Let’s Hear It for Madison Avenue’s Makeover!

Top of my list for this week is the newlylaunched effort by Vaughan Emsley and Cliff Francis two seasoned exSaatchi ampamp Saatchi hands who are going to market as Clean Up on Aisle 7amp160 Don39t be fooled by the company name Emsley and Francis are senior brand strategists and creative thinkers who handled Saatchi ampamp Saatchi PampampG business for more than a decade and they are less in the business of cleaning up messes than finding new directions for brands that have lost their wayquotWe don39t compete with a client39s rosterquot said Emsley in a recent interviewamp160 quotClients want to continue to work with their existing agenciesamp160 This does not mean though that their agencies can solve all their brand problemsamp160 Many brands have lost their purpose in the marketplace and the existing campaigns and initiatives do not work effectivelyamp160 Clients need quick and insightful work that redefines a brand39s foundation so that effective campaigns and initiatives can be planned and implementedamp160 That39s where Cliff and I come inquotClean Up on Aisle 7 works on projects that last no longer than threeamp160to fiveamp160daysamp160 Periodamp160 Emsley and Francis immerse themselves with the client39s brand teams to review brand data and positioningamp160 quotThe problems and insights come very quicklyquot said Emsleyamp160 quotWe uncover the answers that the organization has always known amp8230 but never articulatedamp160 Drawnout strategic processes are the worst way to solve fundamental problemsamp160 It39s the opposite of 39many hands make light work39amp160 It takes short intensive sessions to deliver insightsquotquotDoesn39t this repudiate the need for big dataquot I askedquotIt39s not about data big or smallquot countered Emsleyamp160 quotIt39s about the missing piece of data that provides the eureka momentquotEmsley and Francis are reinventing brand problemsolving by drawing on the insights articulated by The Boston Consulting Group39s George Stalk and Tom Hout in their seminal work on timebased competitionamp160 Instead of striving to produce highquality goodsservices at the lowest possible cost as do major advertising agencies timebased competitors exploit the added element of speed to overcome competitive disadvantages Traditional ad agencies have a hard time mobilizing and focusing their senior people on fundamental brand problems that require major quick solutionsamp160 They39re designed and organized to work on scalesized programs like executing annual Scopes of WorkEmsley and Francis see themselves as highly experienced doctors working in emergency clinics not in brand hospitalsamp160 quotWhere time is of the essence experience matters amp160there39s no need for further tests or researchamp160 Experience intuition and collaboration can perform miracles in a short timequotamp160 How they intend to scale their business is a trade secret that they are not yet prepared to shareBroader is the product line of USbased Tongal which provides content strategies and video from its extensive network of 120000 creative and production freelancersamp160 Tongal competes directly with ad agencies for this product line drawing on the large number of experienced exagency people who have either been downsized or who left on their own accordamp160 Tongal has a small but senior management team in Los Angeles and New York under cofounders Rob Salvatore LA James DiJulio LA and Mark Burrell NYamp160 It pays for winning ideas and executes rapidly to meet client needsamp160 Tongal has invested significantly in its network platform to permit the expansion of its freelance network and its strategicmedia capabilitiesThe concept of speed low cost and seniority to solve client problems unites these two diverse innovatorsamp160 They stand somewhere between the officeintensive mainstream ad agencies who generate large volumes of strategic and creative deliverables and the management consulting firms whose traditional strength in problem solving has been married recently to creative capabilities through MampampA activitiesHow will Madison Avenue39s Makeover evolveamp160 How will the guerilla fighters compete with the large standing armiesamp160 How will the standing armies adjust their operations and capabilitiesStay tuned for further exploration of these important questionsCartoon credit Sam Gross The New Yorker The Cartoon Bank With permissionClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Let’s Hear It for Madison Avenue’s Makeover!

Author

Publish date

Channel

Michael Farmer

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Let’s Hear It for Madison Avenue’s Makeover!

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Michael Farmer

Cookies