shanghai, JWT and Blue State Digital inNew York, Grey London and George PattersonY&R in Sydney. We also shared the brief withD&AD, for its global student ‘New Blood’competition. (Blood and Gore – it seemedlike a good fit.) In February, the five agenciespresented to VP Gore in London.

As we were weighing up the relative meritsof these presentations, there was a furthertwist: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked

Sir Martin for some help with communicationsto run alongside the UN’s process on climatechange in 2014 and 2015. As VP Gore wasalready playing a prominent role in this process,it seemed sensible to combine forces, and developa single, global campaign. The campaign wouldrun under the banner of VP Gore’s ClimateReality Project, but it would have the supportof some powerful allies at the UN.

The Climate Reality Project leadership, andthe UN’s communications and climate changegroups (to whom we presented in anothermemorable meeting, on the 38th floor of theUN Building in New York), agreed that thecampaign from GPY&R Sydney, created byexecutive creative directors Bart Pawlak andDavid Joubert, was most appropriate forthis global task. It was based on the simple,universal truth, that in every part of the world,in every language, the first questions asked bya child are:

Why? and Why Not?We ask the first question to understand the

world around us, and the second to changeit. Anyone who is a parent will know howpersistent their children can be in asking thesequestions, and how difficult it is to satisfy them.It is also true that the older we get, the more weseem to accept and the less we tend to question.

GPY&R’s campaign posed those questions,to highlight both the problem of climatechange, and potential solutions. The idea wasto engage the citizens of the US, China, India,Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa andthe Philippines – identified by the UN as theeight key nations in the process – and havethem in turn ask the questions of their friends,

their social networks, businesses and, mostimportant, their elected representatives. Andto keep on asking them until the excuses, thehalf-truths and the lies run out.

By now, a number of WPP agencies were

involved. Once it became apparent that those ofus from a strategic background were incapableof coordinating multiple agencies and actuallyproducing a campaign, Y&R in New Yorkprovided us with a business leader, in the saintlyform of David Sharrod. The Futures Companyresearched the campaign in key markets;GroupM’s trading group created partnershipsfor us with global media vendors like Microsoft,Google, AOL and Kinetic, all of whom have beenvery generous in their support; Maxus drove the

media strategy; Blue State Digital created ourdigital platform and a campaigning strategy;PPR developed and executed a PR campaign;The Glover Park Group have continued to helpus navigate the political waters; and affiliateVice has been a vital and energetic partner inyouth engagement.

The campaign launched on August 14 withan appeal to 13 to 21 year-olds around the worldto be the voice of their generation at the UNClimate Summit on September 23. They wereinvited to submit audition videos, asking ‘why?’and ‘why not?’ questions of world leaders.

In just four weeks, we received thousandsof audition videos, each of which would havetaken at least one hour to plan, film, edit andupload. (Not bad for a generation whosesupposed short attention span is matched onlyby its desire for instant gratification). In total,85 countries were represented.

Eight winners were selected: two youngpeople from India, and one each from thePhilippines, Botswana, Brazil, US, Australia andthe UK. Vice production teams filmed each of

them in their homes, and began to edit a finalvideo to be played at the opening session of theUN Summit.

12 NEWS


Why not?

We have a moral

duty to act now





On the march: 400,000 people took to the New York streets to spread the Why Not? message




SHANGHAI: WPP’s School of Marketingand Communications, established in 2011,has delivered its first 40 graduates.

The Group’s joint venture with theShanghai Art and Design Academy is nowproducing a talent pipeline for the Chinesecommunications services industry throughits three-year diploma program which

brings together a strong academic andcreative curriculum combined with practicalapplication. The School’s students havealready been recognised internationally and

in China with top awards from D&AD in2013 and 2014 and golds at the 2013 ChinaUniversities Creative Design Awards. Thelatter ranked the WPP School as first inShanghai and fifth nationwide.

Of the graduates, 23 won internships atGroup companies in Beijing and Shanghaiwith many expected to be hired in permanent

positions; others have been equipped withskills that will help them progress withinthe industry.

www.shgymy.com

TALENT First graduates of WPP’s school are already

making an impact and gaining international recognition

Hats off to China graduates




GURGAON: NOT many campaigns makea significant difference in the lives of amillion people, but the winner of this year’s

WPP Partnership Program award can justlyclaim to have done exactly that.Skill India Mission was a project for India’s

National Skill Development Corporationthat set out to address the issue that skillsare traditionally afforded lessrespect in India than conventional educationand meet the challenge of persuadingIndians to take up the opportunity toacquire new skills. Within seven months

of the roll-out of the pro-skilling campaign(TV ad above), more than a million peoplehad signed up, with enquiry calls soaringfrom 500 a day to 32,000. India’s Finance

Minister, P Chidiambaram commentedthat “in my long years in governmentI have not found a program scaled upso quickly, so elaborately and so muchacross the country in six months as thistraining program.”

The project was masterminded by aWPP team composed of Ogilvy & Mather

Advertising, Motivator, Ogilvy PR,Geometry Global, OgilvyOne and FireflyMillward Brown, whose members share the$45,000 prize for having shown the verybest of horizontality in action.

The runner-up was a campaign calledMcVitie’s SWEEET, led by Grey in London,and partnering with Dialogue, MEC, GreyPOSSIBLE and The Social Partners.

Partnership ProgramResults 2014Skills on show

An Ogilvy & Mather-led team in India has

triumphed in this year’s Partnership awards

Full details of the winners in this year’s

Partnership Program can be seen at:https://inside.wpp.com/insidewpp

/marketing/partnership-program/

16 NEWS




WINNER

Lead Company

Ogilvy & Mather, Gurgaon

Partnering CompaniesOgilvy PR, Gurgaon OgilvyOne, Gurgaon

Motivator, Gurgaon Geometry Global, Gurgaon

Firefly Millward Brown, Gurgaon

Client

National Skill Development Corporation, India

Project

Skill India Mission

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Lead CompanyGrey Advertising, London

Partnering CompaniesDialogue, London

MEC, London

Grey POSSIBLE, London

The Social Partners, London

Client United Biscuits, UK

Project McVitie’s SWEEET

RUNNER UP

Lead CompanyRed Fuse

Communications,Hong Kong

Partnering Companies Y&R, Taguig CityMEC, Taguig City

Kantar, Mandaluyong City(Philippines)

Client Colgate-Palmolive,

Philippines

Project Palmolive ‘No Comb

Revolution’

Lead CompanyOgilvy Public Relations,

New York

Partnering CompaniesBurson-Marsteller,

New York, London, ShanghaiHill+Knowlton Strategies,

New York, London, BeijingDirect Impact, Washington DC

Social@Ogilvy, New YorkBlue State Digital,

Washington DC, New YorkTeam Detroit/Content Factory, Dearborn

Ogilvy Public Relations, LondonOgilvy & Mather, Shanghai

Pulse, Melbourne

Client Ford Motor Company

Project Global Launch of the All-New 2015

Ford MustangLead CompanyRed Fuse, Mumbai / Bates CHI, Mumbai

Partnering CompaniesMEC, Mumbai

Quasar, MumbaiGenesis Burson-Marsteller,

MumbaiBates Sercon, Mumbai

Client Colgate-Palmolive, India

Project Colgate VisibleWhite Launch

Lead CompanyGeometry Global, Hong Kong

Partnering CompaniesOgilvy Public Relations, Hong Kong

Social@Ogilvy, Hong KongRedworks, Hong KongMindshare, Hong Kong

Client Pernod Ricard, Hong Kong

Project Chivas 18 The Scene Present Crowd Crew

Lead Company Y&R, Budapest

Partnering CompaniesMEC, Budapest

Wunderman, BudapestTNS, Budapest

MEC Interaction, Budapest

Portland, BudapestBrand Asset Consulting,Budapest Mac Mester,

Budapest

Client Erste Bank

Project New Platform

Lead CompanyGrey Healthcare Group,New York

Partnering CompaniesCohn & Wolfe, New York

Darwin, New YorkOgilvy CommonHealth

Medical Media, ParsippanyOsprey/GHG, Stamford

Client Bayer Healthcare

Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Project Collaboration to launch

a breakthrough oncologytherapy!




The WorksShare your creativity here

– and now on Facebook!

18 SHOWCASE

Captive audience: What are the secrets of makingairline passengers comfortable and entertained?Content marketing and custom publishing agencySpafax keeps the global airline passenger experienceindustry up to speed on all the topics that matter –from airport branding and mood lighting to musiclicensing and celebrity chefs in the air – in APEXExperience, a magazine and online media packedwith thought-provoking features and published

on behalf of the Airline Passenger ExperienceAssociation. See this and Spafax’s other custompublications at http://issuu.com/spafax .

www.spafax.com




If you have a great piece of client work that you’d like to share with the WPP world

and beyond, please email the work and a short description to [email protected]

and/or [email protected]. (Please ensure you have client approval to publish.)

SHOWCASE 19

High flier: India’s newest full-serviceairline, a joint venture between Tata Sons

and Singapore Airlines, has been namedand branded by Ray+Keshavan |Brand

Union. The name, Vistara, is based on theword vistaar (Sanskrit for ‘infinite expanse’)and is easy for a global audience topronounce and remember. The airline’s logosymbol is derived from a yantra, whichdepicts an unbounded universe in a perfectmathematical form, with an eight-pointedcompass rose in its centre.

www.brandunion.com

More of The Works

Sweet shop: Global retail and brandconsultancy FITCH has created Asia’s firstM&M’S® World store on Shanghai’s busiestshopping street. Designed as a playful,enriching place to experience the confectionerybrand, the store on East Nanjing Road boastsa Great Wall of Chocolate and an interactive‘garden’ of colourful Chinese lanterns.

www.fitch.com



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201420 SHOWCASE

The WorksShare your creativity here

– and now on Facebook!

Get set: JWT New York ’sglobal ‘Forever Faster’campaign for Puma features aclutch of sports icons includingsprinter Usain Bolt, footballerMario Balotelli, golfer LexiThompson and the ScuderiaFerrari Formula One team.

The multimedia campaign seesthem in action in the field and,on film, in their hot tubs.

www.jwt.com



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 SHOWCASE 21

If you have a great piece of client work that you’d like to share with the WPP world

and beyond, please email the work and a short description to [email protected]

and/or [email protected]. (Please ensure you have client approval to publish.)

