| What has been your role in the new business efforts of the agency? | |
|---|---|
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | Sporadic, occasional participation in big agency pitches - mostly as the retail expert |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Team leader, organizer of efforts, pitch team, quality control |
| Shari Brickin EVP | Primary lead on capabilities, rfi, rfp and also part of the support team for the same |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | Minimal involvement during upfront strategic positioning, writing, case study solutions |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | New Business Lead, Catapult East |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | I'd say first of all, it's to have a face that people can say "we have an insights group". Second, it is to try to use the information we have available to us to help develop compelling creative briefs for the teams. Third, we may test the ideas/concepts prior to new business presentations to ensure the ideas are good ones. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | New Business Lead Generation, Pitch Development and Presentation, RFI/RFP responses, proposal development |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | Contributor, Participator, and Leader of a pitch. Basically, everything from presenting in credentials meetings to leading a pitch for a huge piece of business. I have also delivered new business to the agency via previous relationships. |
| What is your background, in terms of agencies, accounts, and client-side experience? | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | 17 years client experience in alcoholic beverages (brand manager, division marketing manager, SBU team leader for six states including NAMs, 45 distributors, 30 merchandisers). At HQ (Miller Brewing, Pabst, Olympia), I hired/fired promotional marketing agencies. 15 years agency experience on agency side - all with D. L. Ryan. Worked on the following client businesses: Heineken USA, Labatt, Timberland, Kraft Foods, Michelin, Gargiulo Tomatoes, Mars Pet, Mars Snack, McNeil Nutritionals, Pillsbury 3 years with POP design firm. Clients included: Brown & Williamson Tobacco, Brown Forman Distillers, Bacardi Imports, United Airlines Apollo Systems, Acme Boot, Met Life, Hublein, Firestone, Southland Corporation, Sears Store of the Future Focus on new product launches. |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Saatchi, O&M, Bozell & Jacobs CPG: Kraft, MARS, Kellogg, Dannon, Reckitt, Post Cereals |
| Shari Brickin EVP | 15 years cpg Marketing - Quaker Oats, The Pillsbury Company, The Dial Corporation in Brands Management, Shopper Marketing, and Innovations 5 years Catapult Marketing - Mars Pet Care, Beam Global, Del Monte |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | 17 years client-side experience as Brand Manager, Division Marketing Manager, SBU Team Leader in beer industry 3 years experience with point-of-purchase design house as Sales Promotion Manager working on Bacardi, Brown & Williamson Tobacco, Brown Forman, United Airlines Apollo Systems, Sears, Acme Boot, Met Life, Hublein 15 years agency experience (all at D. L. Ryan Companies) as Managing Director, VP, EVP working on Mars Pet, Mars Snack, Kraft, Michelin, Pillsbury, Labatt, Heineken USA, Gargiulo (branded produce), McNeil, Dannon, Stella D'Oro |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Agencies: Marketing Corporation of America (ROP & FSI group), Supermarket Communications Group (Direct Response Marketing), Ryan Partnership (Promotion Group), Creative Alliance (Promotion Group), CSC Weston Group (Promotion Group), Tracey-Locke (Promotion Group), Source Marketing (Promotion Group), Ryan Channel Marketing Group (National Promoitions & Shopper Marketing) and Catapult (National Promotions & Shopper Marketing.) Accounts: CPG - Kraft, Nabisco, Heinz, Just Born Confections, Mott's, Dannon, Colgate, etc.; QSR - Pizza Hut, Hardee's Spirits; & Wines: United Distillers & Vintners, Diageo; Hard Goods: Lexmark Printers. No client-side experience |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | My background is completely client-side - 15 years of research and marketing experiences, most of which has happened at Kraft Foods, with a short stint at Clairol. I have had experiences as a market researcher (qualitative, quantitative/survey research, and analytics like marketing mix) on specific brands (Maxwell House, Crystal Light, Honey Bunches of Oats, Grape Nuts), categories (haircolor, powdered beverages, adult cereal), and portfolios (Kraft). My responsibilities have been mainly U.S. centric, although I have had North American experience and a global assignment. I have also held direct marketing/relationship marketing roles that went beyond research. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | Agency experience 20+ years: Lee Hill Inc, MCA, Draft, GEM Group, Ryan Partnership, Catapult Client side: VTech Electronics (2 years) |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | Worked for several large promotional marketing & advertising agencies: DDB Needham, TLP, Frankel, Simon Mktg. Also spent roughly 6 yrs on-site working directly with two different clients: Nestle and Pepsi-cola. Have serviced primarily CPG before coming to Ryan/Catapult. Never went officially to the client side - all agency. |
| As if you were writing to a prospective client, describe the agency in no more than 3 sentences: | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | Some agencies try to be everything to every brand and claim that they are a full-service resource. We don't make these claims. But if you're looking for a very strategic agency partner with action-biased results-oriented focus, staffed with seasoned veterans, and eager to hit the ground running, then Catapult Marketing is the promotional marketing agency for your brands. |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Catapult Marketing is an action-biased agency. We focus on driving consumers and shoppers to do something amazing: buy something. We help move clients from "awareness only" media, to vehicles and programs that actually help close the sale. |
