Even though Goodby is more capable than 99.99% of all agencies located on Earth, Chevy is too big, and too important to be handled by Goodby alone. And the client doesn’t want bickering between agencies, it wants cooperation. Ergo, something new has been formed. Commonwealth, a hybrid of Goodby and McCann, which are owned by Omnicom and Interpublic, respectively.
GM Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick, said, “Commonwealth will be based right here in Detroit, and its only focus will be on strengthening and growing Chevrolet into an iconic global brand.”
The move is expected to create about $2 billion in savings over the next five years, Ewanick said.
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners has led the Chevrolet creative account in the United States, the brand’s largest market, while McCann Worldwide has been Chevrolet’s agency of record in many global markets, including Mexico, Canada, Brazil, India, Japan, China and Latin America.
Naturally, George Parker thinks it’s a stupid idea.
My favorite agency of all time, Goodby Silverstein + Partners, has been joined at the hip with duct tape and rusty six inch nails to one of my least favorite agencies, McCann. Obviously, it makes no fucking sense…
I wonder how foreign this must feel to the Goodby guys. First they open an office in Detroit, now they’re working hand-in-hand with McCann. Oh, the glories of a big account.
