NEW YORK In response to massive changes in the ways by which marketers reach consumers, as well as the ongoing cry from chief marketing officers for better integration, some agencies are revamping their training programs. In some cases, the new courses involve tackling actual client briefs.
Agency leaders say the changes are key to attracting and retaining prime talent. And although some shops are cutting staff and other expenses this year amid client spending shifts and declines, a look at a random sample of seven agencies from four holding companies revealed that most are increasing their investments in training. WPP Group's Grey, for example, spent more than $3 million on global and local efforts last year.
Interviews with agencies last week by Adweek revealed a wide range of continuing education offerings that have been launched since January, ranging from new speaker programs at Saatchi & Saatchi and Bartle Bogle Hegarty and intensive multi-day work sessions at Young & Rubicam to a digitial accreditation program at Grey.
In most cases, the programs are buttressed by holding company training initiatives, which often target more senior executives, and basic agency courses on leadership and team building. The overall consensus among the sample, however, is that general 101-level classes aren't nearly enough in an industry that is defined today mainly by change. The other agencies were DDB, Deutsch and McCann Erickson.
"I really think it's imperative for the future of our industry in general that we make these kinds of investments so that we continue to attract new talent," said Gary Villani, vp, organizational development and human resources at Grey Group in New York. Young & Rubicam Brands worldwide CEO Peter Stringham added: "It's not just to teach but to learn."
In April, WPP's Y&R Brands, which includes Y&R, Wunderman and Burson-Marsteller, held the first in a series of client-focused work sessions in New York under a new initiative known as Ray Rubicam University. Groups of about 30 office leaders from around the world, including CEOs, creative directors and planning directors, attend the five-day sessions, at which client executives seek ideas for launching new products and repositioning brands, among other things, according to global managing partner Gord McLean, who manages the program.
Dannon executives participated in the first two sessions (the second one, in July, took place in Prague) and Kraft Foods execs from the Asia-Pacific region will attend the next confab, to be held in Singapore in November. Y&R is talking to Ford, Colgate and Chevron about taking part in future sessions next year, McLean said.
The primary goal of the program, according to McLean and Stringham, is to hone the practice of integrated marketing, which has long been associated with Y&R but has become less prevalent in recent years. By getting execs from different units and regions together on a regular basis, Y&R hopes to make the practice second nature. Also, those execs trained in the program are expected to share what they learn with their respective offices.
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