| Shari Brickin EVP | Catapult is an action biased agency that influences what people do, not merely what they think and say as the most effective to marketing efficiency and effectiveness. We have 5 disciplines: Insights, Consumer Promotions, Shopper Marketing, Digital, and Interactive. We follow a single point of client contact model that coordinates resources to meet clients' needs in an efficient and effective manner. |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | Most full service promotional marketing agencies promise to deliver the moon and the stars, are capable of both strategic excellence and tactical execution detail, and command full working knowledge of the brands and customers. Rather than make such unsubstantiated claims, we just ask one thing: call any of our current clients and ask them about us. |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Catapult is an integrated marketing services agency that provides marketers with action-oriented solutions to drive greater growth and profitability in the marketplace. Our solutions are unique in that they are based upon a deep understanding of the Brand, the Consumer and the Retailer; and are designed to influence what people actually do in store, not what they think or say they'll do, in order to achieve maximum marketing effectiveness in the retail environment. |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | Catapult Marketing is a marketing services agency with a focus on activating consumer and shopper behavior. They have 3 specialties - consumer promotions, shopper marketing, and interactive marketing. All 3 groups are supported by an insights function that helps to ensure the ideas developed are grounded in consumer and shopper insights. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | Catapult utilizes consumer and shopper insights to CREATE ACTION through these core areas of expertise: consumer marketing and promotion, shopper marketing, interactive and digital, digital shopper marketing, event and experiential marketing, research and analytics. Catapult's unique "single point of client contact" model ensures seemless integration across the discipline set and unparalleled levels of client service. |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | Catapult is an integrated, full-service marketing agency with retail in our DNA. We deliver efficient, effective results through a wide offering of solutions including shopper marketing, promotions, advertising, and emerging technologies. Our integrated, single point of contact model streamlines client service and fosters collaborative, thought-provoking ideas that result in action. |
| Stuart Elliott, who covers agencies for the New York Times, decides he is going to write an article about your agency. After spending a day at your offices, and then going back to write the piece.... what would the headline be? | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | It depends on which office he visits - each office delivers a different vibe. In Nashville, the headline would be "cohesive small group interaction abounds" Westport - "beehive of activity, swarms of meetings" LA - "organized chaos" Phoenix - "virtual office test is working" |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Purchase intent is dead. Long live purchase. |
| Shari Brickin EVP | Successfully Putting it All Together- Brand, Retailer, Consumer |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | You asked this question earlier (as you did with the question above. See my earlier reply. |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Action-Biased? Try Keeping Up With Catapult! |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | Moving at Catapult P.A.C.E. - Winning in Today's Agency World |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | Creating Action at Catapult P.A.C.E. |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | When It Comes to Action, This High Energy Team is Biased |
| Now bring the agency to life. You have certainly been through this exercise, however applying it to your agency agency can be quite revealing in understanding more about your "DNA". If the agency were a car, what kind would it be? What color? Why? | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | Again, I think the answer depends on which office is engaged. Westport is a white Cadillac SUV because it carries such a big load of clients, all of the support departments, and is never dirty. Nashville is a midnight blue king cab truck - fully functional, carries people and deliverables, and is approachable/friendly. LA is forest green Saab - a foreign-born vehicle that is great on gas mileage, looks good, easy to find in the parking lot. And Phoenix is a classic cherry red Chevy Neon - small, economical to own, gets you where you need to go efficiently. |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Thinking of our agency as a car, it turns out, is hard. But I'll take a stab. A silver Audi. This is a well engineered, smart, thinking person's car. There's a sense of stylishness about it, but it's a self confident style -- not flashy, showy, or brash. It can handle and accelerate with breath taking performance, and it often surprises others who expect this only from more refined vehicles, like Mercedes or BMW. The Audi driver has thought about those cars, but has made a conscious decision to buy the performance without the ultra impressive name plate. Silver because it's self confident: doesn't need to be jet black or bright red. |
