Six creative roles under threat at McCann Manchester following Durex and Scholl losses
Six creative roles under threat at McCann Manchester following DurexMcCann Erickson Manchester has admitted that it is to enter a consultation process that could lead to six creative redundancies following the loss of its account with Reckitt Benckiser that included brands Durex and Scholl.
The agency lost both long-held ad accounts in November of last year when the new owner of the brands, which acquired them from SSL last summer, moved them to Euro RSCG Worldwide.
While the consultation process is underway, the agency has said that it is looking to reallocate a number of those affected to other roles within the agency.
Sue Little, chief executive of McCann Manchester, said: “This situation is not unique to us and any organisation that loses a piece of business of that size through absolutely no fault of its own has to reshape and restructure. The pace of change and new demands we are witnessing from clients mean we have to be able to adapt and evolve.
"While the traditional creative requirement from a client like SSL represents a loss, we are seeing explosive growth in areas such as digital and it is vital we are in ideal shape to meet this demand.”
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Redundancies at McCann Manchester? Sounds like any other normal Monday afternoon if you ask me.
No suits, just creatives. How typical of big agencies.
The suits have already been told (allegedly) - its just that there wasn't a PR spillage.
So, the infantry get slaughtered. Yet the generals sit untouched. The McCanns boardroom is like that scene in Carry On Up the Khyber. "More tiffin Sue..."
FOR SALE. LEISURE COMPLEX. PLANNING PERMISSION FOR GYM/COUNTRY HOTEL. Any reasonable offer considered.
Explosive growth in digital...? Someone's having a laugh here? There are more empty seats at BH now than at a Chubby Brown concert. Last one out turn off the lights...
Aldi studio, nothing more. Pathetic.
There were 13 creatives there before. 6 going, more likely 8, leaving the 2 pensioners and 2 or 3 kids - a rosy future lies ahead for McCann Manchester...
People, the world has changed dramatically over last few years, and businesses don't do this cause there evil people or for a laugh. They have to make tough decisions. Thats life. To slag a company off is ridiculous. You may have noticed a recession. Our agency was 42, now 35. My fathers garage had 6 people, now 4. Just the way it is. As for no AH going, well I imagine they have. The real issue should be this ridiculous obsession that 'its all about Digital. NO it isn't. Its a channel. Just like radio, TV, DM or a leaflet. If the idea is shit, the whole thing is shit doesn't matter that its on the internet. If the idea is great, it will work in an ad, on a poster, on the radio, on TV and yes on the mysterious internet. Our job is to produce advertising/marketing to make our clients more money. Not create a facebook page because.........err.........cause we should?!
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Anonymous 19:42, who are you? That is a cracking comment chief. Sort of reminded me of Pacino in Any Given Sunday. You're right. So, so right. "If the idea is shit, the whole thing is shit" - can I get this on a poster? Drum, give this guys a column.
one thing he aint though richard- a proofreader!
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Anonymous 19:42 I definitely agree that a sh*t idea is always a sh*t idea whether it's got digital bells on or not, however I'm not sure I subscribe to the view that "Digital" is just another channel like radio or DM.
Digital has arenas where all of the traditional communication methods are applicable. Banner advertising = press/posters. Email = DM. Web/microsites = POS. Podcasts/Spotify ads = Radio. Viral = Guerilla.
If more agencies would embrace the view of digital as a new world with the same people and the same methods of communication, then there is no reason on earth (virtual or otherwise) why traditional creative agencies cannot excel digitally.
Tom, love the name. There was a boy with the same name in my brother's class at school. He was nicknamed Stiffy.
Tom:
Digital people have an agenda - to convert all marketing activity to digital.
Of course, this has nothing to do with whether it is the right, or most effective marketing channel for the client, but everything to do with it being the right channel for a digital agencies bottom line!
How in any world (brave or new) can that ever be a good thing.
Unfortunately, so many modern marketing trends, are a case of the digital tail, wagging the dog.
And before anyone starts throwing their digital teddy's out of their virtual prams, I think digital is a very important channel, and has to be part of any sensible marketing strategy - just not 'all' of it!
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Anonymous 15:14
I agree with you on that point. As with any discipline there is always an arrogance that comes with it, and digital is certainly no exception.
I wasn't suggesting a complete overhaul in favour of digital media.
Traditional advertisers can make full use of their specialist expertise and creative flare in the digital world as long as it is embraced in its entirity and not as a single "channel" which is begrudgingly paid lip service to at the end of a project.
Anonymous 11:27
Stiffcocks rule!
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Worse things have happened....
Can we stop talking about digital and get back to slagging McCanns?
There's no point in slagging something with no significance
Reading between the lines: While the traditional creative requirement from a client like SSL represents a loss, (because we have no idea what we're doing anymore because the world moved forward but our thinking didn't) we are seeing explosive growth in areas such as digital (We're trying to sell what clients we have left Facebook pages) and it is vital we are in ideal shape to meet this demand.” (we've really made a mess of this offline stuff but we're all about 5 years away from our pensions so lets all pretend we're digital experts and see if we can make it to the final hurdle)
Ok... the maths part: 1 advertising agency, around 180/200 people left, 10 of which are creative, 2 of those are juniors. What's everybody worrying about?
Look on the bright side, we still have a heated swimming pool and that has to count for something?!!
Says a great deal about their priorities that they make creatives redundant before gardeners, cooks and odd-job men. Clients must be delighted that their fees are going towards keeping the greenhouses going.
Interesting that Sue states that they are seeing an 'explosive growth in areas such as digital'.
What this article misses is that McCann Manchester already made a number of their developers/creatives from their Metro office (which is apparently where all of their 'digital' takes place now-a-days) redundant just before Christmas..
No suit redundancies (who should probably have been bringing in the work in the first place), just letting go of a few more of the guys who do the actual grunt work for them.
I feel more sorry for the creatives and developers who have been left behind working until 10 every night to pick up the slack of a diminished team, as I'm assured is currently the working condition over there.
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