"We are not the most creative store"
Ann Fudge, Global CEO of Young & Rubicam, on integrated marketing, creativity, and the Swiss subsidiary AY&R.
Ann Fudge, CEO international of Young & Rubicam, on integrated marketing, creativity and the Swiss subsidiary agency AY&R.
WW Ms. Fudge, you worked in marketing for consumer goods companies such as General Mills and Kraft Foods for 20 years. What attracted you to switching to the agency side? Ann Fudge The opportunity to bring a very customer-focused approach to Young & Rubicam and to create comprehensive marketing communications.
When I was working on the client side myself, I worked with many agencies individually. Y&R Advertising, Landor, Burson-Marsteller, Cohn & Wolfe and so on. It wasn't until much later that I found out they were all part of Y&R. I found that frustrating. I asked people: "Why didn't you tell me what a wealth of opportunities your network has?"
So I try to bring in this different way of thinking, and I think I'm successful. The heads of the individual Y&R Brands subsidiaries now exchange know-how more frequently. In the past, we only got together occasionally for a single pitch when integrated communication was needed. But it also benefits existing customer relationships if we think about it: What role do direct marketing or the Internet play in their business objectives and how can we help?
So your vision of Y&R is to integrate the various disciplines? I don't intend to create one big conglomerate. We would lose focus. Too much uniformity is detrimental. I think we need that little bit more focus that those who excel in their discipline have. My aim is to create a marketing community in which the individual disciplines talk to each other and contribute their different strengths.
We are currently working on a new concept for this. You are probably familiar with the Brand Asset Valuator (BAV), our tool for strategic brand management. I have re-energized the BAV team and we have come up with some very interesting ideas that will help us in the market and differentiate us from the competition.
Could you go into a little more detail? I've probably already said more than I should at this point. But you will hear about it.
You are visiting Gockhausen for the first time today. What role does Advico Young & Rubicam play in the global network?
In my eyes, every single market is very important. When I look at the progress AY&R has made under the leadership of Edgar C. Britschgi, I am very satisfied. As you know, we went through a difficult time after our previous management team left the agency. Now we are in the middle of rebuilding. 2004 was a very good year in this respect. Also for Y&R as a whole, we had strong sales growth and good returns.
I think Sunrise is a great new client, and we have also won GE Money Bank and smaller accounts. Through our international network, we have also won work for Colgate, Danone and Barilla. What you need to understand: Growth comes from new business, but growth also comes from expanding existing relationships. If we strengthen the trust of our customers, orders will also increase. Just not as evenly as we would like.
The former management team left AY&R and founded their own agency because they were not happy with interference from international management. Have you changed your management style?
My philosophy is to listen. If I become active myself, then it's more by asking questions. For example, what we can do to generate even more growth. But I can't control AY&R, and I don't want to. That is the job of the local and regional management. We at Y&R Brands only set the framework. On the one hand, we set growth targets; on the other, we help with creative resources and new business.
AY&R has fallen from 3rd to 9th place in the creative ranking of Werbewoche ...
How do you measure creativity? Are awards the currency? Or is it measured by how ideas are used to generate growth? Awards are important because they bring recognition and help to promote creative ideas.
attract talent. On the other hand, we are not the most creative creative store. We adapt our work to the customer's goals.
The most important thing is to implement the strategy correctly. We want to be creative, but if we are creative without being true to the strategy
we will lose our customers.
What's next for AY&R this year? We will continue on our current course. I always say that the only way is forward. But you know what? I don't run this agency. Edgar runs it.
Since mid-2003, Ann Fudge has been CEO of Young & Rubicam Advertising and also of the umbrella company Young & Rubicam Brands, which also includes the marketing agency Wunderman, the PR agencies Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe and the branding specialists at Landor Associates.
Ann Fudge graduated from Harvard University with a Master of Business Administration in 1977. The 53-year-old then worked for the food companies General Mills and Kraft Foods in various marketing roles and made a name for herself by reviving faded brands such as Log Cabin Syrup and Minute Rice. Most recently, she was Director of Kraft's Beverages, Desserts and Cereals Division. In 2001, she left the Group for a sabbatical.
Ann Fudge has won a number of awards. In 1995, she was voted Advertiser of the Year by the Advertising Women of New York. In 1998, Fortune Magazine included her in its list of the 50 most powerful women. (sm)
Building a marketing community: Ann Fudge, CEO Young & Rubicam.