P h o t o

: C o l l i nH a t t e r s l e y

You decide: In the run-up to thekeenly-awaited Scottish voteon independence (the ‘No’ voteprevailed) Metro Broadcast’ssister company Metro Ecosse filmed multiple five-minute playswritten and performed by the

public for the National Theatreof Scotland’s The Great Yes,No, Don’t Know Five MinuteTheatre Show. Performanceswere captured from acrossScotland and beyond, in theatresand outside locations includingbeaches, bridges and tram stops,and streamed in a 24-hour livebroadcast.

www.metrobroadcast.com

www.fiveminutetheatre.com

Exceedingly good: JWT London has createdthe world’s first edible poster for the muchloved UK food brand, Mr Kipling. Shoppers atLondon’s Westfield helped themselves to a pieceof the poster as part of the brand’s ‘Life is BetterWith Cake’ campaign which reminds peoplehow much happier we are when there’s cakearound. Mr Kipling would definitely approve.

www.jwt.com




INTERVIEW As director of one of the hottest events on the

digital calendar, Ella Weston’s job is to get the discussion

on technology going. By Alexander Garrett

Swimming

with the Stream

A

NYONE who accidentallystumbles upon a beach atMarathon in northern Greecelater this month might findthemselves witnessing some

unexpected activities. Cookingat midnight, a motley band, avant gardemovies and a collection of strange gadgets…just some of the attractions at Stream, WPP’sdigital ‘unconference’.

Remaining calm among the chaos will beElla Weston, director of Stream, who hasoverseen its expansion from a single globalannual meeting to a rolling program ofevents that have become one of the hottesttickets on the technology conference circuit.Former colleagues describe Weston, whohas just been named on the GQ/EditorialIntelligence inaugural list of the “100Most Connected Women in Britain”, as“inspiring” and “bursting with energy”,qualities that are clearly put to good userunning the Stream Team. “I still getinvolved in everything from the cooking

to registration to organising logistics,”says Weston. “It’s very much an all-hands-on-deck event where everyone has to roll uptheir sleeves.”

Stream started in 2006, since when it hasplayed host to some 5,000 people, includingover 2,000 from WPP, 1,000 clients and2,000 industry partners. The reviews havebeen fulsome. WIRED magazine describedit as “one of the world’s best technologyconferences”, while others have simplycalled it “the best conference ever”. Withits unstructured format, and carefully-

picked invitation-only guest list, Stream hasbecome an event that causes joy and dismayin equal measure when the invites go out.

PEOPLE 23


It’s very much an all-

hands-on-deck event

where everyone has to

roll up their sleeves




As director, Weston is keenly awareof the responsibility this confers on herto make and break egos, but says theoverriding objective is to gather the mostproductive group of people. “The brief wesend to agencies who nominate their ownstaff and clients is: send us your currentleaders, and your rising stars,” she explains.

“We are looking for the people whocontribute most to their own business,but not someone who will sit at the backof the room and send emails from theirBlackBerry – they need to be people whowill contribute.”

In any case, the aim is to have 80 percent new faces every year, in order to givethe widest number of people access toStream, and to ensure that each event isfresh and different. And there’s a ‘wild card’scheme whereby four places can be wonon merit; this year by submitting the bestcreative use of technology spotted in the last12 months.

Stream was originally inspired by theIsraeli investor Yossi Vardi, who set uphis own event called Kinnernet in a bid topromote innovation. “It’s completely crazy,”

says Weston. Vardi suggested to WPP DigitalCEO Mark Read that he launch a similarevent focused on marketing technology, andthe first Stream was launched in 2006.

Since then it has been a high-profileproject run by Read’s WPP Digital team,including Jonathan Lenson, Laura Citron,Tara Marsh and Annie Miller, and most

recently Aoife Dowling, who has joinedWPP Digital as number two on all thingsStream. “It’s a huge team effort” says

Weston. “What people don’t realise aboutStream is the number of volunteers whomake the event a success. Each year wehave a team of agency directors who takeon running elements of the event alongsidetheir day job; it would be impossible to dothe event without them.” Not to mentionRead’s ongoing involvement. Weston laughs:“I have no idea how he does it. Mark isinvolved with every big decision we make;

it’s been his vision to make this a success.”This month’s Stream in Greece is the

original global event that remains theflagship. But 2014 has seen Stream take off

We are looking for the

people who contribute

most to their own

business, but not

someone who will sit at

the back of the room

and send emails fromtheir BlackBerry


Swimming with the Stream

24 PEOPLE

Laid back: Stream’s informality on show



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 PEOPLE 25

as a model to be replicated in local markets.Established spin-offs Stream Asia andStream Cannes have been joined by StreamIndia, Stream Indonesia, Stream Health,and, in December, the debut of StreamAfrica. The WPP team has also produced aStream one-day event for Coca-Cola, andin 2015 the team hopes to launch the firstStream North America.

Some of these events are being organisedby local teams, but the aim is to maintain thesame high quality whoever is in charge. “Idon’t think we want to make endless events,it’s a question of where people need them

and there’s a business case,” says Weston.Latin America is another venue on the radar.

Stream Healthcare, which took placein Florida in September, and was acollaboration with Grey Healthcare, is thefirst foray into a vertical marketing sector.“Healthcare is interesting because it’s a veryfast growing piece of business that is beingtransformed by digital,” explains Weston.“When we started the conversation we felt itshould be about more than pharmaceuticalcompanies and communication, it shouldbe a lifestyle event covering everythingfrom wearable devices to applications andhealthcare data.”

She’s especially excited about the firstStream Africa which will take place inStellenbosch. “I’m really passionate aboutthat because Stream is very good at building

a network. Europe, Asia and America areall very well networked, but although someof best ideas come from Africa, it doesn’thave these same meeting places to exchangeideas. So there’s a huge potential to whatStream can do in the market there.”

A key part of the director’s role isworking with Mark Read and Scott Spiritin securing sponsorship to cover the costs ofStream events. “We have over 30 partnersranging from the big China tech companieslike Sina Weibo and Renren, through to theWestern equivalents of Google, Facebook,LinkedIn, Twitter,” says Weston. In return

for their sponsorship, partners get access to

key people from WPP, its clients and othertechnology partners, becoming “part ofthe WPP eco-system” and listening to eachother’s issues. “The opportunity to havethat conversation off the record is rare,”says Weston. “You can always meet thesepeople, but to have them for three days, andreally understand what’s on their mind is avaluable experience.”

Stream scores highly on the small-scale

more intimate nature of the event, comparedto some of its bigger rivals. The formula forthe events themselves, while far from beingformulaic, consists of workshops, talks anddiscussions throughout the day leavened bythe cooking and merry-making after hours.“If we are asking CEOs or CFOs to takethree days out of their diary it has to beenjoyable,” argues Weston. “And the reasonwe hold these events in Greece or Thailand,is so that you can hold meetings outside. It’spleasant but not luxury.”




THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201426 PEOPLE

In any case, she stresses, Stream deliversserious value to WPP on a number of fronts:it brings in new client business, it hasproved a source of digital acquisitions, andhelps WPP agencies build relationships withdigital partners, to give three examples.

Weston may not have anticipated thedirection her career would take when she

graduated from Exeter University with anEnglish degree in 2007, but she says shedid have a plan. “I wanted to find andwork with the smartest people I could.”After a number of media roles, spanningdocumentary films, start-ups and events, shebecame involved in a political engagementproject, designed to get more people to votein the EU Elections, and made a connectionwith Peter Dart, WPP’s global client leaderfor Unilever, securing support from H+KStrategies. A role helping at Stream in

2009 beckoned, and Weston found she washooked, becoming director three years later.

It’s just as well she is a self-confessedtechnophile. “I love what technology andsocial media has enabled: I can speakto friends in Afghanistan face-to-face.I can hail a cab at the touch of a button.I remember any note I’ve ever taken inseconds.” It’s a passion that moved herto become instrumental in setting upthe organisation Girls in Tech in the

UK last year.In the last 12 months, Weston hasbecome engaged, moved to New York tojoin her partner and is busily meeting allthe WPP North America people previouslyencountered on email. Outside work,she says: “I like throwing parties! I amnotorious for organising dinner partieswhere the menu is lots of wine with fiercedebates on the future of technology. Right

now I am throwing myself into my new lifein New York. I have started volunteeringat a garden in Manhattan, and am on amission to find the best pizza in New York.”

Working on Stream, meanwhile, “isa dream job. Every day we find andbring together leaders and rising stars intechnology and media to debate the futureof our industry. Hearing people rave about

Stream, or that we have won more businessfrom connections made at the events is thebest feeling in the world.”

[email protected]

I wanted to find andwork with the smartest

people I could


Swimming with the Stream

On stage: active participation is part of the deal




Over the topGlobal advertising investmentwill increase 4.5 per centto $534 billion in 2014,according to the latestbiannual This Year, Next Year futures reportfrom GroupM. In 2015 it will rise a further5 per cent, finally exceeding the pre-crisis

peak of 2007/2008 in real terms. The USis forecast to grow by 3.4 per cent to $162billion in 2014, contributing one-quarter ofall incremental ad dollars globally; Chinaranks second as it climbs a predicted 9.8

per cent to $76 billion. Advertising in theEurozone countries remains 20 per centbelow its 2007 peak.

www.groupm.com

Upwardly mobileMindshare Indonesia has won ‘Agency ofthe Year in Mobile’ at the Mobile MarketingAssociation APAC’s SMARTIE awards.The agency also won Gold in the Product/ Services Launch Category for the ‘CitraNight Call’ Campaign, while MindshareAPAC won the Agency Network of the Year

title.www.mindshareworld.com

Faster versionGMI is re-branding as Lightspeed GMIwith a new logo and the tagline “Wemake research easy”. The company, whichspecialises in consumer panels, survey

technology and solutions, also has a newwebsite:

www.lightspeedgmi.com

Bulletin

Shanghai openThe Futures Companyhas opened its first officein China, in Shanghai,and has appointed Kunal

Sinha, former cultural insights director ofOgilvy & Mather Asia Pacific and AtticusGrand Prix winner, to lead it. The newoffice will offer the company’s range ofstrategic insight and planning services onsubscription and consulting basis. TheFutures Company launched a Singaporeoffice in 2013.

www.futurescompany.com

Customer focus

TNS has struck a partnership withMedallia, a leading software firm incustomer experience management(CEM) that will help clients on theroad to becoming a customer-centricorganisation. The partnership usesMedallia’s real-time customer feedbacksolution, to deliver feedback on a dailybasis.

www.tns.com

Vatican onlineGlobant is behind a new multi-religiouscollaborative platform for the Vaticanthat seeks to connect educationalinstitutions around the world, by enablingthem to upload and share projects.Scholas.Social, is promoted by Pope

Francis and was designed by Globant forfree.

http://scholas.social



THE WIRE • Quarter 2 201428 PEOPLE

Life in the Lens

What do you love about

Mumbai?

Like a mistress she entices and teases all

who come to seek fame and fortune. Andthe monsoon.

Cricket or food? Which is

most important?

