Clemenger Melbourne has hired a raft of talent to help deliver the goods for a bunch of new business wins.
The agency has recently landed Myer, SEEK, The Department of Education, TAC and DrinkWise. Is that as much new business as it can take? Managing director Paul McMillan told AdNews that despite and “industrious twelve months”, the agency is “never done”. Equally, the staff expansion doesn't stop there.
“At the moment, we're adding to the existing talent pool and growing the right way. But we never really stop hiring,” he said. “We're always open to conversations with smart advertising people, regardless of whether we actually have a vacancy.”
In the latest intake, the agency created six new positions. In account management, Claire Tenzer and Adam Kennedy have joined as group account directors.
In the creative department, Evan Roberts and Dave Klein have been appointed as two new creative directors, and Stephen de Wolf, Hilary Badger, Jim Robbins and Alex Derwin have joined as a senior creatives.
Creative chairman James McGrath says the months of hard work recruiting these positions has paid off.
“It’s one of those delightful career moments to be able to have people we knew at the start of their careers return to us at their peak. They’ve all hit the ground running,” he said.
Evan Roberts returns home to Clems Melbourne, where he started out in 2002. previously at GPY&R, he worked across Defence Force Recruiting, AFL and Schweppes.
Dave Klein was the foundation Creative Director at BMF Melbourne, and led new business for the agency. Previously, he was at Leo Burnett and Mojo. Klein is behind award-winning work including Toyota AFL Moments and the Peters Drumstick campaigns.
Stephen de Wolf also returns to the fold. He left in 2005 for Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand. Most recently, he has been creative director at London hot shop 18 Feet Rising.
Another prodigal, Hilary Badger, comes back having wisely invested her talents at Melbourne agencies including GPY&R, and penning two best-selling children’s book series, Zac Power and Space Scout.
Jim Robbins has spent the past seven years writing at agencies in the States, including BBH New York, TBWA\Chiat\Day and Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Jim worked on Google’s “The web is what you make of it” campaign and helped launch PlayStation 4. As well as a metal laden mantelpiece, Jim had an Emmy nomination and has been inducted into MoMA’s permanent collection.
Alex Derwin has fifteen years writing experience in London, Sydney and the US. Most recently he's worked as a creative director at Mutt Industries, a start-up in Portland, Oregon founded by former Wieden + Kennedy ECD Steve Luker. He’s produced work for brands including Nike, Coca Cola, The Observer newspaper, Pepsi and Ford.
Claire Tenzer joins from Whybin/TBWA, where she oversaw the Cannes Grand Prix-winning ‘GAYTM’ campaign. Before that, Claire worked at BDH/TBWA and JWT in the UK.
Adam Kennedy has moved to Melbourne after seven years at sister BBDO office, AMV in London. As a board account director, he worked across a number of high-profile accounts, including Sainsbury’s, The Metropolitan Police, SCA and Wrigleys.
McMillan suggested the hires add to an already disproportionately unfair share of talent, but said having the best minds was fundamental to focusing on clients' business problems rather than just creating ad campaigns. But with the wage bill now likely inflated by seven figures, are clients willing to pay for more than advertising?
McMillan said his boss Rob Morgan would probably have a robust view on how to price problem solving into an account fee.
All he would say is that while some companies “just have a view of an advertising agency, I think it is about more than that. We are delivering the new model. How do you charge for that? There are ongoing conversations with clients on how to achieve appropriate returns.”
McMillan said that can be frustrating, and that although performance-based fees in tandem with a base fee were becoming more widespread, “client fees need to evolve with what modern agencies are outputting.”
But McMillan doesn't see the agency moving into other areas, such as media, just yet, in a bid to get a larger slice of the client budget. The full service debate has entered another cyclical waxing period, with other networked agencies mulling media as a means of combating scope creep into creative.
That said, a visit to fellow BBDO agency AMV in London suggested that was where the market might be headed, said McMillan. “If it is starting to yield over there... [maybe]. But it is going to come from clients.
“I started when media was down the hall, but they were a bit isolated then anyway. It's not that dissimilar to now. But we have great relationships with [group companies] OMD and PHD... so [full service] is not on our radar”.
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