Define the next 25 years at BBH USA
When Fischer crafted a role to drive the agency’s growth, she opted for its first chief marketing position and not a chief growth officer. BBH wants to double down on efforts to hone and amplify its agency brand ahead of its 25-year anniversary in the U.S. market coming up this fall. The role had to encompass more than new business growth.
“It’s about really refocusing on what our brand is,” Fischer said.
McNabb Hover will give the BBH brand a boost, making clear both its creative style and the characteristics it looks for in clients. It’s the right time to amplify BBH’s brand, according to the CMO. She’s observed clients reinvest in brand-building creative work, veering away from the laser-focus on performance marketing most adopted during the pandemic.
“Obviously, the last few years have been very data centric,” McNabb Hover told Adweek. “CMOs are wanting a creative partner with a little bit less risk than they’d get with engaging with the pure-play independents.”
Is an agency brand at odds with the Power of One?
BBH works within the Publicis’ Power of One model, in which sister agencies sometimes collaborate to service a single brand, like BBH client Smucker’s.
“We have the creative piece of that Power of One, in terms of the strategic brand and creative leadership. But it is surrounded by all of the other offerings of Publicis,” said McNabb Hover, noting that when Publicis agencies collaborate on the Smucker’s account, it’s challenging to tell if teammates hail from BBH or a media agency.
The BBH leaders find the Power Of One working model supports the agency’s own brand-building objectives.
“The unique thing about Publicis is that they let us be BBH,” McNabb Hover said. “They embrace their brands, they believe in the power of their brands. We are not white-labeled when we go into those [Power of One] situations.”
Independent creative thinking, but with hold co resources
When leading Fig’s strategy, Deevy missed having holding company resources at her disposal, like she had in her previous roles. For example, data and insights were harder for employees at the independent agency to access than they likely would have been at a holding company agency.
Working at media agencies made Deevy obsessed with audiences, and she regards Epsilon PeopleCloud as a differentiator for BBH.
“Already, on my second week, I’m obsessed with Epsilon … If you don’t figure it out how to actually get [the creative] out into the world in a meaningful way, at scale—that’s not going to deliver for the business,” she said.
Data is also an important strategic tool for Deevy, who expects Epsilon data will underpin the entirety of BBH’s strategic process, creative development and creative testing.
