In what may be the week’s most inevitable news so far, Sir Martin Sorrell’s least favorite topic of conversation came up at today’s 4A’s conference in Miami as industry leaders discussed whether the ongoing Gustavo Martinez case represents a black eye or a body blow for the advertising business.
4A’s president Nancy Hill–who quietly removed Martinez from a planned speaking role at the conference after news of the suit went public–told Adweek reporter Katie Richards and other attendees: “Unfortunately, the alleged behavior does happen. And it happens more frequently than we think.”
She opened by saying, “We are all here for the same reasons; we love this industry. But right now, to some of you, it may not feel like the industry you all love.”
Hill went on to highlight the many positive things happening in the business: “In reality, there’s an excitement across our industry, an excitement about exploring new territory – a brave new world so to speak – one that is driven by new technology and new approaches and that rewards innovation.” She then added several caveats including, “Yes, we need to do more to promote gender equality, so the agency environment is safe, fair and something we can all be proud of.”
In a subsequent Q&A session, Jim Rutenberg of The New York Times asked Maurice Levy whether Martinez reflects a larger problem; he strongly disagreed.
.@PublicisGroupe‘s Maurice Levy on JWT scandal: “It’s a one man mistake…it’s not a fair representation of the industry’ #4AsTransformation
— Nathalie Tadena (@nftadena) March 22, 2016
When she came back onstage, Hill said, “most of us would not agree with that comment.”
The following speaker was DDB CEO Wendy Clark, who came to very different conclusions than Levy.
When asked to respond to him, she said, “We can’t allow it to become a conversation when something goes wrong. I don’t think it’s one person and one agency. Agencies need to say ‘we will not rest until our company reflects the marketplace we serve.'”
From AdAge’s coverage of her appearance:
“We will not rest until our company reflects the marketplace we serve…Talent is made up of a lot of things, but gender is not one of them. Talent has no race, no religion, no sexual orientation, no age.”
She later echoed comments that FCB global chief talent officer Cindy Augustine made to Adweek last week about “unconscious bias training” and related efforts to hire the right sort of talent.
Via AdAge’s Ken Wheaton, some of that talent feels less than fully appreciated…or at least compensated.
Surprise. Talent wants more money. Funny the lengths companies will go through to avoid THAT part of the discussion. #4AsTransformation
— Ken Wheaton (@kenwheaton) March 22, 2016
Other unsurprising topics included the long-term viability of the agency model.
The agency model is “going to break under the weight of the speed and pace of the market,” says @wnd#4AsTransformation
— Katie Richards (@ktjrichards) March 22, 2016
In a particularly cruel irony, we learned what Martinez’s panel was supposed to discuss:
Ironically the panel Gustavo Martinez was supposed to have hosted is about the need for diversity in marketing. #4astransformation
— Judann Pollack (@judy_pollack) March 22, 2016
Finally, we’re just going to leave this one here sans context, because does it even really matter in this case?
You’d think such a white-male-dominated industry wouldn’t need someone to mansplain the Trump phenomenon to them. #4AsTransformation
— Ken Wheaton (@kenwheaton) March 22, 2016
Glad we didn’t have to sit through that one.