TAXI DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH - Strategy

aoy bronze
DDB STANDS TALL (AND COMES HEAVY)
Last year’s AOY champ may
have fallen to third place, but
don’t make the mistake of
underestimating DDB Canada.
The Vancouver-based agency
has missed the top three only
twice in a dozen years, and
you can bet it’ll always be a
contender – and that you’ve
got to be brave to get in the ring
with larger-than-life chairman/
CEO Frank Palmer.
Despite the economic
slowdown, DDB Canada
stayed steady on its feet this
year. The far-sighted Palmer
began tightening its collective
belt six months ago and
has made some shrewd and
timely investments, including
creating DDB Echology to
help businesses reach their
sustainability expectations.
In fact, Palmer maintains
that investing in projects like
Echology and Radar (which
launched last year) actually
makes DDB better suited
to survive.
“Radar hits the target where
we need to on social media,” he
says, “and potential clients are
always asking where we stand
on sustainability.
“In the future, we’re going to
turn up the dial on Echology
so we can get known in that
space, and we’re also looking at
a growth strategy in markets we
don’t serve as well as we could.”
And DDB’s obsession with big
ideas remains front and centre,
evident in work like “Elevator”
and “Metal Shop,” two Bronze
Lion-winning spots for Pacifi c
Blue Cross that portray people
talking about insurance (but
not health insurance) while
engaging in life-threatening
activities. Says AOY judge Rob
Assimakopoulos: “The ads
landed right on the insight,
and there was effective use of
humour to carry the message.”
And the agency has picked up
a slew of new accounts to make
Tough times don’t last, but
tough companies do. And this
is a time for DDB to get tough
up for the loss of Dell Canada
and Boston Pizza.
“We’ve had an outstanding
year,” says Palmer, who’s
determined to keep fi ghting the
good fi ght. “I’m going to hit the
competition hard, when they’re
not expecting it. Tough times
don’t last, but tough companies
do. And this is a time for DDB to
get tough.”
BY MARY DICKIE
Home gym: Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal,
Edmonton, Victoria
Entourage: 325 deep
Season highlights: New business wins
included Blockbuster Canada, Canadian
Tourism Commission, Diageo, FedEx,
Wonderbra, Wrigley and Pier 1 Imports,
among others. Launched DDB Echology to
help clients create sustainability programs,
and the James Lee Foundation, a charity that
provides scholarships for new creative talent
in honour of the late DDB Vancouver ACD.
Won a Bronze Lion at Cannes for its Pacifi c
Blue Cross work. Named one of the best small
and medium-sized employers in Canada by
Queen’s University School of Business.
Defeats: National president Rob Whittle
retired after 26 years. There are no plans to
replace him. Lost the Dell Canada and Boston
Pizza businesses.
Management moves: 78 new talent hires,
including Amber Bezahler, MD of Tribal DDB
Vancouver, Len Wise, MD of Karacters in
Toronto, and Andrew McCartney, MD at Tribal
DDB Toronto.
Training regimen: Tough and smart, full of
bluster and focused on the Big Idea.
Licensing and merchandising: The DDB
family includes Kid Think (youth marketing),
Public Relations, Tribal (interactive),
Karacters Design Group, Rapp Collins
(direct), Radar (social media) and Echology
(sustainability). DDB Worldwide came in
second in Cannes’ Network of the Year
competition.
www.strategymag.com STRATEGY November 2008 45