‘Commercial creativity’ to be at heart of IPA agenda says new president

Ian Priest, founding partner of VCCP and international managing director of Chime, delivered his inaugural address as President of the IPA yesterday, pledging to move the advertising industry towards a new era of “commercial creativity.”

Priest said this could be achieved by joining forces with clients and adapting together to meet the challenges and opportunities of operating in times of dynamic change, austerity, and the ‘always on’ world.

“We all recognise that clients want us for our creativity. But more than that, they want us for our commercial creativity; creativity that demonstrably adds value to their businesses, which in return, adds value to ours.”

Priest’s ultimate goal is “the creation of a new commercial creative contract between clients and agencies to act as a guide for our mutual gain” and “to help us shape our common future.”

To achieve this, Priest has created a ‘Client Council’ made up of a number of influential clients from a cross-section of industry sectors to work with the IPA and its member agencies.

The areas Priest’s agenda will cover will fall under five strands: Alliances, Deliverables, Actions, Profit and Talent.

These strands will come to life through a series of participatory events across his two year presidency, during which agencies and clients will interact.

“We intend to create a lot of debate and then follow up with clear and actionable thought leadership and best practice content about how we as an industry should adapt, for everyone at large to share, comment and act upon.”

“I trust that by the end of my two years that through our combined actions, we will have helped our industry to move into a new phase of confidence and prosperity, a new era of commercial creativity, where we’ve adapted with our clients for the benefit of all.”

Priest succeeds Nicola Mendelsohn, chairman and partner of Karmarama, as president of the IPA. He will be expected to serve a two-year term and will be formally re-elected at the IPA AGM in April 2014.