Now, I never met Julie Roehm and have also never done business with Wal-Mart; in fact, my wife breaks out in hives whenever I mention that we should go there to pick up an item. I've been reading a ton of articles on the subject because it has the makings for a great soap opera. Accusations of inappropriate behavior, big dinner parties, and what looks like a butting of culture heads. In my opinion, it just looks like a marriage doomed from the start and that Wal-Mart was looking at any way to get themselves out of this deal and that includes choosing DraftFCB as their AOR. The most interesting article I found was from Stuart Elliot of the New York Times called Wal-Mart Fires Marketing Star and Ad Agency. Why, because it talks about someone I worked with during Harrisdirect's agency search, Linda Fidelman.
Linda, president of Advice and Advisors, runs a very well organized and thorough agency review process. She helped Harrisdirect navigate through choosing our last AOR, Strawberry Frog. And, that was quite a complicated review because I had chosen Grey Interactive as our interactive AOR and when we needed print/TV help (BTW - why did we ever do print ads - UGH) after Schwab had Euro RSCG dump Harrisdirect, I asked Grey WorldWide to pinch hit until we chose an offline AOR. Linda set the review ground rules including who can meet with the perspective agencies, who can fill out the forms to help narrow it down, and even who can join in with the agency socials to understand chemistry.
She is quoted in the article regarding comments made at the now infamous DraftFCB-Nobu party and correctly pointed out when:
Ms. Fidelman said she asked Ms. Roehm why she appeared at the dinner and whether the other ad agencies being considered along with Draft FCB were upset. Ms. Roehm’s reply, according to Ms. Fidelman, was along the lines of “if you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
Ms. Fidelman said guests at the dinner were “all fairly flabbergasted,” adding, “I’ve never seen an existing client at one of these things — much less a prospective client.”
That was classic Linda telling it like it is and trying to keep order around an agency review process that she had nothing to do with (assumed). Linda's number one concern is to have a fair and unbiased agency selection process, especially when things can get out of hand. For example, I was once offered New York Yankees World Series Tickets during a review process which I of course turned down; some agencies will do anything to win your business and that's why people like Linda are there to protect the process.
Anyway, that's a little more background added to the story. I do hope Ms. Roehm lands on her feet. I witnessed plenty of change agents brought into the old and better AT&T who were shunned by the old timers when they tried to buck the AT&T culture. It is a double edged sword because as a change agent you are brought into well, make changes, but often you run into the old ways of doing things that people cling to and in the end you either compromise and give up your change agent mantra or leave. At AT&T most of them ended up leaving...
PardonMyFrench,
Eric
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