| Shari Brickin EVP | Audi - fast, high quality, sleek. Silver - professional and polished but not the pretension of black or red |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | See my earlier reply. Each agency office conveyed a different "vibe" and therefore represented a different type of vehicle. |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Mini Cooper. Red. Because it's small and fast, but fuel-efficient. |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | I'd say a Ford Flex - in a hunter green color. Distinctly American, successful, hard working, a little bit flashy, but a lot of substance. Not too showy, but proud and accomplished. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | Blue - it is the most predominant "favorite color" and we're all people pleasers at heart A fully loaded MiniVan or SUV ---- lots of different features to appeal to and accommodate and carry lots of different people. Can be a lot of things to different people/clients. Flexibility. |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | Slick Black Cadillac. Classic, yet current. Dependable. Mark of Success. Looks pretty darn good when you see it driving by. |
| What agencies do you most admire? Why? | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | Tough question - I really don't think any promotional marketing agency is at the top of their game. As a former client who hired/fired agencies, the selection process depends on what specific services/deliverables you need from an agency. Some are better at creative thinking, others are better at strategic planning, and some are just plain excellent at client service. Rarely does any one agency deliver on all three variables. |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Ogilvy & Mather. Alma mater, and has a reputation that has endured. They've expanded via Ogilvy Action into the below the line space that so many ad agencies have tried to get into. They haven't succeeded just yet, but the name and vision are good. Integer. They've got a blue-chip list of clients they've built one client at a time. Very smart, bright, and energetic people from what I can tell. They've managed to get big without acting big. MARS Advertising. They have shown what Shopper Insights can do to build better programs, build client businesses, and win business. Chiat Day. Their disruption principle turns out some amazing work. Over the long haul, they've been among the best at developing really big idea campaigns that have been successful in becoming part of the popular culture, but (more importantly) have created successful brands. |
| Shari Brickin EVP | Integer - great cpg client base. Strong white papers and proprietary studies to drive client interest. Draft fcb - commitment to analytics Ogilvy Action - analytic strength given alignment with Kantar |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | Truthfully, there aren't any agencies that have nailed "Shopper Marketing." Different agencies have different strengths, but there is not one agency that I would consider "best of class" for shopper marketing. Even Catapult Marketing. |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | Meredith - they work very hard to understand the consumer, they let their actions/deliverables speak louder than their speaking, and they haven't been afraid to do a combination of building and acquiring to address the needs of their clients. Redwood - they understood the power of custom communications early and developed a great business model around it. |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Integer. They are our counterparts on the Kellogg's business - so they must do something well to have been matched with us. From what I see, they've got great, smart, personable people like we do; they've got similar capabilities in terms of Shopper Marketing and National CP; they've got an excellent, more graphic way of presenting their thinking (e.g., charts vs. words); and they've got PROPRIETARY research. I like that. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | I don't admire agencies. I may admire one aspect of an agency: their client roster, or their strategic or creative leadership, their reputation, their revenue, their address. But not an agency. |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | Integer - similar to us. Hear its a good culture with smart people. Similar offerings. Successful and well known in the industry. |
| List the top few agencies that you do/will compete against most often. | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | My competitive set is different than the other Catapult Offices: Matchpoint, Integrated, Crosscut, Malone. For the other agency offices, it is likely to be RPM Connect, Mars Advertising, Integer, TLP, Ryan Partnership, MDWW. |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Integer MARS Advertising Marketing Drive Malone |
| Shari Brickin EVP | FCB Draft Ogilvy Action Saatchi X Integer Mars Advertising Ryan Partnership TLP |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | Phoenix competes against a completely different set of agency competitors versus the full-service Catapult offices. Our agency competitors include Matchpoint, Integrated, Crosscut, and Malone. |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | Integer Tracy Locke Marketing Drive |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Mars Advertising, Integer, Marketing Drive, Tracey Locke. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | Ogilivy Action Draft Mars Advertising Integer |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | TLP Integer Ogilvy Action Draft |
