AGENCY
Agencies tap CMOs to extend growth
By Tony Case
The job of agency CMO is not a new one, but it is a role that is becoming more prominent
as agencies aim to put themselves —
as they do their clients — in the best
possible light. Several shops recently
appointed their first marketing chiefs,
among them Draftfcb, which named
Debra Coughlin, previously CMO
and EVP at Citigroup’s Citi Cards
unit, to the position this spring.
“Agencies are terrific about helping clients develop their brands, but
not always terrific about monitoring,
developing and guiding their own
brands,” explained Coughlin, who
reports directly to Draftfcb CEO and
president Laurence Boschetto.
Coughlin brought diverse experience to the firm, having worked on
both the client and agency sides. Prior
to Citigroup, she was SVP of global
brand-building at MasterCard, where
she was a principal architect of the
long-running “Priceless” campaign.
She also served as senior partner and
management director at JWT and
SVP and global group director at
Young & Rubicam.
At Draftfcb, Coughlin leads the
Global Capabilities team, positioned
across nine “hub” markets worldwide,
with responsibility for areas ranging
from strategic planning to CRM and
digital. She also works closely with the
worldwide creative lead, she said, “
because that is our product in the marketplace.” She added that she is mostly
involved with winning new business.
Other recent CMO hires include
Rob Kabus, former president and
global head of strategy at Aegis agency Vizeum, Los Angeles, as president and CMO of agency Eleven in
Debra Coughlin
is global CMO at
Draftfcb, where
she helps to
generate new
business.
San Francisco. Rapp named Rachael
Heapps, former chief creative officer
at the agency, its CMO for the US,
while Julia Foster, formerly director
of TBWA/Dubai, rejoined her former
outpost TBWA/Toronto as CMO.
The role has become more important
as agencies jockey for new business in
an uncertain economy. No one understands this better than Draftfcb, which
in late July lost its 60-year SC Johnson
& Son account to BBDO and Ogilvy
& Mather. SC Johnson was its second-largest account. Numerous reports put
SC Johnson’s total annual global marketing spend at $1 billion.
Kabus said the CMO job has become
more visible because “the marketing
environment is now in a perpetual
state of change.”
“We need to ensure that our offering
continues to grow and evolve in the
right way and that marketplace per-
ceptions reflect our value,” he said.
Marian Salzman, CEO of Euro
RSCG Worldwide PR, North America, who served in a CMO role at JW T,
explained there’s a simple reason more
agencies are tapping marketing chiefs:
“We’re all hanging onto growth by our
dear fingers.” The CMO role, Salzman
said, means that someone is “out there
always driving growth more objectively” on behalf of the agency. n
Photo by Bill Bernstein
AGENCYROSTER
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Account: SC Johnson & Son
New agencies: BBDO,
Ogilvy & Mather
Incumbent: Draftfcb
The pitch: “We employed a
rigorous process with specific
criteria, and both agencies fit
our needs and opportunities.
It was a difficult decision and
we truly value the contribu-
tions Draftfcb has made.
— Fisk Johnson, chairman and
CEO, SC Johnson.
Account: United
Continental Holdings
New agency: Mcgarrybowen
Incumbents: Kaplan Thaler,
Barrie D’Rozario Murphy
The pitch: “We look forward
to partnering with the United
team ... that will bring fresh
thinking, new insights and
bold creative work to the
competitive airline category.”
— John McGarry, chairman and
CEO, Mcgarrybowen.
Account: Equifax
New agency: Digitas
Incumbent: BKV
The pitch: “We’re very
excited to partner with a
progressive company like
Equifax, who shares our goal
to not only satisfy customers
but to delight them through
an active brand experience
that adds value in their lives.”
— Colin Kinsella, president,
Digitas North America
Account: Fifth Third Bancorp
New agency: Leo Burnett
Incumbent: Olson
The pitch: “Partnering with
Fifth Third provides an
opportunity to apply our
creativity and leverage some-
thing we are really good at —
developing big ideas across
the marketing landscape.”
— Rich Stoddart, president,
Leo Burnett North America
