| > | | | | manager for marketing services. |
| | | | WALK THE WALK. One former P&G executive |
| But it’s hard to believe lavish parties, | | | | asked before last years trip: "Why don’t |
| punctuated by viewing of creative advertising | | | | they just stay at home and make better ads?" |
| (brief to the point non-existent for some senior | | | | The scary thought of what she might find to |
| executives) will build respect for creative | | | | optimise there shows why having client |
| advertising or advertising creatives. | | | | contingents at Cannes are a bad idea. Turning |
| Privately, some P&G executives refer to Cannes | | | | Cannes into the Mecca of advertising, gives |
| simply as a boondoggle. One former P&G | | | | award-winning work a bad name.Unlike Cannes, |
| marketing-services executive asked before last | | | | award-winning advertising is not a waste of |
| year’s trip: "Why don’t they just | | | | money. |
| stay home and make better ads?" | | | | Indeed, highly retentive market researchers are |
| John Wannamaker the 19th — century | | | | converging lately around hard proof that making |
| haberdasher who uttered that famous "I know | | | | emotional connections is by far the most |
| half of my advertising budget is wastedÂ…" | | | | important things ads do. And award-winning ads |
| quote would see the cream of global creativity | | | | do it better than traditional complex, benefit laden |
| drowning the brain cells in booze before heading | | | | P&G ads. |
| back to $500 a- night hotel rooms. | | | | Ultimately, getting research on these points into |
| Thanks to the client influx, he’d also see | | | | the hands and minds of P&G decision |
| new hights of relationship building as agencies | | | | makers-most often the general managers-is the |
| return some of their bounty to clients.It drives | | | | only thing that might change the culture. |
| home the ROI analysis how much extra cash | | | | BOONDOGGLE |
| moves through this industry. And how out of | | | | But it’s hard to believe lavish parties, |
| touch advertising creatives can be with the folks | | | | punctuated by viewing of creative advertising |
| who ultimately pay the bills. | | | | (brief to the point non-existent for some senior |
| A shockingly refreshing exception is Yasmin | | | | executives) will build respect for creative |
| Ahmad, executive creative director of Publicis | | | | advertising or advertising creatives. |
| Groupe’s Leo Burnett Co., Malaysia. | | | | Privately, some P&G executives refer to Cannes |
| Last year, she told a room of Procter & Gamble | | | | simply as a boondoggle. One former P&G |
| Co. executives how she once walked out of a | | | | marketing-services executive asked before last |
| meeting about a campaign to make shampoo | | | | year’s trip: "Why don’t they just |
| sachets appear to be a better value by putting | | | | stay home and make better ads?" |
| less shampoo in them. | | | | Easier said than done. But Unilever has. After a |
| This was during a 1998 Asian currency crisis that | | | | couple of years of sending contingents to Cannes |
| literally had people jumping out of windows | | | | to look cool just by letting them make good ads. |
| nearby. It was a rare sobering moment at | | | | Given Unilever’s aggregate market |
| Cannes. Another followed minutes later when | | | | performance vs. P&G, it’s easy to write |
| P&G’s agency executives saw the film | | | | off its better award performance. |
| shortlist. | | | | But brands where Unilever is getting creative |
| Here’s a third. While Mr. Wanamaker | | | | awards, like Axe and more recently Dove, are |
| wasn’t at Cannes this year, Kim Kraus | | | | among its strongest, and ones where it tends to |
| was. She’s P&G’s | | | | beat P&G more often than not. |
| strategic-relationship-optimisation (i.e. purchasing) | | | | |