Big Pain

We all know traditional ad firms are experiencing big pain. This piece in BusinessWeek about Saatchi & Saatchi tells the story well.

“Sharan [Kim Sharan, the CMO of Amerprise] was expecting Saatchi to create a seamless experience across multiple media. “When I say navigate the brand,” she says, “I mean creating that experience where the consumer feels every message the company is putting out is fully integrated and building off of one another.” But she rates the new branding effort for Ameriprise “a work in progress” because it has meant little more than making sure the stars of the 30-second spots (a red chair, the slogan “You Have Dreams. You Need a Plan,” and the actor Dennis Hopper) also appear on Ameriprise’s home page. It’s difficult for Saatchi, Sharan says, “because they’ve grown up mainly in the world of TV, print, and radio.”

Firms like Saatchi & Saatchi are trying to transform themselves into “brand navigators” – which is to say a coordinator for digital media. Meanwhile, they’re faced with 6% revenue growth and a lot of questions about the future.

• «Previous Post
• Next Post »