McCann boss Ben Lilley says agency has proven itself after ‘not very enjoyable’ transition
McCann’s Ben Lilley (centre) with Melbourne ECD Pat Baron and global ECD John Mescall
McCann Australia has finally proven itself as a strong agency three years after the reverse takeover of independent agency Smart, CEO Ben Lilley, has told Mumbrella
In September 2011 McCann acquired Smart, a move which saw the departure of McCann Australia CEO and chairman Chris Mort who was replaced by Smart CEO Lilley.
“We probably finished the business transformation phase two years ago now. Frankly, it was a difficult six months or so that followed in the work that we had to do in reinventing what had been a very traditionally run and structured agency in Australia that was perhaps more of a global outpost for a lot of the multinational clients,” said Lilley.
Congrats to Ben and the team –
Considering that Dumb Ways To Die was launched back in November 2012 and Guilt Trips was May 2012, I’m interested to know what other work they would consider highlights since all the restructuring has been completed?
What a great story and a great effort from Ben and his team. Commercial and creative reinvention from a team who have plenty more upside in them too. A real positive story.
Thanks @Ben S and @Myki. There are obviously many highlights, but the best measure is perhaps the campaigns that have been best recognised globally over the past two years, which have seen McCANN Australia named the Gunn Report’s most awarded agency in the world and Agency of the Year at the D&AD, London International, Spikes Asia, Campaign Asia, Campaign Brief and AWARD awards, amongst others.
Aside from DWTD and Guilt Trips, these campaigns included:
• MasterCard “Pirate” and “Priceless Cities” (Cannes, Effies, Asian Marketing Effectiveness, Mumbrella Awards)
• Department of FaHCSIA “Impossible Orchestra” (Cannes, Spikes, London Internationals, ADMA, AWARD)
• Macquarie Dictionary “Phubbing” (Cannes, D&AD, New York Festivals, AdFest)
• Coca-Cola Amatil Mount Franklin “Lightly Sparkling” (Asian Marketing Effectiveness)
• Google “Books” (New York Festivals, ADMA)
• Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (London Internationals, ADMA, AdNews, Asian Marketing Effectiveness, Mumbrella Awards)
• Metro Trains “Metro Notify “ (Siren Awards)
• Tigerair “Infrequent Flyers” (Mumbrella Awards)
• Corelle Plates (Clio Awards)
• Specsavers (ADMA)
All of these campaigns and results are covered here in Mumbrella. If you’re really interested though, you can see a full list of our award winning work and awards at http://mccann.com.au