So you have heard about how all the real money in creative is about production, right? It’s something of an odd equation, though, in that it works for some agencies and not for others.
WPP has been betting on production for a while, and Hogarth, its “marketing implementation agency,” is the most visible sign of that strategy. Now they’re blowing up Miami to better serve clients based in Latin America.
When considering this move, keep in mind that Hogarth is, in its own words, “the fastest growing company inside the WPP Group.” And it doesn’t just do basic production.
You get it; it’s not like they’re trying to tell clients they don’t have to work with third-party production companies, unless they decide to make that decision independently. And this is been going on for a while, but WPP and other agency groups are being a little more open about it now.
The news also follows Hogarth’s recent expansions into Brazil and Mexico.
We should also note that the office is not new, and GM Mauro Baz has been there for a couple of years. It’s just been repositioned—rebranded, if you will—as a “hub” specifically focused on the Latin American market.
“We chose Miami as our new LATAM hub because it continues to attract global companies and top-tier human capital due to its status as a technology and innovation hub at the crossroads of Latin America and beyond,” Baz said in the release.
We see this as WPP hoping to win more big, all-encompassing contracts for clients based in Central and South America in which production plays a bigger and bigger role. Sounds like a fairly sound strategy when paired with Mark Read’s reported plans to beef up all their U.S. creative shops.
[Pic via Chris Condon/PGA Tour/MetLife Blimp]