Happy 100th Birthday Bob Liodice and ANA - Steve Grubbs - MediaBizBloggers

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The ANA's "Masters of Marketing" conference in Orlando this past week more than lived up to its name on its 100th birthday. Kudos to Bob Liodice, President of the ANA, and his team for assembling an all-star group of A-list presenters. Also, thanks to the many sponsors who funded the meals, the drinks, the sports events and the musical talent. This ANA event has become the gold standard for all conferences in our industry. While there were many highlights, and I suggest you buy the presentation CD's from the ANA, there were a handful of memorable moments

First, if you're ever invited to make a presentation at the same conference as Mark Pritchard from P&G, he is a very tough act to follow. He was the first speaker, and he set the bar so high no one could exceed it. Mr. Pritchard was outstanding in his discussion about P&G's sponsorship of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The strategy and execution of that first-ever P&G "corporate" ad campaign were brilliant.

While I loved his Olympics case study, what I most remember was Mr. Pritchard's comments in the Q&A about how P&G streamlines their decision-making processes. They require the "A" person, the person with Approval authority, to participate in all critical, strategic meetings. The "A" person can then set the course of action. It sounds so simple, but most companies don't do this. Many media sellers have told me this is their single greatest complaint in dealing with agencies. They can't identify the "A" person, and they are bounced between many non-A people.

Second, in a Friday panel pitting three agency execs vs. three marketing CMO's, a question about re-bundling media agencies with creative agencies was posed to the panel. The ever-eloquent Andrew Robertson, CEO of BBDO Worldwide, was "spot on" when he reminded everyone that the media discipline would never have developed the same expertise and capabilities, nor attracted superior talent, had it continued under the control of the creative agency parents. However, all panelists voiced a need for greater integration among agency partners, and the CMO team was certainly more passionate about this. In fact, it was a common theme and a frustration articulated by many of the CMO presenters. So, while unbundling of media and creative agencies was certainly the best course of action for the industry at a certain point in time… well, things have changed. If integration of agency teams can't be managed under the current structure… well, things will change again.

Third, the presentation duet of Ted Ward from Geico and John Adams from The Martin Agency were a testament to how agency and marketer collaboration should operate. Besides the incredible growth of Geico's business over the past several years, due in large part to The Martin Agency's ad campaigns, it seemed obvious there was a strong personal bond and mutual respect between the two… something that is less common, but no less important, these days. Mr. Ward offered perhaps the most memorable quote of the conference when he said, "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right". Sadly, most of the people in the media business I've talked with over the past several months ARE NOT having fun.

Fourth, everyone should have the pleasure of meeting Cindy Gallop, former CEO of BBH and current CEO and founder of IfWeRanTheWorld.com. She was so brilliant, intense, funny and inspiring with her presentation that my brain hurt from listening to her. I had the good fortune of meeting her later that evening at Michael Kassan's MediaLink party. You should Google her, check out her website, and if you're really intent on changing your life or organization, you should hire her.

A final note… more of an observation…I was surprised there wasn't greater representation from the media services companies at this conference. Starcom/Mediavest was there in force and sponsored one of the breakfasts, but there seemed to be only a smattering of other senior media service company execs. With so many senior level marketers in one location talking about their brands, industry trends, their challenges and what is important to them, I don't know why the media agencies weren't there is droves. They should not want to be left out of the conversations that were taking place at this event, lest they cede their role as trusted advisor and gatekeeper. I realize the ANA price tag isn't cheap, but where else can you interact so informally with so many senior marketers… and learn something to boot!

Steve Grubbs is President and founder of Second Act Media consultancy. Second Act Media is an advisor to companies working in the media, marketing, entertainment and sports industries. Steve can be reached at steve.grubbs@secondactmedia.com.

Read all Steve’s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at My Second Act - MediaBizBloggers.

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