Monday, September 30, 2013

Tanya Dentham: Blog #3

Visiting McCann was like walking down memory lane. I was eager to visit this company because I wanted to see the difference between an ad agency in the United States compared to the multinational agency back in Thailand. I honestly think that the only difference that I was able to pick out is that McCann is definitely more international. For the most part, it probably has to do with the difference of culture in Thailand and the US. Even though Grey has a presence globally, it is localized because of the employees and the market that they have to work with. The general structure and work processes however, were very similar - where there is a lot of pressure for the agency to work with different client needs. It is very prevalent in almost all agencies and often is the cause of disagreement between parties involved.

The discussion led by Grant was very interactive and fast-paced. But I do understand that we were working with limited time. Nevertheless, I felt like I was able to gain some insights as to how McCann was operated. The scope of work at McCann was as expected. I knew that agencies, especially big ones like McCann served a very diverse group of clients - from services to consumer products. Each of them having their own specific needs. In my view, the opportunities of serving such a diverse roster of clients is that the agency will have developed expertise in so many areas, as well as the ability to adapt to the differences very quickly. Having said that, the agency is faced with challenges to be very responsive to the evolving industry and changes in the target audiences' behavior without forgetting that a single minded message will always be more effective.

Although I was familiar with the way things ran in an agency, it is always good to learn from someone in different roles. As a Strategic Planner at Grey, my main role was strategy and brand planning. I was able to oversee local and international brands but had no direct contact with the client. While I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Account and Creative teams, it was only to make sure that the understanding of the clients' needs were mutual. I was interested to learn about how the Account team worked - especially when Grant told me that he worked on Verizon which meant that his account was B2B. I'm interested in this aspect because during my time at Columbia, I would like to learn the necessary skills in order to possibly go back home and further improve my father's company - dealing with B2B only. Moreover, Grant's presentation was a good reminder that an agency should have a clear brief that outlines the information given by the client regarding the objective. This is important because the outcome of the work must always link back to the objective.

I particularly enjoyed the discussion about Truth Central. I was interested in how they conducted the different studies and the methods of research that was put into the process. It made me realize that people have so many ways of accessing information nowadays and enjoy a wider variety of resources. Even though I never really enjoyed working with numbers, I was intrigued by the fact that Truth Central had their own way of meshing numbers with the creativity aspects as well. Not only is this concept new to me (as I am usually familiar with firms focusing on only one area rather than both), but it pushed to find out more when I apply for my internship this summer.

The overall working environment of McCann was very pleasant. The look was very clean and minimal, yet still presents that creative vibe. Every agency has their own style and I agree that the working environment is a big selling factor. I know that I will definitely take this into consideration before deciding where to work in the future.

After my previous experiences in the advertising industry, I think that I have had my fair share of what it has to offer. Although, it was a super challenging job to juggle between the needs of different clients and to be on top of everything, I still wanted to seek for something else. This visit to McCann made me certain of that decision. As of right now, I am certain that I want to work on the client side, with a focus on branding and strategy, but I am always open to other things as well. I think that our company visits will help me narrow down my choices for my internship this summer. I am excited to see what else is out there!

Current Events

I was reading an article on adweek.com and CNN.com about the most valuable brands. It so happens that after 14 years, Apple has "ousted" Coca-Cola as the world's most valuable brand, per Interbrand. Coca-Cola fell from first to third place and Google takes the second slot.

Apple's brand is worth $98.3 billion (nearly 30% increase in the last year)
Google's brand is worth $93.2
Coke's brand is wroth $79.2

It is clear that Apple's performance has been outstanding culturally and for the products itself. I guess the recent success is to have sold a total of 9 million units of the iPhone 5S during the first weekend of its launch. It is impressive to see how excellent products, a solid leadership team and a clear vision can bring the company to where it is today.



TTIY Project Update

I have to honestly say that the updates from Bath & Body Works have been very slim. I just received a welcome email from them regarding their Fragrance Insider updates. This allows me to receive exclusive event invites, special offers and the latest news.

As we are transitioning into fall, Bath & Body Works have come out with their fall line of handsoaps, candles and body products. They focus on the orange color and the pumpkin fragrances.


Social Media updates: I find that the Bath & Body Works social media channels are quite limited in their communications. Besides the consistent updates about the new products that have come out, they have not really been utilizing these channels well. While they are responsive to customer reviews and comments, they have not been initiating any activities on their social media platform. I think that channels like Facebook, Youtube and Twitter would be a good start for them to engage and interact with customers. I'm interested to see what they have planned for the upcoming events like Halloween and Thanksgiving!

As for my personal consumption of Bath & Body Works' products, I have been enjoying their candles and lotions. Although, as I've mentioned, I feel like it would be nice for Bath & Body Works to come out with new communications to interact with customers. I would like to see how the brand can go beyond their limits, besides offering promotions to customers and releasing new products seasonally.

My next step is to find a Bath & Body Works' store and chatting with their representatives. It would also be interesting to see the communications done within the store as well.

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