MIAMI, Jan. 26 /CNW/ — Bob Jeffrey, Worldwide CEO of JWT, the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the world, today introduced a new agency point of view that recognizes that time is at a premium, and advertising needs to focus on buying people’s time.
“Time is the new currency,” said Jeffrey. “Our job is to ensure that more people spend more time with our clients’ brands. We need to create ideas that people want to spend more time with. The better the idea the more time people will spend with it.”
Jeffrey unveiled the concept, along with a plan for applying it around the world. The plan includes new Creative Standards and a quantitative-and-qualitative evaluation tool that, for the first time, will move the agency beyond using financials as the sole performance measure.
“The ultimate goal of these efforts is to transform JWT from a service-driven organization that is ruled by the rational to a creative organism that is inspired by the visceral,” said Jeffrey.
Rosemarie Ryan, president of JWT New York, who also presented at the meeting, underscored the need to abandon an outdated, imposition-based model in today’s consumer-controlled, attention-deficit world.
“This thinking represents a shift from quantity time to quality time,” said Ryan, a key thought leader in developing the agency’s new POV. “As we create participatory advertising that engages consumers rather than interrupts them, the result will be consumers who spend more time with our clients’ brands and our ideas.
After all is said and done, this is just another large agency trying to “re-invent” itself and make its pedestian work “different”. Until agencies like JWT change their internal politics-driven climate, nothing will change. And that won’t happen in our lifetime. I know. I used to work at Mr. Thompson’s establishment.
Again, it’s only advertising.
Yeah, and it’s only rock and roll but I like it.