PHILIPPINES, MARCH 30, 2011 – With a new logo emblematic of the changing face of the agency network, McCann Worldgroup has embarked on a new route towards a "transformation agenda" on the local, regional and global levels. On his recent visit to Manila to formally announce the leadership changes at McCann Worldgroup Philippines, Charles Cadell, Regional Managing Director, McCann Worldgroup SEA and Australia, sat down with adobo to discuss the structural changes within the agency network.
Beginning with the agency identity, developed by Futurebrand, with variations on binaries—analog and digital, fire and smoke, flowers and bees, to name a few—there is a refreshed focus on collaboration, and changes in approaches to talent and product.
Cadell described McCann Worldgroup Philippines as a "star operation across Asia" and expressed his excitement about what is happening in the Manila office: "The vision is one I find terrifically exciting specifically how it applies to the Philippines because it is all about the collaborative nature of the Worldgroup, working with MRM, Momentum, Healthcare and McCann Erickson as equal partners in bringing business solutions to our clients."
The three pillars in the transformation agenda are Creative, Innovation and Performance. Flowing from these pillars are the drive to own intellectual property (which is expected to make up 30% of profit in three years’ time), a Chief Technological Officer who makes decisions at the same lavel as the Managing Director and Chief Creative, changes in remuneration and contracts, and new measures of performance. Tools to be employed include an awards show strategy that remains true to it McCann roots, with business efficacy as its driver and zero tolerance for scam, and a quarterly review of creative work, which will receive evaluation scores.
The agency expects a turnaround that will produce results very soon, as the reorganized global team is now complete, regional teams almost set, and major changes set in motion. The bar is set high–the different agencies under Worldgroup are expected to be either best in class in markets where they exist. Otherwise, they will be closed.
Cadell, who joined McCann Worldgroup early this year, cites talent, growth and digital as the region’s biggest challenges, all of which applicable to the industry as a whole. But if this is McCann’s Year of Transformation, then it might just be the ideal time to address all these.
