Maxus celebrates; industry commiserates

Writing in Campaign in May 2006, Ian Darby commented: “On the whole, it’s refreshing to see an agency from outside the top ten triumph in such a big pitch, apparently on the back of strong strategic thinking. Let’s just hope these ideas amount to more than a pile of Barclays.” *

The subject was Walker Media emerging as winners of the Barclays pitch, edging out PHD, OMD and the incumbent, Starcom – a result which saw Darby comment: “Unusually, there was little mention of dreaded ‘efficiencies’.”

Today, whilst offering hearty congratulations to the good people at Maxus, one cannot help viewing the result of the Barclays pitch (announced in the press today) with a touch of sadness – and foreboding. Maybe inevitability too, as another major client heads towards one of the big networks.

I have no additional pitch information to help consideration of how close Walker came to hanging on to their client of five years, but for media owners and suppliers – not to mention Walkers’ own people – it is a blow, as yet more billing clout gets concentrated into WPP’s “consolidated media investment management operation”.

I am sure Maxus is a very worthy winner and will do an excellent job, no doubt offering fresh ideas alongside good value, and it is tough on their team that each time a major advertiser selects in favour of one of the top four or five networks, it draws – unfairly or not – the implication of buying clout winning out, and, more seriously, of media becoming just a little more commodotised.

Walker has other notable clients and will be fine, but the whole media industry needs to maintain a strong underbelly of agencies beneath the big few – and it seems to be getting harder and harder for even the best of these to emerge victorious from a significant pitch.

* Barclays bank rhyming slang… work it out for yourself!