Over the past couple of years, Ford Motor Company has struggled to compete in an industry in transition. In addition to several high level management changes, another casualty of this struggle has been their agency, Global Team Blue (GTB). Last week, Ford put its ad business up for review. GTB was purpose built by holding company WPP to be fully integrated and solely dedicated to Ford's business. Ford has had a relationship with WPP agencies that goes back 75 years. From firsthand experience, I can attest to the fact that GTB has some great talent. But sometimes talent is stifled by structure, relationships and briefs.
So what should Ford look for in this review to ensure that they get the best talent and the best structure to guide them into the future?
- Don't try to develop another purpose built agency. While it may make you feel good that there will be no distractions from your business, agencies with only one client can become insular and begin to resemble that client--maybe just a little too much. Furthermore, agencies with only one client are not able to bring perspective and experience from other brands to bear on your business. When I was working on the Nissan account at TBWA, we were fortunate to be able to look to brands like Apple, Addidas, McDonald's and Pepsi for inspiration and innovation.
- Don't go for a holding company solution. Instead, embrace an agency brand (be it part of a holding company or not) that has a specific point of view, and is willing to stay the course on that point of view through thick and thin. When the business is managed at the holding company level, individual agencies become commodities for holding company management to use as expeditious solutions to client/agency disagreements. But any agency who agrees 100% with their client is not giving their clients the thinking and perspective that they need.
- Do look for for an agency that has experience with clients who are in categories that have undergone technology induced disruptions. Categories like telecom, retail, and entertainment all fit the bill. These agencies can use their experience to guide you through the technology induced disruptions that are impacting the automotive industry today.
- Do look for an agency who believes that brand building is more than just the next advertising campaign, or ad tech. The right agency should have the capability to help you transform your business by delivering innovative ideas beyond advertising. The right agency can help you find your brands North Star. A North Star that will rejuvenate your business and help your brand remain strong regardless of what the future looks like.
- Do look for an agency that adds value to a brief by modifying it to ensure that it has a clear purpose in solving a specific business problem. As you brief the agencies in this review, give them a problem to solve, and latitude on how to solve it. Allow them to get into all aspects of your business. During TBWA's long global tenure with Nissan, we frequently partnered with our client to develop new product briefs, ideas for CSR initiatives, and portfolio strategies that went way beyond advertising campaigns. Both TBWA and Nissan were better for it.
As I've written in previous blog posts (see below), Ford's Brand DNA will allow them to build the bridge to the future perhaps better than any other traditional car company. Now they just need to hire the right agency partner, in the right form to help them harness their DNA in service of both the business and the brand.
(http://creatingbrandtraction.blogspot.com/2017/05/building-bridge-to-future-why-ford-can.html)
