TBWA\Singapore managing director Dan Paris may be forgiven for being very, very happy these days. His office recently added the S$70 million (US$46 million) Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) account to its roster, not long after clinching the illustrious Singapore Airlines business.
But now Paris, as many others before him, faces a challenge greater than the pitch itself: keeping his swelling portfolio of clients, his employees, and his impressed parent company, happy.
Wieden & Kennedy must deal with similar growing pains as a result of its global Nokia win.
On the face of so much attention, will the two boutique-like multinationals inevitably burgeon into corporate environments?
One point of pressure against their favour, according to a source, is heightened shareholder attention. “In the initial investment phase, you can do no wrong. But now, you can do many wrongs and there is a need to perform at a consistent level. No dips tolerated.”
Paris, perhaps predictably, insists that TBWA’s culture will remain in tact. The office has added only 25 people this year and now rests at a headcount of 180, with an even split between TBWA and Tequila, Paris claims. Singapore Airlines was the “big pill” that kept human resources busy for a while.
RWS, on the other hand, “isn’t launching until 2010, so there is no panic to staff up for the new win yet. We will grow organically with the brand”.
“When you’re good, you grow,” Paris says. “But you have to keep true to your values. It’s not good for anybody to be distorted by a client, because then a culture gets destroyed. Clients want you to protect your culture too.”
BBH Asia-Pacific, for one, has remained fiercely loyal to its creative culture, though perhaps at the expense of any jaw-dropping growth.
Despite a relatively low profile in Media and R3’s Business League rankings, the office recently resigned its local Tiger beer account, citing creative clashes.
Fallon Asia, before merging with Publicis, dropped Vivocity Singapore for the same reason last year.
Such resignations are commonplace in Europe and the US, but are not often seen in this part of the world.
Meanwhile, some of TBWA’s long-term clients say the wins haven’t created an arrogance or ego often found in other growing offices.
James Tan, marketing manager of adidas Singapore and Malaysia, admits that he had some initial fears when TBWA won Singapore Airlines. However, these concerns were allayed as “we’ve had the same servicing team with them for years”, he notes.
Maurice Williams, marketing director of another TBWA client, the Sentosa Leisure Group, agrees, adding, “(CEO) Phil Brett telephoned me himself from overseas, way before accepting the invitation to pitch for RWS”.
The size issue isn’t exclusive to network-owned agencies, however. Iris, an independent, UK-based ad network, faces a similar challenge as it quickly expands across the region. Barely a year ago, managing director Dan Saxby and ECD Kelly Finnegan started Iris’ first Asian operation in a tiny, one-room office.
Now, Iris has offices in Singapore, New Delhi and Sydney, with 60 employees among them. But Saxby says he has resolved to not let his office turn into “an Ogilvy”.
“We create an hierarchy-free environment. Kel and I sit among everyone, not at the front of the office or anything,” he says.
“It’s similar to the UK office, where even our CEO sits next to an account executive. It sends out the message that we’re all mucking in together.”
