Who Needs Creative Merit?
March 30, 2008
It seems mcgarrybowen in NYC is on a roll these days. After winning JP Morgan and an assignment from HP, one has to ask what initiated all this sudden success.
Could it be some hot new hires bringing cutting-edge concepts to the table? Or a new division, offering services not once offered before?
No. It appears that award-winning, unconventional work is not how mcgarrybowen wins its business.
An example: recently, the agency won a piece of business from HP. Apparently, an environmental branding effort. SVP/CMO Michael Mendenhall gave this assignment only to mcgarrybowen and had the contract to move forward on his desk from day one.
Before his gig at HP, he was EVP of Global Marketing for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts… an account mcgarrybowen won a couple years back. Milking an existing relationship, mcgarrybowen simply followed Mendenhall like a lost puppy over to HP and went scratching at his door.
Same goes for JP Morgan, which was acquired by Chase Manhattan Corporation in 2000. mcgarrybowen started with Chase, moved on to JP Morgan, and is now secretly moving in on Visa. One of the top clients at Chase also happens to sit on the board over at Visa, and his vote carries a lot of water.
It’s like a new form of nepotism – which is unfortunate. The business dinners might be nice – kicking back with old friends, but the creative is just “good enough” and doesn’t push the standards of GREAT creative. Agencies in mcgarrybowen’s position don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them… especially since those hands seem to be the ONLY hands willing to touch the agency.
- Agent C
agencyspy.agentc at gmail dot com
March 30, 2008 at 4:42 am
they are old school as can be. and their work is terrible. here are two examples of just how bad they are. a print healine: “Kraft your sandwich.” for you guessed it Kraft. And a tagline: “Chase what matters.” for you guessed it, Chase. Both suck and both are the exact same shitty formula. this agency is the new destination for big, bad clients. they just opened a branch office in chicago with two hacky creatives from leo running it.
March 30, 2008 at 7:53 am
>It’s like a new form of nepotism
how is this new? have you ever been on a pitch?
March 30, 2008 at 11:43 am
Can’t fault them for their new business success. What’s the option, dealing with low-life review consultants? But the work is really horrible. Go on i-tunes, pick a sappy song from the 80s, spend an hour or two cutting a rip-o-matic, and voila, you’ve got every spot on their reel.
March 30, 2008 at 1:51 pm
huh? as mentioned above, this is the oldest approach to new biz in the world.
March 30, 2008 at 3:28 pm
You saw poaching, I say business as usual. Happens with accounts. Employees. Vendors. What’s new? Now if you had evidence of serious bribery…..
March 30, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Gordon bowen is a douchebag.
Sorry, that wasn’t very nice of me to say.
March 30, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Who are the CD’s there?
March 30, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Yes, this is how business is done generally, not just in advertising.
March 31, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I’ve looked at McGarry Bowen’s work online, and while it’s not the worst i’ve ever seen, it’s the typical work that clients love because it makes them feel completely comfortable. Combine that with some dinners and good old-fashioned backscratch, and you’re sure to win some accounts.