Why make choices when youdon’t have to? I carry my dinner to the telly.

One thing most people don’tknow about you?

There’s a book inside me.

Who do you regard as a

genius?

Someone who consistently inspires. SachinTendulkar, Matt Groening, RD Burman,

Quentin Tarantino. The acid test isconsistency.

Happiness is?

To seize the moment and extract all youcan from it. Happens best when sensesare being tickled: book, music, theatre,film, sport, food, a small achievement; andwhen company is good: family, friends and

occasionally alone.

What’s your favourite recent

acquisition?

My Nespresso coffee maker.

If you were an Olympic

champion what would

it be for?I would say shooting (even though I can’taim straight). It is probably the sport thatrequires most FOCUS.

Vikram Sakhuja , global CEO, Maxus

After a career spanning

Procter & Gamble, Coca-

Cola, Star TV, Mindshare andGroupM, Vikram Sakhuja

became CEO of Maxus in

January 2013 – the first

global leader of a media

agency to be based in India.

The self-styled “foodie,

movie buff, compulsive

cricket watcher” lives in

Mumbai with wife Simmi and

daughters Tara and Diya.



THE WIRE • Quarter 2 2014 PEOPLE 29

What’s the best idea you’ve had?

Starting an Employee Share Trust that makes our people beneficiaries of the profit they create.

Your fantasy meal?

I took some time to write this:

Xialongbao from DinTaiFung, Hong Kong.

Gouda and Stout Fondue from Artisanal,New York.

Hyderabadi Black Pepper Surmai fromTrishna, Mumbai.

Sikandri Raan from Bukhara ITC Maurya,New Delhi.

The Ginger Wagyu beef from Kai, London.Phad Thai from Patong Seafood Village, Phuket.

Queen’s Pudding by my mother.

Describe your perfect working

day as a tweet?

Wrote a poem, won an

account; got effectivenessto trump efficiency,rediscovered how muchsmarter millennials arethan I. #futureisgood.



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201430 DIGITAL

INSTAGRAM is maturing quickly. Itlaunched in October 2010 and less thantwo years later (in April 2012) was boughtfor a staggering $1 billion by Facebook.Last year Instagram opened advertising toa small group of advertisers and now has

plans to extend this in three more markets– Australia, Canada and the UK. During thistime its scale has continued to increase. InApril it claimed a global user base of 200million users a month, up 50 million fromsix months prior. This all adds up to anexciting new scalable social ad platform.

Instagram is looking to capitalise onits growth, but not at the expense of itsgrowing audience, with strict controls on

the style of ads shown. Initial advertiserswere encouraged to draw creativeinspiration from the community and createads that were engaging and felt natural inpeople’s feeds. Advertiser attempts to datereflect this approach and overall this is agood thing. It’s positive that Instagramhas a strong composition of the desirable18-34 age group (over 50 per cent in

the US). It’s also good that initial datasuggests that some brands are seeing liftsin ad recall measures and this may notbe unrelated to research which indicates 65

per cent of people are visual learners.Still there are some factors to be aware

of. Stylistically, Instagram is aiming fora perfect native ad solution. It’s likelyunattainable in the long run as pressuresto increase ad volume come into play, butis initially a good goal to set. Even with all

advertisers currently aiming for a highlystylised look, some are struggling to maketheir brand relevant in this environment,as McDonald’s found out to their cost this

Picture power

BRIEFING As Instagram extends its visual-

based ad program to three new countries,

Mindshare’s business director Ben Watson

looks at the opportunities presented by its

evolution as a social ad platform

Even with all advertisers

currently aiming for ahighly stylised look, some

are struggling to make

their brand relevant in

this environment




week when they received 1,941 commentsfrom users in the US, many of whichwere negative from individuals who wereannoyed by seeing a McDonald’s ad in theirnewsfeeds.

This leads us to identify two factorswhich brands sometimes forget. Instagramis a highly-opinionated community whichcan at times act like an echo chamber. Andsecondly there is a difference between visualadvertising and visual storytelling. Learninghow your brand best operates in this typeof environment is only gained by experienceand active learning. Additionally, tests

require a significant investment.Most brands need to better understand

how they can succeed on visual advertisingplatforms like Instagram. Three corereasons lead us to recommend action:

1) Consumer to consumer communicationis increasingly being done visually.2) Social channels account for ahigher and higher percentage of webtraffic. 3) Platforms like Instagramare becomingly increasingly dominant onthe mobile screen space.

It’s a big step for many advertisers tounderstand how their brands translate as astatic or animated image, but it is essentialin seeking to have conversations withconsumers where your brand appears to bepart of the Instagram environment and notan unnecessary addition.

DIGITAL 31

There is a

difference

between visual

advertising

and visual

storytelling

This article was first published as aMindshare Point of View and can be

viewed at: http://www.mindshareworld.

com/news/pov-instagram-ad-program




Staff Reporter

KANTAR could build a global business in the fast-emerging business of data visualisation following

its acquisition of specialist agency Graphic.The London-based agency has been bought byKantar from the Guardian News & Media. Kantarcompanies had previously worked with Graphic,and the agency created an infographic in WPP’slatest Annual Report.

Aziz Cami, Kantar’s creative director, said:“One of the things clients are increasingly askingus for is more impactful presentations that makesense of their data and enable them to make smart

decisions around our insights. Data visualisation asa technique is a fantastic method to tell complexstories in simple way.”

He added: “But while this is a burgeoningbusiness very few significant commercial organ-isations are doing it; many of the best exponentsare in media groups like The Economist, Bloombergand the New York Times, and others are one ortwo-man geek outfits doing it with an art focus.

Very few have the professionalism and potentialscaleability of Graphic.”

NEW OFFER Data visualisation agency Graphic gives

Kantar a powerful new way to tell stories for clients

Information,

meet image

32 DIGITAL





More than words: visualisation for WPP Annual Report (left) and insurance market Lloyd’s (above)

DIGITAL 33




Emma Whitehead, Graphic’s managingdirector, said: “Although we were started bythe Guardian and aligned with their brand, wehave always been a commercial business ratherthan an in-house graphics department. When weworked with some of the Kantar companies theysaw the quality of what we do.”

Joining Kantar will mean access to moresenior clients and open the way to create a

global offering, she said. “The key message weneed to get across is that this isn’t souped-upgraphic design; it’s as much about informationarchitecture, and we have an iterative processthat enables us to work closely with clients andtrain people so it can bescaled up quickly.”

Graphic has alreadycollaborated withMediaCom and is looking

forward to working withother WPP agencies as wellas those within Kantar.Its clients include Google,Nestlé, M&G Investmentsand Swarovski; the agencyalso provides trainingto companies includingOfcom, Nokia andMicrosoft.

Cami said that Graphicwill be well-positionedto take advantage of theexplosion in data and information created bydigital marketing, as well as a growing trendtoward real-time data visualisation. Witha full-time team of 13 and an establishedfreelance roster, the company is alreadyworking with clients in the US and Asia, and

the intention is to look at expandinggeographically in 2015.

www.graphicdigitalagency.com

This isn’t souped-up graphic design;

it’s as much

about information

architecture


Information meet image

34 DIGITAL

Millward Brown research comes to life



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201435 DIGITAL

• Planning tooltenthavenue and TNS havejointly launched mFluence,a global planning insighttool developed by mobilemarketing agency Joule.mFluence utilises data from TNS’s ConnectedLife survey of 55,000 internet users in 50markets to help media planners answer a

wide range of questions. It reveals how paid,owned and earned media channels impacton consumer behaviour and empowersmedia planners to cluster audience segmentsbased on actions, behaviours and activities.

www.tenthavenue.com

www.jouleww.com

• Brazilian double JWT has beefed up its digital capabilitiesin Brazil with two new acquisitions. Blinksis an 81-strong search engine marketingagency based in São Paulo specialising insponsored links campaigns and other per-formance media. Try is an experience agencythat designs and develops custom web,mobile, desktop and touch-enabled applica-tions. Also based in São Paulo, it employs 22

people and clients include Itaú Bank, PortoSeguro, Electrolux, SKY, Serasa-Experian,Havaianas and Kate Spade.

www.jwt.com

• Shop frontWPP Digital company Salmon has snappedup e-commerce specialist Neoworksto broaden its offering. London-based

Neoworks implements e-commerce sitesbased on SAP’s hybris technology.

www.salmon.com

New in Digital

• Extra mobilePOSSIBLE, part of WPPDigital, has acquiredmobile developer DoubleEncore in the US. Basedin Denver, Double Encore

employs 55 people, developing mobileapps for brands for iOS and Android

operating systems. Clients include MajorLeague Soccer, JetBlue, PGA TOUR,Kingston Technology Company andMeredith Corporation.

www.possible.com

• Indian odysseyAKQA has opened a new engineeringcentre in Gurgaon, India that will focus on

building expertise with the world’s leadingplatform vendors. The centre will alsoprovide specialist Adobe Marketing Cloudservices for AKQA clients worldwide.

www.akqa.com

• Oscar materialWPP has made a strategic investment inIndigenous Media, a new digital studio

that produces high-quality scripted contentand develops channel brands for contentdistribution, founded by Oscar, Emmyand Tony award-winning film makers JonAvnet, Rodrigo Garcia and Jake Avnet.WPP is taking a significant minoritystake along with ITV, the UK’s largestcommercial broadcast network. WPPand ITV will contribute advertising anddistribution expertise, allowing Indigenous

Media to focus on creating content thatwill attract brand sponsorships, and globaldistribution on multiple platforms.



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201436 CLIENT OFFERING

ABSA: a rugby April Fool that went viral



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 CLIENT OFFERING 37

Cerebra puts thought leadership in the foreground – and is

finding answers to questions yet to be asked on social media

Social central JOHANNESBURG: “OURfocus is on de-mystifyingwhat social media meansfor corporate brands,” says

Mike Stopforth, founderand CEO of South Africa’sCerebra – which joinedWPP last November.

Unusually, as might beinferred from its name,Cerebra places as muchemphasis on developingits thinking, plotting the future and findinganswers to unsolved problems as it does tocreating social campaigns for clients.

Cerebra began as a communicationsagency with a digital and social focus in2006; the decision to refine that came fiveyears later. “We realised there were manypartners who could provide contentssolutions and community managementsolutions, so we needed to either diversify orbecome even more niche,” says Stopforth.

“We elected for the latter to focus on theimpact of social technology and trends onour clients, both from a brand and employeeengagement perspective.”

Cerebra’s offer is delivered throughfour divisions. Insights generates dataand insights in the form of analytics,reports, reputation management andcustomised research projects; Advisory offers consulting, developing frameworks

and models, that are practically applicablefor clients; Academy offers educationand training including masterclasses on arange of social media issues; and Agency

is responsible for contentcreation, communitymanagement and creativecampaigns.

