DDB Group’s Asia Pacific regional boss, John Zeigler, has taken a shot at media agencies for being focused on spending clients’ money and not the best solution to their challenges.
Zeigler, who runs DDB’s Asia Pacific, Japan and India operations, argued it’s “madness” for creative agencies to be dictated to by a media plan. He has advocated for a new overarching model for marketing, one which could see creative shops act as consultants to clients, solving a business problem based on the right solution regardless of whether it’s communications, distribution, product or something else.
“We don’t have all the answers but we can keep asking the right questions instead of blindly following placement in media because a media [agency] said here’s the best way for us to spend your money,” he said. “I’ve said to clients, hang on, when was the last time a media company told you you were spending too much?
“Why would they do that when they’re in the business of spending your money. We’re in the business of trying to make your money work harder and get better results. Because the only way we can continue our relationship with you is to focus on what your brand issues are.”
Zeigler said truly integrated creative agencies will tackle a client problem with a channel-agnostic approach. If a problem called for an activations solution, a channel without a media buy, then that’s what should occur.
“As [creative] agencies, we’re being submissive in sitting there and waiting for the media plan to be done so we can execute creativity off a media plan. It’s madness. So as a client, you come to us, we don’t care how you spend your money, we actually want the best result. Because we know you’ll grow, we’ll do more work with you and we’ll have a better relationship.”
This article first appeared in the 20 September 2013 edition of AdNews, in print and on iPad. Click here to subscribe for more news, features and opinion.
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