Deloitte raids McCann Melbourne for top talent to launch its creative and media offering
Business management consultancy Deloitte has poached McCann Melbourne’s managing director Adrian Mills, head of strategy and media, David Phillips, executive creative director Matt Lawson and digital media lead Justine Mills.
The four McCann staffers are joining Deloitte Digital to launch its new brand creative and media offering.
Adrian Mills and Phillips join the consultancy as principals while Lawson comes on board as chief creative officer and principal.
Mills has a background in account management, first joining the agency in 2011 and leading the account for Metro Trains as they launched the hugely awarded Dumb Ways to Die campaign. He left in 2014 spending six months at Clemenger BBDO as a group account director, before being lured back to McCanns as managing director in July that year.
Now this is smart. Rather than buy agencies with no track record (Thinkerbell by PWC) or an inflated track record (Monkeys by Accenture) or invisible track record (Works by ??? some acronym) Deloitte basically employedpeople. …employment contracts, no earn out ,no cash up front. Just monthly installments called wages. Now that’s an accounting firm!
Bit it is also risky. These heavy hitters…if that’s what they are…have little hands on nous. Because they are senior managers of other people doing the actual work. So let’s hope they remember how to do their thing. But Deloittes…Bravo for doing it the economical way. I haven’t eaten lunch so I may be just cynical.
start one from scratch and own it
Buy a good one.
Take a minority stake in one that’s starting.
All interesting alternatives and all better than not having an affiliation to a consultancy. The games changed.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y1zzzRXwP64
Yes what a hot bed of talent
“Accountable”? Let’s just recap for those who missed the earlier chapters. The “Dumb Ways to Die” campaign was successful in terms of clicks, in terms of awards won, and in terms of reciprocal back-slapping that continues today. In terms of efficacy, it failed.
The TAC’s own statistics show accidents and deaths increased during and after DWTD rolled out. Increased. They don’t publicise that either, because they spent a lot of taxpayer money on it, and get to travel to Cannes to glad-hand at awards with the advertising luvvies. When the ultimate metric is lives lost or ruined, it’s embarrassing. Nor is it comfortable for Mumbrella either, which would rather gush about campaigns and awards, than hold those behind them to account for the consequences of strategic failure.
I feel sure that the audit capabilities of Deloitte will ensure that the work is more accountable than creative.
It will be interesting to see how they go when the job is no longer convincing clients to buy ‘inventions’ to win awards.
Great hire. Indeed the game has changed! Well done McCann team and Deloitte.