Clems Melbourne: Mumbrella Creative Agency Review – commercially savvy powerhouse not short on confidence
The newly published Mumbrella Creative Agency Review examines Australia’s top 30 ad agencies. Today Robin Hicks examines how Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has fared over the last 12 months.
Though BMF Tops our survey, it would not have been surprised anyone if Clemenger BBDO Melbourne had rated number one. Least of all Clems, it would appear, which is the only agency to award themselves 10 out of 10 for their achievements this year.
Confidence will be high after winning agency of the year at the 2011 Effies, winning two grand prix at Spikes Asia and one of only two Australian grand prix from Cannes, for NAB ‘break Up’, in a year that has seen ‘Hidden Pizza restaurant’ for Yellow Pages and Support Scent also do the rounds at award shows.
Agency boss Peter Biggs is credited with establishing Clems Melbourne not only as a creative powerhouse, but as a commercially successful business, a point echoed in the company’s highest profits in 60 years.
The agency’s leaders have been good at getting the hard things right, such as account management and making acquisitions and, not least, its own culture. There have inevitably been some departures, such as creative director Paul Reardon to Whybins, but there has been a distinctly solid feel about Clems this year.
One panellist notes: “Clems is a world class agency in all respects. A hugely talented group of people operating within a powerful culture that stands apart. Management and creative work in step to great effect, and the work is consistently strong as a result. There is great empathy between Biggsie and the executive creative director Ant Keogh. They know what they’re doing at the top, and that filters down through the ranks.”
Clems emerges number one in five categories – creativity, talent, account management, commercial success and client stability, a perception reflected in the agency having lost no accounts in the last 12 months.
However, Clems is perceived as a better agency in the eyes of our panel of experts than our readers. It is ranked second overall by the panel, who rate it top for creativity and talent. But just fourth overall by our readers, behind Droga5 and Host.
Our readers do not seem to think the agency is the very best in the business at integration, planning and least of all, account management, but rate it highly for the impact it has on the industry. Clems has called this year its best yet, but there is the sense in the market that there is room for improvement.
To read more about Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, including full details on how it was scored by both our expert panel and Mumbrella’s own readers, to view examples of the agency’s work and read its own assessment of its performance, buy a copy of the Mumbrella Creative Agency Review priced at $75. The book features an assessment of the country’s top 30 ad agencies. To buy the book, click here.
I realise we have a good idea of who is who in the business, however I wonder if our peers are the ones to truly judge this. We don’t tend to market directly amongst ourselves as much as to clients. I realise a wider industry view affects the positioning of a business as I say this. The panelists had the latest stats, work and other evidence (for want of a better word) to support their judgment where I feel peers have a lag at what they see. Current employees are not necessarily current either as the wider agency status is often communicated to prospects before their own staff (not specifically in Clems but in agencies in general).
This exercise is useful to see that gap between the perception out there for the business and the reality. Clemenger’s marketing can now focus on bridging that gap – I’d recommend they do anyway.
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The idea that BMF is equal to or better than Clems Melbourne is laughable.
Historically….sure. Today….not in the same ballpark.
Look at the work, look at the new business wins, look at the calibre of people employed.
If that’s the output of your survey then you need a new methodology.
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