Interview: Stefano Monachesi
WW Ms. Fudge, you worked in marketing for consumer goods companies such as General Mills and Kraft Foods for 20 years. What attracted you to switching to the agency side? Ann Fudge The opportunity to bring a very customer-focused approach to Young & Rubicam and to create comprehensive marketing communications.
When I was working on the client side myself, I worked with many agencies individually. Y&R Advertising, Landor, Burson-Marsteller, Cohn & Wolfe and so on. It wasn't until much later that I found out they were all part of Y&R. I found that frustrating. I asked people: "Why didn't you tell me what a wealth of opportunities your network has?"
So I try to bring in this different way of thinking, and I think I'm successful. The heads of the individual Y&R Brands subsidiaries now exchange know-how more frequently. In the past, we only got together occasionally for a single pitch when integrated communication was needed. But it also benefits existing customer relationships if we think about it: What role do direct marketing or the Internet play in their business objectives and how can we help?
So your vision of Y&R is to integrate the various disciplines? I don't intend to create one big conglomerate. We would lose focus. Too much uniformity is detrimental. I think we need that little bit more focus that those who excel in their discipline have. My aim is to create a marketing community in which the individual disciplines talk to each other and contribute their different strengths.
We are currently working on a new concept for this. You are probably familiar with the Brand Asset Valuator (BAV), our tool for strategic brand management. I have re-energized the BAV team and we have come up with some very interesting ideas that will help us in the market and differentiate us from the competition.
Could you go into a little more detail? I've probably already said more than I should at this point. But you will hear about it.
You are visiting Gockhausen for the first time today. What role does Advico Young & Rubicam play in the global network?
In my eyes, every single market is very important. When I look at the progress AY&R has made under the leadership of Edgar C. Britschgi, I am very satisfied. As you know, we went through a difficult time after our previous management team left the agency. Now we are in the middle of rebuilding. 2004 was a very good year in this respect. Also for Y&R as a whole, we had strong sales growth and good returns.
I think Sunrise is a great new client, and we have also won GE Money Bank and smaller accounts. Through our international network, we have also won work for Colgate, Danone and Barilla. What you need to understand: Growth comes from new business, but growth also comes from expanding existing relationships. If we strengthen the trust of our customers, orders will also increase. Just not as evenly as we would like.
The former management team left AY&R and founded their own agency because they were not happy with interference from international management. Have you changed your management style?
My philosophy is to listen. If I become active myself, then it's more by asking questions. For example, what we can do to generate even more growth. But I can't control AY&R, and I don't want to. That is the job of the local and regional management. We at Y&R Brands only set the framework. On the one hand, we set growth targets; on the other, we help with creative resources and new business.
AY&R has fallen from 3rd to 9th place in the creative ranking of Werbewoche ...
How do you measure creativity? Are awards the currency? Or is it measured by how ideas are used to generate growth? Awards are important because they bring recognition and help to promote creative ideas.
attract talent. On the other hand, we are not the most creative creative store. We adapt our work to the customer's goals.
The most important thing is to implement the strategy correctly. We want to be creative, but if we are creative without being true to the strategy
we will lose our customers.
What's next for AY&R this year? We will continue on our current course. I always say that the only way is forward. But you know what? I don't run this agency. Edgar runs it.
Since mid-2003, Ann Fudge has been CEO of Young & Rubicam Advertising and also of the umbrella company Young & Rubicam Brands, which also includes the marketing agency Wunderman, the PR agencies Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe and the branding specialists at Landor Associates.
Ann Fudge graduated from Harvard University with a Master of Business Administration in 1977. The 53-year-old then worked for the food companies General Mills and Kraft Foods in various marketing roles and made a name for herself by reviving faded brands such as Log Cabin Syrup and Minute Rice. Most recently, she was Director of Kraft's Beverages, Desserts and Cereals Division. In 2001, she left the Group for a sabbatical.
Ann Fudge has won a number of awards. In 1995, she was voted Advertiser of the Year by the Advertising Women of New York. In 1998, Fortune Magazine included her in its list of the 50 most powerful women. (sm)
Building a marketing community: Ann Fudge, CEO Young & Rubicam.
Interview: Stefano Monachesi
