TV overload for Sir Martin?

Now that Samsung has entered the WPP fold, we wonder which brand of television Sir Martin Sorrell will choose to watch in his home.

As holding-company pitches become more frequent, so does talk of client conflicts and brand loyalty. Back in the good ole days, when actual advertising agencies, not their holding-company parents, pitched accounts, brand loyalty was clear-cut.

Phil Dusenberry drank Pepsi and only Pepsi. Martin Puris drove the Ultimate Driving Machine. Keith Reinhard ate at McDonald’s. OK, so maybe he didn’t eat there often, but you wouldn’t catch him in a Burger King, that’s for sure.

With so many competing brands under one roof, holding-company honchos have always had the luxury of choosing among a whole host of brands in a single category. Omnicom, for instance, houses something like a gazillion car accounts. I’m sure it’s no surprise that John Wren is more partial to Mercedes (at Merkley) than, say, Nissan (at TBWA).

But considering Sir Martin personally had a hand (and a heavy one at that) in winning Samsung for WPP and its agencies, doesn’t that make it a tad more personal? Wouldn’t that client expect him to be partial to its brands?

Besides Samsung, WPP has Sony (at Y&R) and LG (at Ogilvy and BrandBuzz). So what’s Sir Martin’s preference? May we suggest a multimedia wall consisting of all of the above? And while he’s at it, he might as well leave room for more.

--Posted by Alison Fahey

November 22, 2004 in Martin Sorrell | Permalink