| In the eyes of clients, what do you provide of value, that none of your competitors do? | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | Phoenix perspective: Unlike the broker agencies, who hire Gen Y college graduates with little or no customer marketing experience, our account managers are seasoned, experienced veterans of the business. We close the sale with retailers on 80% of programs pitched. Whereas a lot of our competitors spend the majority of time on planning functions, we spend the majority of our time on client businesses executing sold programs that drive incremental volume. |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | The ability to "get" branding while also understanding how to activate marketing at retail. The other thing would be understanding how to leverage Digital media to help do this. Many of our competitors are fast closing in, but we have a lead in Digital Shopper Marketing that's unique. |
| Shari Brickin EVP | Outstanding client service and people that you really enjoy working with |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | Catapult Marketing (full service offices) is the least risky agency to hire - our list of "negatives" is short compared to our competitors Our D. L. Ryan heritage is a positive halo effect, but Catapult is far more nimble than Ryan Partnership. We have not been in existence long enough to have the reputation of "bait and switch" like Mars Advertising. We are easy to work with as evidenced by our long-standing partnerships with various clients. Catapult Phoenix has three clear points of differentiation versus its competitors: retail experience, speed to market, and affordability. |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | Smart, strategic thinking that translates into winning ideas; very responsive in addressing (or trying to address) issues |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Everyone SAYS they do what we do. But our point of difference is that we REALLY know the retailer. As well as any of our clients who call on them every day and more - because we bring IDEAS to the table. They sell. We bring ideas. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | History, relationship, trust |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | Digital Shopper Marketing and an emerging insights team that should help is drive more impact on our programs. I honestly think most of the other things we do are available out there. But we do bundle it all together in a fairly unique way. |
| Are there any negative perceptions that prospects might have about the agency that could hold you back in new business? | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | Phoenix perspective: We are a small shop operating in a virtual office environment. Overall agency perspective: Catapult Marketing has so many BIG clients (Mars, Kellogg's, Kraft, Dannon). We would be a small fish in a big pond and not receive priority of service or the best account staff. |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Our once golden reputation for strategic thought-leadership has been compromised due to incredibly fast growth. Too many new people coming on board, without enough time to train everyone the way we'd like. Our creative product has had just a fair reputation, both concepting and design. We are working against this and making tangible progress with reinvestment in this area. |
| Shari Brickin EVP | CPG expertise limits applicability in other categories Really strong client service orientation but not as strong in true thought leadership Strategic value is stronger than creative expertise Traditional |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | Catapult Marketing (full service offices) might now have a "priority of service" disadvantage. Clients might think, "how important are my brands in a shop against Kellogg's, Kraft, Mars, Dannon, and Reckitt?" Will I get the best account folks and creative team? Will I become the small fish in the big pond? Catapult Phoenix has a limited capacity perception - how can a virtual office handle my business? |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | Better in pitch mode than in ongoing service of the business. Sometimes takes their eye off the ball. |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Not about us. Not yet. We're riding a wave of Agency of the Year, blah, blah, blah stuff. But I do think if we don't start delivering proprietary research that can help us deliver unique insights, that could hold us back. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | Too CPG focused, not enough depth across other categories |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | too retail and shopper marketing driven. might seem like a limited view of the full marketing world even though we can do just about anything, and do it well. |
| What is one of the most innovative "pitch or RFP tactics" the agency has ever applied in a new business situation? This might include a distinctive questionnaire response or RFP, "presentation theater," dressing of the room, unique video content, innovative research, a special way of engaging/interacting with the client, etc., etc. | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | Ten years ago, as Ryan Partnership, we did a lot of customized consumer surveys prior to a new biz pitch. This provided insights to how shopper needs were different from channel to channel, retailer to retailer. We need to bring this back because it demonstrates what we will do to get meaningful, current shopper insights. |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | Doing concept testing on all ideas prior to presentation to Kellogg. Dressing like Jim Perdue (all of us), and having a fried chicken picnic with red & white checked table cloth at their offices Having a down home barbeque with grilling pits in our parking lot and food tables in atrium for Reynolds (grilling assignment) Dressing like Chef's for Bird's Eye, with an "In the Kitchen with Catapult" theme Dressing like stock boys from major grocery accounts to pitch Dannon Shopper Marketing Having Paul Kramer dress in Paul Revere clothes and ride up to Subway morning of our meeting (breakfast launch) Gerber dressed like Dr's with stethescopes and white coats Reckitt: dressed as Holiday Party Planners to help make their holidays easier (holiday assignment) Had a tea party to pitch Tetley Tea |