“Our aim is alwaysto touch base on all fourof those levels,” saysCraig Rodney, Cerebra’smanaging director.“Vodacom and ABSA(Barclays), for example,are two clients that began

as Agency clients, but now all four of ourdepartments interact with them at differentlevels.”

Examples of social campaigns includecreating a race-style competition to promoteVodacom’s Vouchercloud app, and an‘Instawalk’ for the same client that invited 20top Instagrammers to explore Johannesburgfrom a helicopter. For financial servicesprovider ABSA it created a new red and goldjersey for the Springbok rugby team as an

April Fool; the joke went viral.The Insights and Academy businesses,meanwhile, have been established largelywith the intention of developing productsthat can be marketed to clients withouttying them into a conventional agencyrelationship.

One point of difference from other socialagencies is a conviction that social mediashould not be confined within the marketing

department, but should be regarded as anopportunity for the entire business.


The Experts



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201438 CLIENT OFFERING


Social central

The last year has seen a concerted effortto articulate Cerebra’s viewpoint in a seriesof editorial features and ebooks on topicsranging from guides on individual socialplatforms to data privacy, second screening,social commerce and other key issues.

“There is an altruistic element in thesame way as when someone contributesto Wikipedia,” says Rodney, “but we also

believe there is commercial benefit in thelong run. We believe knowledge is poweronly in so much as it is shared. We want todefine social business and what it means forour clients, but also how that is executed inpractice.”

Stopforth adds: “There is a correlationbetween the value of work we do for clientsand their level of understanding of Cerebra.When they think we are a Facebook-posting company we have the least fruitfulrelationships; so part of our editorial driveis to put out a wish list of things we wantto be working on.” The aim is to be seen as“much more than a social media agency”.

The desire to put thinking in theforeground manifests itself in various waysfrom proactively presenting at conferencesto encouraging the rank and file to put their

hand up. Every Friday everyone attendsa company-wide talk where ‘Cerebrans’volunteer to share their thinking on a topicof their choosing. The talks are dubbedBBG sessions (Be Brief, Be Bright, Be Gone)and are open to all. “It gives every person,whatever their level, the chance to standup in front of the whole company and talkabout their idea; at least half the ebookswe’ve published have come from that,” saysStopforth.

With just over 40 people, Cerebra recruitsfor attitude rather than skills. “We look forpeople who can represent the client to thecommunity and vice versa,” says Stopforth.

Since WPP acquired a majority stakein November 2013, Cerebra has alreadyworked with two of Wunderman SouthAfrica’s other digital agencies – Base2 and

Giving: Vodacom campaign facilitatedsending gifts by SMS

Stopforth (left) and Rodney: putting thinking in the foreground

We want to define

social business and

what it means for our

clients, but also how

that is executed

in practice



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 CLIENT OFFERING 39

w w w .cerebr a.co.za

F ou nd ed : 2006

Of fi ce s : Johannesbur g

E m p lo y ee s : 40

Se r v i ce s : Insights, consulting, education and tr aining, campaigns, content and community management f or social media

In W P P : Cer ebr a is par t of Wunder man

Co nt act : Craig Rodney, cr aig@cer ebr a.co.za

Vodacom: Instawalk gave an aerial view of the city

Aqua Online – and next it is eager to layout its stall to WPP’s global client leadersaround the world.

Rodney says: “We would love to talkto them about social media as a businesstool for their clients; big data, analytics,e-commerce, all have social underpinningthem.”

“Because we are in an industry thatis new, it gets defined by the peoplewho are willing to step up and defineit,” says Rodney. “There’s no map orguide on how to do what we have todo; no instruction manual for problemshave to solve tomorrow becausewe don’t know what those are.” Headds: “We don’t have an editorialcalendar running to the end of the

year because I don’t know what weare going to be talking about. Butsomeone will come up with a problemthat is mind-numbingly intriguing.”



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201440 COMPANIES

Epigram, BRAZIL

Branding and identity

Brand Union has acquired a 60 per centstake in Brazilian branding and identity firmEpigram. The company’s services includeidentity development, graphic design andpackaging, architecture and retail spacedesign for clients including MasterCard,Telefonica, Vivara, Giraffas and Delboni.Founded in 2004, Epigram is basedin São Paulo and employs 60 people.

www.brandunion.com

InsightExpress, US

Analytics

Millward Brown has acquired Insight-Express, a provider of media analyticsand market-ing accountability solutions,in the US, and is combining it with MillwardBrown Digital. The company’s clients includeNBCUniversal, Google, Net-flix, Hulu andMicrosoft. Founded in 1999, the comp-any

is based in Stamford, CT, with offices inNew York, Chicago and San Francisco andemploys 100 people.

www.millwardbrown.com

A round-up of the latest

new service offerings and

additions to the Group

New Offers

ZappiStore, GLOBAL

Automated market research

Kantar has invested in Zappistore, a global

pioneer in automated market research,whose business offers powerful softwareapplications which provide automated datacollection and analytics through a self-serviceplatform. The London-based company wasfounded in 2013 and current-ly operates innine countries with plans to expand into11 additional markets. ZappiStore’s clientsinclude five of the top 10 global consumer

goods companies.www.kantar.com

EXP, SOUTH AFRICA

Experiential marketing

Scangroup is acquiring a majority stakein EXP, an experiential marketing groupbased in South Africa. With a presence in

12 countries across sub-Saharan Africa,EXP employs over 1,700 people; servicesinclude brand activation, event marketing,sponsorship marketing and social marketing.

www.expagency.biz

Keyade, FRANCE

Digital search marketing

GroupM has agreed to acquire Keyade, aleading digital search marketing agency inFrance. Founded in 2006 and employingaround 75 people in Paris and Dubai, theagency specialises in performance-drivenonline media purchasing. Clientsinclude La Redoute, Air Franceand Interflora.

www.groupm.com




AWARDS Following this

year’s success at

Cannes, WPPED Cream highlights the best work

our companies do

OurCream

TeamThere have been many, many winners from WPPcompanies at Cannes and other awards competitionsin the last 12 months, but now it’s time for someinternal recognition. The WPPED Cream awards

draw on judging panels from among our companies topick the best work from around WPP in nine differentcategories – with Healthcare joining for the first time.Featured here are the Crème de la Crème awards– the winners in each category, some familiar, othersless so. But to see the full story visit the microsite athttp://www.wpp.com/wppedcream where youwill find dozens more examples of the outstanding

work produced across the Group.




THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201442 XXXXX

DIRECT

Crème de la Crème

OgilvyOne, London

British Airways: Magic of Flying

OgilvyOne built the world’s first posters thatreacted to planes flying overhead. Using customtechnology, the system interrupted the digitaldisplay just as a British Airways plane passedover the poster sites, revealing a child pointingup at the plane, accompanied by the BA flight

number and the city the plane had flown from.

42 SHOWCASE




DIGITAL

Crème de la Crème

Ogilvy & Mather Paris

Scrabble: Scrabble WiFi

Like the traditional game, Ogilvy &Mather’s ‘Scrabble WiFi’ is a playfulway to get free WiFi connectionby spelling words. People’s wordsserved as WiFi passwords, and theirscores translated into free minutesof connection. Based on Scrabble

rules, the higher the score, thelonger the connection.


HEALTHCARE

Crème de la Crème

Red Fuse Communications,

Hong Kong (with Y&R,Malaysia and Y&R, Myanmar)

Colgate-Palmolive: Turning

Packaging into Education

Red Fuse turned Colgate-Palmolive’s product packaginginto classroom posters in what

Jury chair John Zweig, chairmanof WPP’s Healthcare and

Specialist Communications,says is “A fabulous case fromrural Myanmar. It dramatizeswhat is perhaps the single most

powerful and compelling factabout our role in healthcare –that communication itself canbe part of the cure!”



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201444 SHOWCASE44 XXXXX

Continuedfrom page 43

ADVERTISINGCrème de la Crème

Grey, London

The Sunday Times Rich List:

Bono/Macca/Sugar

Grey’s outdoor, digital,in-paper, print and POScampaign for the 25th

anniversary of the SundayTimes Rich List charted thefinancial fortunes of some ofthe famous names featuredon the list. Famous faces,including Paul McCartney,Alan Sugar and DanielRadcliffe, were depicted in bar

graphs measuring their wealthas reported in the list over the

years, with each bar made upof photos of the individualsfrom year to year.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Crème de la Crème

VML, Kansas City

MINDDRIVE: Social Fuel

VML developed an awareness campaign forMINDDRIVE, a Kansas City-based program educatingat-risk young people, which converted social interactioninto watts to power an electric car. Using this ‘social fuel’,MINDDRIVE students drove the vehicle to Washington

DC to brief government officials on MINDDRIVE’s work.In all, 481 news outlets in over 14 countries covered thestory, reaching philanthropists who are now helping toopen new programs across the US and in Australia.




INTEGRATED

Crème de la Crème

Geometry Global, Bogota

and Ogilvy & Mather, Bogota

Colombia’s Ministry of

Environment and Natural

Resources: The Lionfish

Invasion. Terribly Delicious.


Geometry and O&M turned anenvironmental and economic threat into anew foodstuff by encouraging Colombiansto eat the predatory Lionfish which isdestroying native fish stocks and damaging

coral reefs. With the help of top chefs andwell-known figures, the campaign generated public demand for the fish and a supplychain was generated from scratch, withfishermen, fisheries, restaurants, hotels andsupermarkets working together to makeLionfish part of Colombia’s diet.



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201446 XXXXX 46 SHOWCASE

DESIGN & BRANDING

Crème de la Crème

The Partners, London

Maybourne Hotel Group: The Connaught

The Connaught hotel is one London’s most sophisticatedand singular destinations. The Partners told the story ofthe hotel’s 200-year tradition and idiosyncrasies througha distinctive piece of art: collaged, hand-coloured

etchings, where each look reveals a little more of the‘wonderland in Mayfair’. Jury chair Tim Greenhalgh,CCO of FITCH, calls it: “A beautifully conceived andexecuted piece of pure design exuberance.”

Continuedfrom page 45




DATA INVESTMENT

MANAGEMENT

Crème de la Crème

TNS, Poland

The Biggest Report in the World

TNS Polska revealed the results oftheir report Advertising in PublicSpace in Poland in a huge 207m2 outdoor infographic, hand paintedby TNS people on the side of a

building in central Warsaw. Thereport energised debate about

public space between citizenry,MPs and local authorities, amidststrong media coverage. “A bigidea in every sense of the word,”say Jury joint chairs, Kantar’s CEOEric Salama and creative directorAziz Cami.

