I’ve watched this industry consolidate three times from the inside.
I was at Shandwick when it was acquired by IPG. Soon after we were merged with Weber and BSMG to form Weber Shandwick. Suddenly we saw an influx — and an upgrade — of leaders above us who steered my career, and the careers of thousands of others.
The roll call of talent from that era was was phenomenal: Sally Ward, David Brain, Gail Heimann, Andy Polansky, and Harris Diamond.
It was like a take over from a benign Roman Empire. What did the Romans ever do for us? Quite a lot it turned out. They set our aspirations higher and celebrated excellence. They connected us to an integrated world in advertising, events and media. Table stakes today, but revolutionary in the late 90s.
As a reasonably promising account director, I was a consumer of this mega merger. How did these formidable men and women make it look so easy?
And just recently, there was the acquisition of IPG by Omnicom, which gave permission to create our new agency.
Today the job to create belief falls on myself and the best leadership team in the business. Why should thousands of employees around the world believe us?
Well, on day one, we’re starting stronger.
Golin Ketchum opens today as a new global public relations agency. Built from two of the most decorated agencies in the history of this industry. Each with reason to be proud of their past, but choosing to build something new, together.
We have the clear ambition to be the defining PR agency of the decade. A fair commentator would say that this year, we are the most awarded PR agency in the world.
But where I see mergers — or any agency — coming apart, is when their culture is not codified and understood. For us, it is the shorthand of trust and respect that is essential to making grand-prix winning work and creating the change that matters for our clients.
Six months ago, I first met Tamara Norman — now president of Golin Ketchum — in a room full of finance people and consultants. Hardly the most conducive environment.
Somewhat timidly, I held out my hand to say hello. In response she opened her arms saying: “At Ketchum, we hug.” I laughed and told her at Golin, we did too. That one moment told me more about whether this would work, than any due diligence document. And, my word, there were dozens of those.
We weren’t blending two cultures. We bonded over one. That’s why we’ve been able to complete this merger in five months.
We feel there is a gap in the market for an agency that is fiercely ambitious for the work, yet fundamentally kind in how we treat each other.
It’s important to have the right balance of both. Raw ambition without a collaborative culture breeds organizations where people burn out, or peace out.
On the other side of the ledger, agencies that lack clarity of ambition, can drift and become ill-defined. A death knell in this hyper-competitive environment.
I believe clients are asking for an agency that balances curiosity and world-class human creativity, with the urgency to use cutting-edge technology and data to get there faster and more effectively.
My hope is that Golin Ketchum remains at the apex of humanity and artificial intelligence. We will constantly push ourselves to question ‘how we can do this better’, even if it’s always worked before.
That’s what Golin Ketchum is built on. A culture that makes our people want to do the best work of their lives — and clients who feel that difference in every brief, every campaign, every conversation.
We’re open.
— Matt Neale, CEO, Golin Ketchum
