JWT: Still Dumb-Ass Branding?

I wrote a post a month ago about how the venerable agency J. Walter Thompson changed its name to JWT to reflect new advertising and branding realities. The post essentially said the name change was a dumb idea, although others disagreed. Since then, I've learned a few other details about the name change. JWT started with some really great insights: "The world now looks at us differently. We need a news way to look at ourselves," "People don't have time for advertising," and, one I especially like, "The audience is our new client." Other insights include "time is the new currency" and "we're not selling products, we're buying people's time."

Based on the concept that JWT must now focus on ensuring that audiences spend more time with client brands and "the better the idea, the more time people will spend with it," JWT developed an interesting way to rank ads:

1: DAMAGING: This work is a waste of time. It is damaging to both the client and us. You'd be better off staying at home.

2: WASTEFUL: This work is a waste of time. People will actively avoid it. You have wasted both the client's time and your own resources.

3. BORING: Both the idea and execution are ordinary. The customer will tune it out before it's finished.

4. PREDICTABLE: This is soundly executed, but bland. People have seen it all before and will get to the end of the message before you do.

5. COMPETENT: The idea is told in an interesting way or it is well executed. People will give you time to complete your message.

6. REWARDING: This work will get noticed. People will feel rewarded having spent time with it. Its impact will linger longer than the duration of the message.

7. INNOVATIVE: This is innovative work and the best example of this category. Its refreshing message and execution will ensure that people will want to see it again.

8. MARKET LEADING: This is the best work in this category in the world. It leads the market and people will take the time to rethink their perception of the brand and the category.

9. WORLD CLASS: This competes with the very best ideas in the world. People are talking about in in their own time. It will make the brand, client and network (agency) famous.

10. WORLD BEATING: This sets a new standard in the world of communications. It is an entirely new idea that is entirely involving. The audience will spend time exploring and playing with the idea. It is being talked about worldwide.

While I especially like the idea of defining marketing efforts in terms of time, and appreciate the ideas and effort to come up with a 1-10 scale to judge advertising, I still think JWT has missed the boat. Have customers, profitability, measurement or accountability been mentioned as a way to judge the impact of advertising?

Comments

[james governor]

conversational marketing - have ANY of us heard from JWT? It seems odd we have all put some energy in and got absolutely nothing out. why isn't JWT blogging and why aren't they reaching out to people interested in their transformation?

[Soren]

There is evidence of a corporate shift - not across the whole network but in some key offices.

London and NYC are hiring the kind of people that make you ask "what's going on over there?"

The NYC office is being completely re-designed (a huge refit) - around the brief
'Create a space that forces Conversation'

There's evidence of them allowing the outside in - with their new 'Hiving' technique - an admission that the best people don't always want to work in an agency... and an invitation for them to come in and share their thinking anyway

The offices in Paris, South America, Bangkok and KL are walking the walk - and the Manchester office did some good stuff last year (remember that porn vid' that they released?)

HOWEVER the problem for JWT is always going to be with the installed client base. They didn't choose JWT for their media neutral, new wave thinking.

They chose an agency that was big, solid, stable and easily managed.

This isn't a client base that's going to want to abandon the interruption model and embrace 'invitation'

For JWT to be all that J Walter Thompson wasn't is going to require two things.

1) An injection of new business attracted by the new positioning and willing to give them a shot without any real evidence or track record of success.

2) The confidence to walk away from those clients who don't want to make the journey with the agency.

That's a big ask

Too big I think

But let's see just how big and ballsy they'll be

Soren

[Char]

Why is it that corporatized ad agencies - JWT -can pronounce a trend like just another campaign and get smart people to listen - or, worse, believe? A company doen't need an enterprise datatbase or to spend millions in reengineering itself to be courteous to its customers. It just needs to think like a customer and practice common sense...

[jamesburke]

Been tracking the Amsterdam JWT bureau who I have worked for as a freelancer. All indications are that no changes are taking place and they are firmly entrenched in the top-down broadcast model still.
The CEO of this branch cut costs on the big party for the staff, and a recent report listing positive stats regarding the old model in relation to brands will probably keep them stuck.

Still i liked the initiative a lot and am sure that some of the offices will make the shift. Holland has a problem culturally. Their core value is safety which means just that. Hard to change!
j

[Barry Welford]

Spot on, Nick. You reflect my sentiments entirely. You can check out how I said it in my blog post by clicking on my signature.