MEDIA

Crème de la Crème

Maxus, Delhi

Tata Tea: Power of 49

Jury chair Mathew Mee, globalchief strategy officer of MediaCom,describes this as: “A big idea, rooted incontemporary Indian cultural issues,Maxus and Tata Tea have created a

piece of work that has had a majorimpact on the empowerment of womenand their participation in the political

process (as well as growing thebrand) … a combination of audaciousthinking, coupled with rigorous,detailed execution …”



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201448 REGIONAL

Crossing

boundaries

Down Under

MARKET FOCUS It’s one of the world’s wealthiest

countries, and a key source of revenue for WPP

– with a strong emphasis on collaboration

AUSTRALIA is a market that is far moreimportant for WPP than its population sizewould suggest. With 23 million people it isranked 56th in the world, but the land ofOz produces annual revenues of more thanUS$1 billion for WPP, and at latest count(with New Zealand included) the Grouphas a head-count of more than 4,000 peopleworking for 120 individual companies.It’s also a market with a rich advertisingheritage, not least the distinctive Ockerhumour, that consistently boxes aboveits weight creatively. The works featuredon this page all won Lions at Cannes thisyear. Growth, on the other hand, tends tobe steady but not enough to set the pulses

racing.The great majority of WPP’s companies

are in Sydney or Melbourne, with a fewoutposts scattered between Adelaide,

Australia is a model

for the kind ofcollaboration that WPP

is aiming to achieve

around the world



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 REGIONAL 49

Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Darwin– reflecting the geographic scale of thecountry. Business-like Sydney is thetraditional advertising capital, with anindustry starting in the mid-19th century,but more artsy Melbourne is a fierce rivaland some believe has been stealing thecreative glory of late. What happens inmarketing mirrors a wider business rivalryand both cities provide their fair shareof clients.

For WPP, one thing that makes Australiadifferent from other markets is the unusualownership arrangement. STW Group is alarge marketing services entity that owns67 per cent of the Ogilvy Group companiesin Australia, as well as significant stakes ina number of other companies from WPP’s

networks, including JWT, Mindshare,Added Value and Smollan.

This originates from a merger in 1997between John Singleton Advertising –

founded by the eponymous advertisinglegend – and Ogilvy & Mather; followedby a later deal in 2002 to swap a minority

stake inJWT

for Singleton shares. WPPnow holds a 20 per cent stake in STW.

Touching: JWT Sydney’s breast cancercampaign for NSW Cancer Council paidtribute to singer Chrissy Amphlett


Wipe off Five: Grey Melbourne’s campaign forthe Traffic Accident Commission asked driversto slow down by five miles per hour



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201450 REGIONAL

Buzz off: in Papua New Guinea, GPY&R Brisbane created a mosquito-repelling carton for SP Lager to make BBQs safe again




Another key transaction was theacquisition in 2005 of one of Australia’sbest-loved advertising agencies, GeorgePatterson, founded in 1934 and affectionatelyknown as ‘Patts’. It subsequently mergedwith Young & Rubicam to create oneof Australia’s leading agencies, the 600-strong George Patterson Y&R. Y&RGroup’s Blaze Advertising, specialises inemployment and property, with offices insix cities.

Grey Group, meanwhile, has agenciesin Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra andhas recently received a welcome newbusiness boost in the form of theVolvo account, and WorkSafeVictoria, after losing its

longest-standing client,the Transport AccidentCommission last year.

Kantar has a wide range of offerings inAustralia, from Worldpanel, Retail andMedia to TNS, Millward Brown, Added

Value and Lightspeed Research. AndGroupM is Australia’s dominant mediaplayer, with all four media brands (Maxus, MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare)strongly represented and MEC Brisbane thelatest new office to open. In media, WPP alsohas one of Australia’s largest out-of-homemedia groups, oOh!media, while GroupMhas invested in PLAY, a leading experientialmarketing agency based in Sydney.

Among digital offerings, WPP has

DTDigital – recently acquired from STW– POSSIBLE, VML (launched last year),Wunderman, Xaxis and e-commercesupplier Salmon.

In many respects, Australia is a modelfor the kind of collaboration that WPP is

aiming to achieve around the world.The country – together with New

Zealand – was one of the firstmarkets to set up Group-

wide initiatives andthis plays a strong partin WPP’s operations.

Country Manager GeoffWild organises a CEO

meeting twice a year, alternatingbetween Sydney and Melbourne,

and says: “This generally involvesa presentation by one or more of our

Group CEOs, and especially from thosewho are new to the Group.”

There’s also a regular meeting for CFOsfrom WPP companies, which takes placefour times a year, with more than 35participants. “It started as a procurementinitiative and has saved many millionsof Australian dollars over the years,”says Athenia Pascoe, Group controller.The topics covered range from tax andtalent to IT, shared services and voting onnew suppliers.

REGIONAL 51


Chasing boundariesDown Under


The country – together with

New Zealand – was one of

the first markets to set up

Group-wide initiatives and

this plays a strong part in

WPP’s operations




A third dimension ofcollaboration is a client-focused Digital Next Australia(DNA) conference jointly createdby GroupM, TNS and GPY&R withBurson-Marsteller, which recentlytook place in Sydney and Melbourne.

The event is now in its sixth year andexplores how digital has had a powerfulimpact on the ways in which brands andconsumers relate to each other, challengingmarketers and their agencies to identifystrategies to drive business growth in aconnected world.

Australia can claim to be one ofthe most connected countries in the

world, with 75 per cent smartphonepenetration, and almost 50 per

cent of consumers owning atablet, according to TNSdata. “This year’s eventsaw over 400 marketers

and media executivesfrom Australia,” says Wild.

“The cross section of perspectives,case studies and insights wonderfully

demonstrated the breadth of WPP’shorizontality offer Down Under.”

A fourth collaboration initiative seesa long list of Y&R companies – GPY&R,VML, Ideaworks, Innovation Factory ,BAV , Landor, PPR, Burson Marsteller,MediaCom, Wunderman and Bienalto – hosting regular meetings to chase newbusiness opportunities.

52 REGIONAL


Chasing boundariesDown Under

Worm turns: JWT Sydney’s spot for worm treatment Combantrin won Bronze at Cannes Health



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 REGIONAL 53

Rip it: VML Sydney created an app for Rip Curl to help surfers find the perfect wave

According to the latest GroupM This YearNext Year report, total media spend is forecastto grow by 3.2 per cent this year, acceleratingto 4.7 per cent next. Interaction now accountsfor 38 per cent of budgets, and as in manydeveloped countries, is encroaching heavily onprint media.

Australian companies, meanwhile, are

looking increasingly to the fast-growingeconomies of South-East Asia to expand andfuel their own growth.

A year ago, WPP CEO Martin Sorrellindicated that WPP will be looking mainlyfor organic growth rather than throughacquisition. He suggested there is no shortageof opportunity from winning a bigger slice ofthe market when he told industry newsletterMumbrella: “If I look at the Australian market,

there are significant pitches, opportunities,changes in accounts of significant size, that areprobably bigger than most acquisitions youcould do in Australia in any segment.”

Australia can claim to

be one of the most

connected countriesin the world, with 75

per cent smartphone

penetration, and almost

50 per cent of consumers

owning a tablet



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201454 BEST PRACTICE

Raising your pitch FORUM Competing to win new client business is the meat

and drink of marketing communications. The WIRE’s

Round Table convenes to compare winning tactics



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 BEST PRACTICE 55

Meet the experts (from left to right):

George Rogers Global client director, WPP

Marla Kaplowitz CEO North America, MEC

Ajaz Ahmed CEO, AKQA

Kary McIlwain

North America managing partner, Y&R

Michael Houston CEO, Grey North America

WIRE: Is there a key

factor in getting

considered and on the

list in the first place?

Networking? Referrals?

Thought leadership?

Credentials?

George: It’s all of those andnone of those, as these factors areincreasingly price of entry. Ironically,differentiation is one of key things wesell, and clear differentiation is verydifficult to achieve at most agencies.Clients bemoan that many pitches

look and feel the same. At the end ofthe day, what changes everything isthe caliber of talent and delivery ofrelentlessness that will win the day.

Kary: Getting on the list is all aboutreputation – if the client or consultantdoesn’t think you are good enough orright enough or have the capabilitiesit is impossible to talk your way in.Every pitch we’ve ever begged into wegot cut in the first round.

Ajaz: Word of mouth is the singlebiggest factor in creating anopportunity in the first place. Clientsspeak to other clients, so the best sourceof new clients is ensuring that existingclients are happy with the quality of thework they get. The biggest mistakeagencies make is looking for the next

new shiny object, rather than ensuringthey are looking after existing clients.





Michael: Like most relationships, theinitial attraction involves an element ofseduction. Create allure for your agencybrand and manage it the same way wemanage brands on behalf of our clients.Make every interaction with your agencybrand better than the previous one.

Marla: There are multiple factors to get

on a list – a mix of subjective and objectivefactors. We don’t take any chances and try toaddress everything from our reputation (PR,people) to our thought leadership as wellas networking with former colleagues andclients. Prospecting does help – especially ifyou have category experience you’re able toexploit.

WIRE: What are the mostimportant aspects of

preparation? Are there any

rules for picking your best

team?

Marla: At MEC, we’ve learned that youhave to bring your A-Team or don’t bother.Clients quickly sense whether you not only

have strong people but if they also havegood chemistry. Rehearsing is critical aswell as thinking through the presentationfrom the client’s perspective and addressingthe questions they may have, but weren’t inthe brief.

George: The best preparation is pickingthe right team. Deft and appropriate castingis essential. You want the best talent who

can connect, respect and relate and mostimportantly who can and will listen. Welose too often when the mouth is employedmore than the ears.

Kary: First we craft our story. What arethe win themes? What are the arrows inour quiver? Then we pick the team basedour answers to the prior questions. Ifexperienced staff is an arrow we makecertain all the key people in the pitch havethe right experience. We also try to pickteam for pitch-ability and chemistry. It is

important that the team like each other. Ifwe don’t get along the client will alwayssuss that out.

Ajaz: Every single team in an agency shouldhave a track record for winning new clientsand growing existing opportunities. Thelabel ‘best team’ is a mistake because itimplies that there are less good and worstteams. Agencies should work hard to ensure

that everyone in their firm is ‘the best’ andrepresents the values of the firm so thatthey create a culture of excellence acrosseverything they do.


Raising your pitch

56 BEST PRACTICE

The X-factor comes downto the magic of the people

and the storytelling – it’s

not about the slides,

it’s about the story



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 BEST PRACTICE 57

Michael: The most important aspect ofpreparation lies in the casting of the team.Exhibiting palpable chemistry amongstagency team members is as important, ifnot more so, than the initial chemistry withthe client. The goal is to create an exciting,magnetic, yet perceptibly exclusive, club towhich the client would like to belong.

