AW: There’s more pitching in a project business. How are you organizing the group to support that?
DL: We now have a 50-50 split between pitching projects for existing clients, as well as going for the AOR. It’s been helpful to get the expertise of new business into project pitches, and has helped us convert at a much better rate. It also gives people in new business exposure to some of our biggest clients.
AW: How are your clients reacting to these changes?
DL: This is a strategy shift we’ve been building towards. We’re making the brands more defined, and at the same time, reorienting back towards clients and away from bureaucracy and managing departments, regions, and infrastructure. Because we’ve changed some of this bureaucracy, [we can] invest in things like social and influencer, or relationship sciences, or data analysis, or AI for production, or better brand retail designers.
AW: How much does his reorg have to do with the ongoing restructure at IPG?
DL: IPG is doing the same thing we’re doing, which is getting ready for the future. It opens up opportunities for us to have less bureaucracy in back office functions that IPG supplies.
AW: There is speculation that not all creative agencies will survive IPG’s acquisition by Omnicom. What impact does that have on the changes you’re making?
DL: Everything we do, every day, regardless of who we are part of, is to make sure that people see the value of the brands, particularly the value of the brand McCann.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
