The days of ‘big thick bureaucratic layers’ in agencies have to change: Terry Savage
Agency processes waste “so much time” and the layers need to be removed to allow for more direct forms of communication, said Cannes Lions boss Terry Savage.
The industry veteran, who spoke on a panel and presented at the Comms Council’s Think Long event in Sydney today, said simplifying processes will allow agencies to tackle client issues with immediacy.
Savage speaking at the Comms Council’s Think Long event today
“Process wastes so much time and takes up so much time. To get to the core of things – and this is one of the transformations that will likely have to happen in the big companies – is they’ve got to in fact simply the processes. They have got to get rid of some of the layers to enable a more direct form of communications and a more effective form of communication to take part,” Savage said.
There seems to be evidence that Terry Savage is not familiar with the style of multi-skilled ad agency planning developed in Australia in 1966 inspired by superior marketing and market research experience at Unilever Australia. One of the key contributions was the skill of thoroughly understanding the clients’ business and thoroughly understanding consumer habits, practices, attitudes and motivations. Clients’ endorsements clearly confirmed the success of the new pioneering role – copies are at the Communications Council and the AMSRS. I am sure there are some good planners who follow this code. But there are too many that don’t due principally to the failure of ad agency chiefs to really understand the ideal role and qualifications of a skilled planner, sometimes hiring ‘duds’.