WIRE: How do you get the

best result at the pitch itself?

Is there an X-factor that can

raise it to another level? Michael: The key to the pitch meeting itselfis to show the client their brand in a waythey’ve never seen it and in a manner thatdemonstrates that you understand theirbusiness as much as they do and love theirbrand potentially more so than they do.

Ajaz: Clients will buy the team theytrust and feel they can collaborate with

and learn from. They will buy work andrecommendations they perceive will havethe most resonance and chance of success.Ultimately the teams that win are the onesthat listen to their clients, provide relevantrecommendations, are the best organisedand put the appropriate amount of thoughtand effort in. That’s where the focusshould be, not on any theatrics or anything

superficial. Marla: Take it seriously and rehearse,rehearse, rehearse. Do your homework byreading, interviewing people, and learn allyou can about the business and what theirtrue challenges are. The X-factor comesdown to the magic of the people and thestorytelling – it’s not about the slides, it’sabout the story.

George: Clients can smell whether a team isworking well together, liking each other andin-sync; qualities that are very difficult torehearse or develop quickly. The best pitches

are driven by a culture and environmentled by teams who have invested enormousamounts of time and capability to becomea seamless powerhouse exhibiting fun andpassion. The single goal of a pitch is to bethe best part of that client’s day, month oreven year.

Kary: I like having a pitch coach – someonewho isn’t going to be in the room but getswhat is needed – to be at rehearsals and actas critique to get the most out of the team.That and a good night’s sleep!

WIRE: What’s most likelyto be the real clincher?

The content of your pitch?

Engaging the client?

Something else?

Ajaz: Impress as you go. Every connectionwith a client matters and they either add upto success or they dilute to failure.

Kary: We always take about what is ourdagger – the thing that is really going to killit (in a good way!) for us. It varies from pitchto pitch sometimes it is the creative work;sometimes it’s leveraging great chemistrythat we’ve developed along the way;sometimes it is a killer idea or approach andsometimes it is a heart-felt emotional appeal.But before the final meeting we always agree

to ‘our dagger’ and how and when we willuse it.

Marla: Clients ultimately make decisionsbased on subjective factors It’s an emotionaldecision – just like a consumer choosing abrand. So the real clincher for us? Passion.That comes across in the quality of thepeople in the team, the quality of the creativeand strategic thinking, and demonstrating

how we’ll genuinely add value and growtheir business.





Michael: The clincher in a new businesspitch is usually found in that thing an agencydoes that is different yet complementary tothe client brief. If the client could easilyarticulate exactly what they wanted tosee, there wouldn’t be a need for a review.Therefore, be sure to break the rules…within reason, of course.

George: Brilliant ideas do win pitches, but

at our level, every agency will have greatideas backed with wonderful work. To beconsidered, everything must be crafted,technologically forward and enthusiasticallypresented. To win, it’s all about connectingwith that client team and earning their trust.

WIRE: How can you learn

from a pitch where you are

not successful? Kary: These are really the ones to learn themost from. We never take “you guys weregreat, the other guys were just better” as areason for not winning. We make a pointof talking to the consultant and getting asmuch information about why we were cutas possible. If there isn’t a consultant, wetry to get to the key client. We have a post-

pitch debrief where we write down thelessons. Always.

Michael: It’s important to huddle withyour team immediately after the pitch tosolicit negative and positive feedback fromthe meeting. It’s easy to find false indicatorswhen rationalizing success or defeat, soidentify the pros and cons of your meetingbefore the outcome is revealed. Formally

capture the feedback and reexamine it –win, lose or draw.

George: New business is never-endingand not a closed loop. While too often we

fail to learn what really happened or evenignore the post-mortem debrief, the realart is staying connected and in touch withthe prospect client so you can be readyfor the next brief or when the ‘winning’agency fails.

Ajaz: The biggest mistake is to blame the

client when an agency loses. It’s an approachthat lacks humility and the thoughtfulness toensure that a team will win next time round.If an agency has lost a pitch and it can trulysay, hand on heart, that it did the best workit could have done – and it articulated theseideas in the most compelling way – thenit’s important to take the long term viewbecause good will come of it. But mostof the time if an agency loses the pitch, itdidn’t deserve to win because the clientclearly saw something in another partnerthat they perceived as better or morerelevant to their needs.

Marla: Every pitch is a learning experience– regardless of outcome. Even if you win,there will be areas to improve on. At the endof a pitch process you need to understandwhat worked and what didn’t. Always get

feedback from your team, the clients andthe consultant (if involved). And be honestand transparent with yourselves about whatto do for the next one.


Raising your pitch

58 BEST PRACTICE

The single goal of apitch is to be the best

part of that client’s day,

month or even year




This powerful tool, exclusive to WPP companies, is availablefree, 24/7/365. Using algorithmic intelligence fused with humanintelligence of BrandZ Millward Brown expert consultants,Pitch Doctor instantly creates a one page crisp top-level SWOTanalysis and brand status summary for you. Ideal for pitchwork, brain storming, meeting potential clients for the firsttime, or when you need a quick consumer-driven point of view.

Go to: inside.wpp.com/pitchdoctor

PERFECT PITCH A one-day UK-based SparkLab workshop led

by theatre professionals which looks at the art or ‘act’ of makinga pitch. Encompassing writing, storytelling and audience control/ influence, the workshop uses theatrical skills and techniques tohelp you present, or perform, a pitch to maximum effect.

FYI – for big pitches, we can provide theatre professionalsfrom the SparkLab team to rehearse your team.

Contact Feona McEwan for details about both,[email protected]

Go to: inside.wpp.com/sparklab

EXCLUSIVE NEW BIZ TOOLS!

BEST PRACTICE 59




LONDON: WPP’s competitive landscapeis changing significantly as technology

giants see rich opportunity in the world ofdigital marketing and clients seek to getincreasing return for their investment. Oneconsequence is an urgent need to upgradethe Group’s IT capabilities.

In February this year, WPP recognisedthis need when it appointed Robin Dargueas Group CIO, a newly-created post.Dargue’s role sees him spearheading theIT Transformation Program, an initiativethat will transform WPP’s IT architecture,accelerate the ability for companies toconnect together, and enable the Group tobe a powerful competitor in the emergingdigital marketing landscape.

The first tangible elements of thatinitiative have already been unveiled with theannouncement of a new IT organisationalstructure for WPP, created with the global IT

leaders of individual operating companies,and the appointment of some key playerswho will lead the transformation.

A new organisation, Coretech, will

provide a Group-wide end-to-end ITfunction servicing all WPP companiesand developing applications and back

office systems that will be shared by all.The first of these will be the introduction ofMicrosoft’s Outlook as the Group-standardemail platform early in 2015.

INFRASTRUCTURE The IT Transformation Program

promises a major advance in how WPP

companies work together. Group CIO Robin

Dargue (right) explains to Alexander Garrett

why it’s an opportunity that can’t be ignored

TransformingIT for the future

There is a growingrecognition that we needshared systems thatcan be used by all

our companiesworking together

60 GROUP DEVELOPMENT




Key players including Yuri Aguiar, CIO atOgilvy & Mather, John Donnarumma, CIOof GroupM and Matthew Graham-Hyde,CIO of Kantar will all be joining Coretech inleadership roles; while David Nicoll, CIOof WPP’s parent company, will lead thenewly-created Parent Plus OperatingGroup IT.

The wider impacts of theprogram will take shape inthe coming months.

Dargue, who has ex-tensive experience ofleading IT transformation

at organisations such asDiageo, the UK’s RoyalMail, and France’s Al-catel-Lucent, says theneed for change atWPP is particularlyacute because of theway that the Grouphas evolved. “Manycompanies have joinedWPP over the years,each with their own ITsystems, and while theymay work fine individu-ally there is a growing rec-ognition that we need sharedsystems that can be used byall our companies working to-gether,” he explains. “At the same

time, the world in which we operate isbecoming more digital, and that’s placinghuge pressures on our IT environment.”WPP companies spend more than £1 billionannually on IT, and there is no doubt that by le-veraging size and scale, investment could be moreeffectively – and more efficiently – deployed.

In the large digital integration projects thatWPP companies increasingly bid for, the client CIOincreasingly makes decisions alongside their CMO,with a new breed of competitors emerging, such asDeloitte Digital, Accenture and Sapient.

GROUP DEVELOPMENT 61





These companies are well versed indelivering large scale technology projectsand have a set of global integrated toolsand technology project managementmethodologies.

“Agility and speed are the newbenchmarks of our business,” says Dargue.As the benefits of horizontality in marketing

services become increasingly apparent, onesingle WPP IT backbone, connecting ourbest resources, will allow our people toshare knowledge and make WPP a muchmore responsive organisation.

The IT Transformation Program isdesigned to have three key areas of benefit:it will drive greater efficiency; it willenhance the security and robustness of

Group systems; and it will meet the needfor companies to collaborate fully in globalclient teams and other partnership projects.

Client-facing IT – whether it be digitalmarketing campaigns, marketing technologyinnovation, or client engagement – will

remain inside WPP companies,

now known as Operating Group IT,powered by Coretech.

As well as making our companies morecompetitive, the transformation will havebenefits for individual end users, says Dargue.“If you’re a business traveller, when youvisit any WPP office, there will be a simple

process to log on to their wifi, or use anyprinter. You will also be able to bring yourown device to work, which many peopleprefer to use over their company laptop;and solving many IT end-user problems willbe simpler with standard systems.”

The transformation taking place inWPP is very similar to the process that hasalready taken place in many of our biggestclient companies, says Dargue. With a

world-class IT infrastructure, he says, WPPcompanies will be equipped to competetogether against the best and fully leverageour competitive advantage in areas suchas creativity and innovation. He sums up:“This is about transforming collaborationand making us fit for the future.”

Full details of the IT TransformationProgram, including latest updates,

are available on a microsite at:

inside.wpp.com/ittransformation


Transforming IT for the future

62 GROUP DEVELOPMENT

When you visit anyWPP office, there will

be a simple process to

log on to their wifi,

or use any printer



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 RESPONSIBILITY 63

TALENT A range of initiatives in WPP and its

companies are designed to address the gender

imbalance – and help women achieve their potential

Empowering womenStaff Reporter

MORE THAN half of all the people workingfor WPP companies are female – some 54per cent – and women make up 32 per cent

of executive leaders and 47 per cent of allsenior managers. The Group is committedto addressing the drive towards greatergender balance as part of its overall policyon diversity.

