While John Wren can hardly be classed as reclusive, the mere fact that the number of non-US interviews the Omnicom Group president and CEO has given in recent years can be counted on one hand means that every word he says about Asia-Pacific is taken very seriously.
His exclusive interview with Media may well be the first he has given in this region, and coming after a similar act of detente with the UK press earlier this year, it almost amounts to a public relations offensive.
If so, it appears to be a smart move by the figure dubbed 'the most powerful man in advertising'. For while Sir Martin Sorrell's presence in the media is almost ubiquitous, Wren treasures his lower profile. In Asia, however, this has resulted in a certain watering down of the Omnicom image.
Even though Wren denies any concerted attempts to raise his profile, he admits that the Omnicom story needs to be broadcast with greater clarity.
After all, it is still the world's largest holding company, despite estimates that the Grey acquisition has given WPP a good 33 per cent lead on Omnicom in Asia-Pacific.
"I'm not too worried about my profile," says the New York native. "Some of the other holding companies are more aggressive in terms of media relations than we are. But we do have to be a bit more sensitive about telling our story."
In this regard, Wren appears keenly aware of the need to differentiate Omnicom from its key competitors in the region. Given the Omnicom strategy of putting the agency brand before the holding company, it is a hardly a difficult task, and Wren sees little need to pull his punches.
"WPP has done a very good job in the region of putting forward WPP as a company and as one of the market leaders," points out Wren. "I think Omnicom's style is not to simply profess Omnicom as we believe our strength is embedded in our core brands."
Wren was in Shanghai for an Omnicom 'summit' that brought together the group's most senior regional executives to chart the road ahead in Asia.
While the group is hardly in crisis mode, there is certainly a feeling that its regional reputation could do with a dose of dynamism, to match its leadership status elswhere in the world.
"(We have to) make certain our reputation in China and also in the region is similar to our reputation in the rest of the world," he explains.
For this to happen, do not expect Omnicom to mimic other holding company models of expansion. For example, Wren is singularly unimpressed by talk of acquiring agencies in China, pointing instead to Omnicom's record of organic growth.
"Will we in fact look at acquisitions?" asks Wren. "We will, but they will be acquisitions that support BBDO's aspirations in the market, or TBWA's or DDB's, as opposed to Omnicom simply wanting size."
Holding company pitches also receive short shrift, and Wren is unconvinced that a compelling precedent has been set by HSBC or Samsung, believing that the very concept is a mistaken one.
"I don't think that that's the future at all," affirms Wren. "The proof to whether or not they work is not whether you win or lose but whether two or three years after the pitch you're delivering on what you promised and it's as satisfying to the client and the people you asked to work on it."
"I would much prefer in the future ... instead of responding as Omnicom, to be able to respond with three fully integrated groups that can provide the services to those clients," adds Wren. "For the holding company to put itself in as the marketer, I think is shortsighted."
For similar reasons, Wren dismisses the notion that Omnicom would appoint global account managers to work above the agency brands on major client accounts, in the manner of WPP. On the issue of conflicts, however, he strikes a more conciliatory note.
"I'd have to be very supportive of Martin's position on this - I don't think conflicts are any longer a tremendous issue," notes Wren. "You don't really need to work really hard as clients understand there's a limited number of class A suppliers, and that's who they want to do business with."
That number of suppliers, of course, is likely to grow yet more limited.
Wren is no corporate raider, but he suspects that Havas is now a takeover target following its failed bid for Grey, and his view of the advertising environment will provide little comfort for mid-sized networks.
"You either need to be a very small boutique working in a very narrow niche or you need to have resources that only the larger of the holding companies can generate," says Wren. "The long-term die is cast - how it all gets executed remains to be seen."