| Shari Brickin EVP | PItch Wear! Themed to the presentation. Pulls us together as a team. Always leave behinds representing the concepts we've presented. A Thank you note and picture that is sent immediately after we leave the building. |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | Ten years ago, the VP of HR for Timex hired us to conduct a blind trade survey among the top 25 retail customers to rank all vendor sales managers in the watch category. The purpose was to gather evidence to fire the VP of Sales, but it was a rather startling discovery. Timex salesmen were ranked 4th or 5th among every single retail buyer interviewed, regardless of channel or price-class segment. We need to bring this type of "insights gathering" process into the new biz pitch process. |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | I'd have to say that Paul drives the innovation on pitch tactics - the fact that he rode a horse yelling "breakfast is coming" for a Subway breakfast pitch is the most unique and innovative approach I've ever seen. On a more "mundane" level, the fact that we have "pitchwear" that connects us as a team (and clients routinely play back "they are a team that likes each other") is likely more compelling, if not innovative. |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | We're big on innovative tactics - we ALWAYS dress the room, provide video (for both intros/energy as well as research), dress up in outfits to reinforce our ideas (e.g., in tuxes to be "your holiday party planners"), throw barbeques, had live chickens, built full-size floor displays in our atrium, passed around interactive tactical mockups (e.g., when pitching a Reynolds grilling idea, we had a grill on the table and heated up a game piece to say "Hire Catapult" as an example of color-changing ink capabilities.) |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | Turning our offices into a fish market for the StarKist pitch |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | we do so much to engage perspective clients through the RFP process, it really is hard to answer. I am partial to the Charlie's Fish Market we created inside the TN office for a StarKist pitch - they came to our space for a meet & greet and we completely turned it into a scene like Pike Place Market in Seattle. We had a custom neon sign made for them that looked like a restaurant-front, their products chilling on ice like at a real fish market, wooden troughs, crates, buoys, chalk boards with all the seafood specials, and fish mongers throwing real fish. Our staff all dressed in Fish Market aprons, and we even pumped in the sounds you would hear at a wharf. It was pretty sweet. they loved it. |
| The following is a list of potential roadblocks that hold you back with your overall new business efforts. On a scale of 1- 10, rate each on how much it is a road block (1 being not a road block, 10 being a significant road block): | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | |
| Shari Brickin EVP | 6 |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | 1 |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | 4 |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | 8 |
| Specifically regarding pitches/RFPs, when you lose, what are typically the top 3 reasons? Consider both the client's expecations and how you compare to your competitive set. (check only 3) | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | |
| Shari Brickin EVP | |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | |
| When you win a pitch, what do you think are typically the top 3 reasons? (check only 3) | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | |
| Shari Brickin EVP | |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | |
| Bottom line, what do you think the agency most has to do to improve at new business? | |
| Terry Mangano - EVP and Senior Partner | Qualify the right client prospects (any engagement in a category preempts us from any competitors in the category, so we'd best pick the best client to work with - especially from a profit perspective) |
| Peter Cloutier, President EAST | A more formalized process for prospecting. Once we get into the RFI, we have a very strong track record. Where we've lost, it has mostly been due to another agency having hit upon a more compelling creative idea. This is going to happen. The other thing we need to do is to develop and commit to a brief very early on, with complete alignment across senior team. Ensure the briefs reflect our best shot at a really juicy insight -- consumer/shopper, retailer, or brand. Our misses have also been due to over-investment of valuable time in developing the right insight and strategy, with far too little time left to creative concepting / design. |
| Shari Brickin EVP | Understanding how to apply our strengths to areas outside of traditional cpg |
| Terry Mangano, EVP | For a virtual office, we need a new business plan with slow, steady growth where we can gradually add qualified staff that is capable of handling the independent work at the highest level of competency. Growing from $1MM to $1.5MM is reasonable. Growing from $1MM to $2MM is asking for trouble. |
| Seth Diamond VP, Insights | Have a better process, be proactive with proprietary insights across targeted industries, enough creative resources to avoid bottlenecks/down-to-the-wire creative development that lacks consumer/shopper validation |
| Margaret Lewis, Executive Vice President | Have someone focus on it. |
| Maura Priem EVP, Nashville Office | Be smarter and more focused in our approach to new business; resource the new business appropriately |
| Mark McDonald, Vice President | break from the clutter and be truly unique in our approach. partly, to be more "honest" by stripping it down a little bit. we tend to go way over the top with talking about ourselves and throwing content at them. sometimes less is more. |