Independent benefits

Mark Jackson, MC&C’s new managing director, discusses the benefits of joining an independent agency.

Earlier this month, a consortium of independent media agencies got together to form a network agency called Local Planet to challenge the likes of GroupM and Omnicom in more than 40 markets worldwide.

Having myself recently joined independent agency MC&C after working for over six years at global network PHD, this is a story that I’ve watched unfold with keen interest. What will be particularly intriguing is whether these businesses, each with their own start-up mentalities and independent spirits, will be able to work together to achieve shared success within a network model.

Having experienced both worlds, I can testify to how very different an independent model can be. Even during my first week at MC&C I was taken aback by how quickly decisions in staff meetings about client projects could be implemented, and how a more agile and nimble approach could help clients to react quicker, analyse, adjust and iterate.
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We also regularly use the term ‘specialist generalist’, because without a network of specialist agencies, it’s important to possess the skills and knowledge to work across multiple channels. This actually makes independents incredibly resourceful as a result. Being media neutral, with all employees able to specialise across the entire media landscape, means looking for the right answer, rather than retro-fitting a problem to your specialism.

Ultimately, the right media solution can no longer be determined by vertical specialisms. TV teams need to know when a multi-media solution would work better, and digital folk need to understand when an offline approach would better drive campaign results.

I definitely see this fluidity running deeper in independent agencies. A great example of this lies in our work with Warner Leisure, where we were able to get under the skin of the brand in a way that naturally lends itself towards an independent agency.

In addition, the other major difference between a network and an independent model is staff retention. Even when I worked for MediaCom and PHD, we would lose good people to the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter, as young talent sought the opportunity to drive a changing media landscape – and move to workplace environments that have been specifically created for them.

Agencies rooted in the past, structurally and from a talent perspective – where margin growth is still the predominant driver – run the risk of getting left behind. They become less attractive to the type of entrepreneurial people who would help them respond best to clients’ business challenges and it’s why so many people leave to start up on their own (creating the pool from which Local Planet was no doubt formed).

One of my key remits here at MC&C is to make sure that our talent is well looked after, offered a wide range of experience and the chance to become more rounded media professionals. That’s the only way to prevent them from choosing a vertical career path, just because it comes with a beanbag and a fridge full of energy drinks.

It’s this combination of talent, and an understanding of the full spectrum of customer segmentation and how to reach them through broader media that enables indies to travel with clients on this journey, pointing out new roads to explore along the way.

If Local Plant is able to retain its core independent values and employee autonomy, balancing it with the scale of a larger network, it could turn out to be a very attractive proposition indeed.