Brent Smart, CEO de Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi and Roar have announced they will join efforts for the JP Morgan account. This way both agencies kick off a hybrid model inspired by Maurice Lévy, Publicis CEO, who proposed getting away from counterproductive barriers, according to the explanation given by Brent Smart, Saatchi CEO. “We used to have an inability to work across the organization and look horizontally. But we need to start doing that, and this hybrid model is the way we think we can do it” says Smart.”We have to be at a brand-led approach” states Leigh Baker, who was chosen to work across both agencies to effectively steer the shared account, under the title of Executive VP and Managing Director.However, specialists warn that these tactics don´t always work out. Team-based approaches have often been unsuccessful, and collaborations between agencies often end with one shop stealing the entire account away. Major organizational change also brings with it new potential conflicts, commented Tim Nollen, Macquarie analyst.Smart admits not knowing if this hybrid approach will work, but it is an important step to make sure that his agency and Roar are both making the most out of each others capabilties. He added that for the model to work, it must be based on interdependence-not integration-and have an agnostic, independent person leading the charge. “Ultimately, Ill be judged on how well I do with that” he said.