NEWS

Letters, Campaign on June 5, 2009

Dear Editor,

I couldn’t disagree more with my peers who bemoan a supposed talent crisis in direct marketing (Close Up, Campaign May 29).

But I would wholeheartedly echo the sentiments of Liz Dowse when she says that “people are now realising that the marriage of data and digital is what’s important to brands, which is making DM more attractive to the big talents.”

Because DM has evolved and expanded and we have all had to embrace a larger, more complex universe of consumer touchpoints, I cannot remember a time when we have recruited from such a diverse talent base. The modern day agency doesn’t just revolve around the old mainstays of account management, creative and planning. Now we need technology specialists, customer journey planners, digital strategists, insight and analytics experts, to name but a few.

We need people with a greater diversity in intellect, talent, culture and ideas. And they are out there, often in strange places (one of our strategists has a PHD in quantum physics). But just like in marketing, you need a strong USP. And if you haven’t, you won’t attract them. If your brand isn’t strong enough, don’t blame it on the whole sector.

Like a great football team, you need to complement the big star signings with some home grown talent. If you talk about a talent shortage then it can only be because you have failed to attract, develop and retain good people. It’s incumbent on us all to develop our own talent base - whatever the economic situation - because ultimately it is our people and their talents that differentiate us from our peers. That base has to start with graduates and end with developing the sort of people who are pushing for senior management roles.

As for questioning where the next “smoke is poison tanker” campaign is coming from…. if that’s you cup of tea take a look at the RAPP site and see the coverage received for two pieces of work for the International Fund for Animal Welfare – the BBC featured “Turtles” experiential campaign and the D&AD nominated “Gorilla” viral. Consumer engagement with not a direct mail pack in sight.

Yours sincerely,

Marco Scognamiglio
Group CEO