As the 2013/14 WPP SustainabilityReport puts it: “It is essential that womenare able to fulfill their potential throughouttheir careers with WPP companies, includingreaching the upper echelons of management

in the Group.”“Each WPP company is only as good as

the creativity and insights of its people,” thereport argues. “Our emphasis on inclusion

and diversity brings us a double benefit. Wecan widen our talent pool and with a clientbase that is itself enormously diverse, weare better placed to meet client needs and tounderstand and connect with consumers in

every market and every sector.”Leaders within WPP companies haveresponsibility to ensure that women are fullysupported within their own organisation,while diversity officers and councils alsoplay an important role in communicatingthe need to achieve gender balance. Beyondthis, there are specific initiatives withinboth the parent group and WPP’s operatingcompanies which seek to give women

support in achieving their true potential.


Leading ladies of the ad world: (from left to right) Shelly Lazarus of Ogilvy & Mather, Helen Lansdowne Resor of JWT and Charlotte Beers of O&M and JWT




WPP Women is a new initiative in theUK which brings together senior femaleleaders to consider issues which affectwomen and their ability to perform better.It has been started by Frances Illingworth,the Group’s global recruitment director,who is running the network together withMel Varley of MEC and Candace Kuss fromH+K Strategies.

Illingworth says: “WPP Women meets byinvitation and has met twice so far. It startedoriginally because I wanted to introduce theorganisation Women on Boards, of whichWPP is a media sponsor. Women on Boardsexists to identify senior women who can beelevated to the boards of companies acrossthe UK, and we already have quite a numberwho are looking for those non-executivepositions.”

The senior network, she says, willdiscuss policy on key issues such as womenreturning to work after maternity, ormentoring programs. “It’s a way for us toshare the information and knowledge wehave, and we have already identified sixareas where we will collect data and set upprograms,” says Illingworth. “The intention

is that we will meet once a quarter and wecan eventually extend outside the UK.”

An embryonic group with the samename has been set up in China by BessieLee, WPP’s country CEO, who has servedon the World Economics Forum’s gendercommittee. The network, which has formeda small committee of female leaders, is in itslaunch phase.

The X Factor is a senior mentoringand development program, inspired byCharlotte Beers, the former global CEOof Ogilvy & Mather and chairman of

JWT. “It’s about helping senior women

get to the next level of management,” saysIllingworth. The X Factor program takesthe form of workshops which take placeover several months and prepare senior andhigh potential WPP female leaders for thenext level of leadership. A number of casestudies were used by Beers for her book I’dRather Be in Charge. The X Factor runsusually twice a year, with small groups of

around ten attendees per session.Kantar’s “Mentoring for Success”

program is another development initiativedesigned to help women move up to thenext level.

Professional networks exist in a numberof WPP companies to support women intheir careers. One of the most significant isthe Women’s Leadership Professional

Network (WLPN) at Ogilvy & MatherNew York, which has some 250 members inthe Ogilvy Group – some of whom are men.WLPN was one of a number of professionalnetworks set up by Ogilvy’s chief diversityofficer Donna Pedro in 2007, and has beenrevitalised by a new team in 2014 led byMelissa Ng and Shari Reichenberg. Thegroup’s mission is“to empower and salutewomen at Ogilvy by fostering a strong senseof community, providing access to inspiringleaders and helping to facilitate each other’sprofessional success.”

64 RESPONSIBILITY


Empowering women

It’s about helping senior

women get to the next

level of management




“It’s really about helping to facilitateeach other’s success,” says Reichenberg.

WLPN organises regular meetingsincluding talks and events where members

can meet leaders in an informal setting. Arecent talk by the authors of The ConfidenceCode – a book on empowering women– had some 400 people trying to attendand had to be streamed to an overflowarea. The group also publishes a newsletterwhich makes a point of celebrating women’sachievements. And it partners with otherOgilvy networks on events like lunches,storytelling sessions and networking eventswith senior Ogilvy leaders, in an effort tobreak down traditional silos. “We also reachout to partners outside Ogilvy,” says Ng,

“including some of our client companies’networks. There’s a business developmentangle to this: if we can form relationshipswith individuals in those organisations thatis good for our business.”

In June this year, JWT announced asomewhat different approach to empoweringwomen. The Helen Lansdowne Resor (HLR) Scholarship, named after JWT’sfirst female copywriter, will see five talentedfemale creative advertising students eachawarded a $10,000 five-year scholarship tosupport the establishment of their career.

The scholarship scheme is designed to cel-

ebrate Resor’s contribution in JWT’s 150thanniversary year – she was a pioneer in theindustry and responsible for introducing ce-lebrity endorsements – but also to highlightthe deficit of women in top creative roles inour industry.

Recipients of the scholarship – whichis open to applicants in China, India,the Middle East and North America – will

also receive a paid summer internshipand a “first look” placement considerationupon graduation.

Gustavo Martinez, global president, JWT Worldwide, said: “JWT was knownas the ‘Women’s Advertising Agency’under Helen’s tenure. While we are proudof our existing female talent, we know wealso need to be working harder to identify,

train, develop and mentor the nextgeneration of female creative leaders. This isa goal we are very passionate about, and wehope the rest of the industry will take noteand do the same.”

RESPONSIBILITY 65

Contacts:

WPP Women, X Factor,

[email protected], [email protected] Lansdowne Resor Scholarship, [email protected]

We also reach outto some of our client

companies’ networks.

There’s a business

development angle

to this: if we can formrelationships with

individuals in those

organisations that is

good for our business



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201466 RESPONSIBILITY

Staff Reporter

AS TV’s Mad Men approaches its finaldenouement, a somewhat different

perspective on the advertising industry hasbeen documented by Christina Knight, acreative director at INGO, the joint Greyand Ogilvy agency in Sweden.

Knight, who is half British, half Swedish,is the author of Mad Women: A Herstory ofAdvertising , which explores the experiencesof a number of high-profile women fromaround the world who have become leaders.

She was inspired to work on the project,

she says, after female students repeatedlyasked her about her own experience and howto build a successful career in advertising.In spite of having read many books andbiographies over the years, Knight realised“that not a single one of those books hadbeen written by a woman”.

To redress that situation, Knight not onlyrecounts her own journey – which began

with copywriting brochures for a languageschool and continued at the Berghs Schoolof Communication in Stockholm, beforelanding a copywriting job at a small agency.She has also interviewed more than a dozentop names from the industry worldwide– role models for women – includingformer Ogilvy CEO Shelly Lazarus; NunuNtshingila of Ogilvy & Mather SouthAfrica; Stefanie Wurst of Scholz and Friends;

Rakhshin Patel of M&C Saatchi; CillaSnowball, CEO of AMV BBDO; Wieden+ Kennedy CEO Susan Hoffman; andadvertising legend Mary Wells Lawrence,

founding president of Wells Rich Greene.They talk about their own careers, the

people they’ve worked with, but also aboutthe issue of gender inequality and how they

achieved success in what was too often aman’s world.

Some recount the hurdles they hadto overcome, like Wells Lawrence beingconfronted by a head of account group whotold her he couldn’t work for a woman. Heleft. And each offers her own nuggets ofadvice to young women starting out in theindustry today.

Knight herself argues that womenhave to promote change “by questioning,demanding and fighting for equalrights and a balance in creativity andperspective.” And she ends her personalaccount with the wish that advertisingand communications becomes a morediverse industry. “Open up to somethinglarger, moreinclusive, and I am

convinced it will bebetter, richer, moreinteresting and, lastbut not least, moreprofitable.”

REVIEW Christina Knight (left) has charted the

history of advertising from the viewpoint of some

of the industry’s most successful women leaders

Tales from the top

Mad Women:

A Herstory of Advertising is

published by Olika Publishingand available from Amazon.

More information at:http://madwomen.info/



• Early detectionIn the United

Arab Emirates,it is particularlydifficult to talkto women aboutbreast health inpublic, so JWT

Dubai and Friends of Cancer Patients tookan innovative approach to improve earlydetection rates. In ‘Feel for the Signs’, a fleetof 50 pink taxis reserved for and driven

by women only, courtesy of the DubaiTaxi Corporation, featured seatbelt strapswith an artificial lump designed to rest onthe passenger’s chest. When passengersexplored the lump, they found the message,“Breast cancer isn’t always this easy tofind.” Passengers were also presented withan informative pamphlet; in some taxis,pressing the lump activated an audio message

promoting regular breast cancer check-ups.www.jwt.com/en/dubai/

• Good credentialsFor the fifth consecutive year, WPP has beenincluded in the Dow Jones SustainabilityIndex (DJSI), the leading global indextracking the financial performance ofsustainably-driven companies. The Group,which has improved its ranking year-on-year, scored a very respectable 65 points,compared to an industry average of 40.www.sustainability-indices.com

SustainabilityMatters

• Endangered speciesThere are only 55Maui’s Dolphins left on

the planet, all withinNew Zealand waters.Ogilvy & Mather New

Zealand’s campaignfor the WWF to helpsave the world’s smallestdolphin included aFacebook app thatrandomly wiped out all but 55 of the

users’ friends, press ads using only 55letters and a radio ad concealed 55 secondsinto a hit New Zealand song all drovepeople to an online petition. The campaigngarnered over 108,000 signatures, almostdouble WWF’s target of 55,000. Since itspresentation to Parliament, three majorpolitical parties have vowed to protectMaui’s Dolphins.www.wwf.org.nz

• Watercooler momentIn Y&R and VML’s latest collaborationwith the Partnership for a HealthierAmerica to encourage people to drinkmore water, a talking Drink Up Fountain

was installed in New York’s BrooklynBridge Park. When a drinker’s lipstouch the water, the fountain ‘talks’,offering friendly greetings and watertips. Watch the video at: http://

youarewhatyoudrink.org

THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 SUSTAINABILITY 67



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201468 SUSTAINABILITY

PUBLICATION New

analysis shows the

Group’s positive

effect on society

and the economy,

says Vanessa Edwards

Makingan impactIN WPP’s latest Sustainability Report,we explain that sustainability is about

maximising our long-term contributionto society, beyond just the profit we makefor our share owners. This supports ourrelationships with our people, investors andclients, who know they are associatedwith an organisation actively seeking toimprove its impact. To help us to do thiswe have started to measure and quantifythe contribution our business makes, aswell as the negative impacts associated

with our activities. This will enable us toassess both the value our business bringsand where there are opportunities toenhance our contribution. We hope thatover time this analysis can help us monitorprogress and become a useful tool inbusiness decision-making.

Vanessa Edwards is WPP’s head of

Sustainability. [email protected] more and watch outstanding

pro bono case studies atwww.wpp.com/sustainability .



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 SUSTAINABILITY 69




CREATIVE Recent campaigns by RKCR/Y&R and

JWT tackle the darker side of society

Staff Reporter

LONDON: TWO films by WPP companies

have brought audiences closer to the realitiesof life for vulnerable individuals.

Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/

Y&R’s TV, print and digital campaign for

the Home Office is raising awareness ofthe existence of modern slavery in the UK.The TV ad shows harrowing incidents of

slavery which at first appear to be takingplace in remote corners of the world butare then revealed to be in Britain. Viewerscan contact a helpline and website to learn

Gaining freedom

Exit strategy: JWT’s TV ad for Kenco shows how a young man is rescued from life in a gang and traine

70 SUSTAINABILITY




Home truth: RKCR/Y&R’s film demonstratesthat slavery is closer than you think

o become a coffee farmer

SUSTAINABILITY 71

how to spot the signs, seek help and reportconcerns. Media planning and buying wasby MediaCom and M4C respectively.

JWT’s campaign for coffee brandKenco highlights the seriousness of life inHonduras for young people who are indanger of being enslaved to gangs.

‘Coffee vs Gangs’ tells the story ofa project that has taken 20 youngstersdeemed at risk of entering a gang andwhich is providing them with the educationand training needed to become a coffeefarmer. The project is supported by PR and

media partnerships and a digital hub carriestrue stories of the kids involved.

www.modernslavery.co.uk

www.coffeevsgangs.com



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 201472 INSIDE WPP

STRATEGY Smart negotiation, active co-operation and

intelligent design has transformed the Group’s real estate

portfolio in London, reports Sarah Ritchie Calder

London’s workspacIT IS almost 30 years ago that WPP wasfounded in a damp basement office inLondon’s Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Since then,the Group’s UK presence has grown froman original headcount of two to more than15,000 people, most of whom work in thecapital.

Through multiple acquisitions andorganic growth over the years, the Londonproperty portfolio grew to become aragbag collection of leased office spacedotted around the city, much of which was

unsuitable for new ways of working thattechnology provided and clients demanded.So, nine years ago, the Group real

estate team drew up a long-term plan to

reinvent the London portfolio, creatinginspiring spaces that would also deliververy tangible business benefits. Using theirin-depth knowledge of the city’s propertymarket, their longstanding relationshipswith developers and landlords, and witha canny eye for timing, the team set aboutconsolidating the portfolio in a series ofinnovative deals. The strategy paid off: rentsfor the London portfolio are currently 25per cent below the market rate.

“Although headcount has grown by 50

per cent in London since 2005, the amountof space has risen by just 13 per cent,”according to Max Holliday, WPP’s headof real estate for EMEA. This efficiency is

House style: Brewhouse Yard in Clerkenwell is home to three Group companies




down to co-locating a number of smallerbusinesses into a more efficient largepremises and the introduction of ‘agileworkspaces/activity-based working,’ wherethe office space is designed around team andclient needs rather than a rigid hierarchicalstructure. “The engagement, buy-in andco-operation from the top management inGroup companies has been instrumental inmaking the London property story such asuccess,” says Holliday.

Two recent projects in London’s creativehub of Clerkenwell are blueprints for thecross-EMEA program of co-locations

and space rationalisation that support theGroup’s drive towards horizontality andcollaboration.

Brand Union, Sudler & Hennesseyand Lambie-Nairn have co-located inBrewhouse Yard in a space where peoplecan work at flexible desks, in the kitchenor in the collection of meeting pods dottedaround the building – wherever they feel athome. “We plan to continually reinforce the

domestic qualities by inviting our people toprop the space, just as a family might do on

moving into a new home,” explains BrandUnion’s creative director Ewan Ferrier. Theagile design has freed up areas to be used forinformal catch-ups, town hall meetings ordedicated project zones.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies moved intoits agile workspace in the Buckley Buildingin late 2013. Post-occupancy analysis hasshown that informal interactions betweenpeople have doubled, while they experiencefar fewer ad hoc interruptions when workingat a desk. A variety of shared and privatespaces has boosted collaboration and solvedthe perennial problem of finding a suitablemeeting room. H+K Strategies UK CEOand global chair, Creative Strategy, RichardMillar is delighted. “We have created anew home for the agency that is at onceprogressive, egalitarian and transparent

and, at the same time, a beautiful andinspiring space.”

INSIDE WPP 73

revolution

Opening up: light floods into the basementspace in Brewhouse Yard

Co-operation from the top

management in Group

companies has been

instrumental in making

the London property

story such a success





The real estate team works closely withWPP-owned company BDG architecture+ design; having helped London-basedcompanies adopt an agile workingenvironment, the strategy is now being rolledout across other parts of EMEA. Whilethe hard cost benefits of agile working arealways seductive, these environments shape

and influence the company far beyond themove-in date – the new dynamics createimportant soft benefits, such as businesscross-referrals and an enhanced culture andspirit.

BDG’s secret weapon in creating agileworking is their process of AdvancedSpatial Analysis, utilising the latest thinkingand software that’s been developed out

of University College London. It enablesdesigners to plot optimal sightlines,visibility, accessibility and wayfindingthroughout a space. This technique is beingused to great effect in the final piece of theLondon property jigsaw: the planning anddesign of London’s iconic riverside building,Sea Containers House, where, in 2015, all

Ogilvy & Mather’s UK operations and its1,800 people will be brought together forthe first time in decades alongside MEC’s600 staff.

Enlightened companies realise that

although there are enormous benefits toagile working, it’s not necessarily the easiestoption. It may not involve managing lots ofphysical assets like desks anymore, but goodpeople management is required, particularlyin the early days as everyone adapts. Andvery large projects, like Sea ContainersHouse, need to build in change managementprograms.

Agile design has a transformative effect,changing the way people and companieswork for the better. WPP’s Holliday sumsup the benefits: “Collaboration increases,interactions double, productivity improves,disruptions drop, staff retention levels goup, flexibility is inbuilt, real estate costs arecontained and it’s much more sustainabletoo – what’s not to like?”

Built in: bright and airy meeting spaces at Hill+Knowlton Strategies


London’s workspacerevolution

For more information contact Max Hollidayat WPP London, [email protected]




Jason Copland and Nay Htut

Ko Ko of TNS Myanmar dodge

the monsoon rains and consider

how the capital is changing

Hot spots?

With the change in government in 2010and freeing up of the economy, Yangon

is in transition. Restaurants and bars arespringing up to cater to well-heeled localsand an influx of visitors. Recent additionsinclude the Gekko Bar and Union Bar &Grill. For fine dining try Le Planteur orVino. Mondo serves fine Japanese cuisine– if you manage to find its small entrance.

Industry talking points?

Myanmar’s untapped market of over 50million consumers is irresistible to globalclients. FMCG businesses are growingrapidly, international bottlers and brewersare investing in manufacturing plants,and the launch of two foreign mobileoperator services will transform the livesof the population and the way peoplecommunicate.

Cool stuff?Despite low incomes compared toneighbouring countries, smartphones andtablets have great appeal and wi-fi hotspots

enjoy high traffic as people share news andcatch up on social networks.

What’s drawing the audiences?

Local rock and heavy metal bands Emperorand Iron Cross still command largefollowings and attendance at concerts.Korean culture (soaps, pop bands, cosmeticsand electronics) has a big influence on localconsumers of all generations and especiallyfemales.

Brands to watch?

Samsung. Coca-Cola. Carlsberg. Nescafé.

Sunsilk. Omo. Global brands are (officially)coming to Myanmar for the first time in over 50 years. With the introduction of Ooredooand Telenor mobile operator services,competition begins in the telecoms sector!

The must-haves?

Facebook account and smartphone.Consumers are skipping PC-based browsingand going straight to app-based mobileinternet use, which has implications forbrand owners. A car tops the wish-lists ofone in two households. And an umbrella isa good friend during the monsoonal delugebetween June and November.

State of the nation?

The buzz is all about mobile and thefreedom to communicate more reliably

and with everyone. Viber now has morethan five million subscribers. The much-anticipated democratic general election atthe end of 2015. Which party will win? Willthe constitution be amended to allow AungSan Suu Kyi to be President?

City sound bite?

The horns and beeps of a traffic snarl-up.The streets are overwhelmed with buses,cars, street vendors, crowds on their way towork, to school and to the pagodas.

www.tnsglobal.com

INSIDE WPP 75

What’s the

buzz in...

Yangon




Business development

If you’d like to know more about anyprospective client, anywhere in the world,the chances are that at least one of yourfellow WPP companies already works withthem. Such information, all non-confidential,is held by WPP centrally – and can becrucially valuable in helping to develop newrelationships. And at the regular LondonNewBiz Forums, CEOs, MDs and businessdevelopment leaders from across the Groupcan listen to, and question, an expert outside

speaker – and then exchange news, contactsand ideas. Contact is Gyve Safavi,[email protected].

Cross-Group client case studies

WPP’s portfolio of over 100 client-endorsed case studies provides hard evidence of Groupcompanies collaborating across skills andgeographies to bring tangible client benefits

– valuable new biz tools to demonstrateeffective teamworking. Download frominside.wpp.com/partnership.

News bulletins

Keep up to date via two free public onlinebulletins: e.wire, a monthly three-minuteread on Group company and people

news, account wins, new offers andindustry trends; and Digital Loop, afortnightly newsletter on all thingsdigital from across WPP. Subscribe viainside.wpp.com/ewire.

FactFiles

WPP produces regular FactFiles profilingindividual WPP companies, specific client

service offers and specialist skill areas, available at inside.wpp.com/factfiles.Has your company produced one? [email protected].

Get Connected!

There are valuableGroup tools and

resources on hand that

can bring business

advantage your way...



THE WIRE • Quarter 4 2014 INSIDE WPP 77

Communicators’ meetings

The WPP communications team holds regularget-togethers in London (The Clan), New

York (The Tribe) and China (The Village) forWPP company professionals responsible formanaging their company’s reputation to shareinfo and insights. Group companies are invitedto nominate one in-house representative –contact [email protected] for details.

Group events listings

The Group intranet carries listings ofupcoming events of interest to WPP peopleacross the Group. To get your event promotedgo to inside.wpp.com/calendar.

Group intranet

Available exclusively to people in all WPPcompanies, the intranet is your interactivegateway to constantly-updated online info,resources, tools and offers. Are you and yourcompany plugged in and profiled? It’s simpleto get going at inside.wpp.com.

WPP publications

WPP’s publications include the multiaward-winning Annual Report and annualSustainability Report; WPP’s Atticus Journal

of original thinking in communicationsservices; and WPPED Cream books show-casing outstanding creative work from WPPcompanies around the world. Most are avail-able in pdf format from inside.wpp.com or e-mail Harriet Miller, [email protected],for copies.

www.wpp.com

WPP’s public website is the portal for theGroup’s global activities, experts and init-iatives, plus links to Group company websites.




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