| Which office are you based out of? | |
|---|---|
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | Vietnam |
| What is your staff size and how has that changed over the last 3 years? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Currently the staff size is 75 and has increased from 50 from 2012 |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | As of now the Agency consists of 75 people (increase by 25 people from 2012) |
| What is your background, in terms of agencies, accounts, and client-side experience? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | I started as a lecturer-cum-marketing specialist and entrepreneur in education industry before settling down to advertising. In advertising, I started in India with Bates 141 (Bates CHI now) where he worked on different brands in categories like apparels, telecom, supply chain, FMCG, Beverages, and consumer electronics. I also worked for couple of brands in Bangladesh market gaining a glimpse of other Asian market. I joined Leo Burnett Vietnam in 2014 and is working as a strategic planner on multinational businesses like Samsung, P&G, Pfizer, Canon, etc. With 5 years of experience in advertising and education industry, and the journey still contiues. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | I joined Leo Burnett Vietnam in 2012 as a Digital Marketing Specialist/Account Manager and worked across all major Agency's Clients. With a strong experience in Digital & Innovation in Europe and Asia I pioneer digitally-oriented campaigns and created ‘first in the market’ solutions connecting offline and online worlds for our brands. My portfolio consist of works for a diverse spectrum of clients like Samsung, Coca-Cola, FrieslandCampina, Canon and others. |
| What has been your role in the new business and organic growth efforts of the agency? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Being the strategic planner, I am involved in all the new as well as existing business projects. As a planner, I strive towards understanding the client's problems and proposing the most suitable strategic solution along with the right creatives so that it will help client to attain the desired business growth, During the last two years, we were successful to drive organic business growth with new business wins but still feel that there is an ample opportunity to triple the outcome in times to come. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | In 2012, I've co-created integrated digital team within the Agency and grew new business and led organic growth among existing Clients. During past 3 years, Leo Burnett Vietnam has expanded its services and expertise through digital and innovations, which had significant contribution to its first digital and integrated AOR wins (FrieslandCampina - YoMost, Dutch Lady). As a Digital Lead for Samsung account I co-participate with all major pitches and have managed to grow business among various Client's divisions and projects, including flagship launches, campaigns and always-on digital/social platforms. |
| As if you were writing to a prospective client, describe the agency in no more than 3 sentences: | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | We are the first global agency in Vietnam with 19 years of existence. We are the fully integrated communication agency with commendable digital capabilities. We are serving major global brands in Vietnam like Samsung, Frieslandcampina, Phillip Morris, Pfizer and P &G developing the local communication to the local market. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | Leo Burnett is the oldest and the most experienced global Integrated Agency in Vietnam. For 2 consecutive years, we have been Campaign Asia's Gold Creative Agency of the Year and won Silver Digital Agency of the Year in 2014. Our clients consist of the most respective companies in the world and in Vietnam, among them are Samsung, FrieslandCampina and Philip Morris. |
| List the top few agencies that you do/will compete against most often: | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Ogilvy & Mather Vietnam, Lowe Vietnam Cheil Vietnam |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | Ogilvy and Mather, Lowe, Cheil |
| In the eyes of clients, what do you provide of value, that none of your competitors do? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | We push boundaries of mundane advertising environment in Vietnam with an ambition to make the local advertising and brands of global standards. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | HumanKind philosophy as well as strong integration inside of the Agency and Publicis group are valuable advantages of the Agency other competitors don't have. |
| In the eyes of clients, what do your competitors provide of value, that you do not? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | More resources on the projects, and Samsung always complain that the same people are working on all the projects |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | Client's often refer other Agencies to manage more human resources, as well as provide services beyond creative, like digital production for example. |
| Are there any negative perceptions about the agency that might hold your new business efforts back? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Leo Burnett is too expensive |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | "The Agency doesn't have enough resources to handle newly won business" |
| What are top 2 or 3 trends you see in terms of how clients are interacting with agencies in your market? What most makes clients unique in your market? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Clients are becoming more digital driven and demanding more and more digital capabilities. Briefs are coming with the deliverable of experiential marketing and online and offline activation. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | More and more clients have started to pitch on the project basis, in a search of locally relevant and cheaper services. They became more demanding for integrated and innovative solutions, appreciating what digital can do for their brands. Some of the local clients perceive Agency as a supplier rather than a strategic partner. |
| How has most new business come into the agency (i.e., competitive reviews/RFPs, proactive prospecting, organic growth, referrals, etc.)? How many competitive reviews/RFPs have you pursued over the past 2 years? How many did you win? Please explain. | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Most of the new business are coming from proactive prospecting and organic growth in terms of pitching. The winning rate for last two years is around 40%. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | The majority of new businesses came to the Agency in the course of organic growth. This could be explained through Leo Burnett's global context as well as the growth of digital in the country and respective services being integrated within the Agency. The pitch winning rate oscillates around 40% |
| Please explain how your particular client roster is made up of multi-national vs. local clients. What is the current situation and what are your goals moving forward? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Most of our clients are multinational companies but the business has been won locally. Currently, the market is very competitive and every business is a pitch against the other global agencies. Moving forward, we look forward to double our business revenues in next two years. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | All of the Agency's clients are multi-national. The Agency aims to pitch for a new local business, not only to double its total revenue but also to achieve 80-20 proportion in the client's portfolio (multi-national - local). |
| Please explain how your office is currently experiencing AOR vs. project-based client work? Are you seeing a shift? What are the biggest challenges you’re experiencing? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | 60% of our business is project based whereas 40% AOR. More and more clients are looking their businesses as projects. And because of the projects based approach, the biggest challenge that agencies are facing is the short sightedness of the brand and marketing managers in Vietnam |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | 60% of the Agency's clients work with us on the project basis. We've won AOR for FrieslandCampina and Samsung Digital & Social this and last year which improved significantly that proportion, yet more and more clients are pitching on the project basis, which became the biggest challenge to deal with. |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do your presentations back up the agency’s recommendation with an irrefutable logic trail? In other words, how well do you typically build a strong argument for the agency’s recommendation? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | 7 |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | 7 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you build your presentations around a new and unexpected strategic consumer insight vs. a predictable consumer insight? In other words, how well do you always have something brand new to share about the client's target audience? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | 5 |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | 5 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you build your presentations around a new and unexpected creative/concept/program/tactical idea? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | 5 |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | 6 |
| On a scale of 1-10, how well do you demonstrate the business impact of your recommendations? (10 = we are always strong in this area) | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | 3 |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | 4 |
| Overall (and as you consider the questions above), what do you believe most holds back the effectiveness of your client and new business presentations? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | I think, we all are reactive to the briefs. Most of the times, we start the work after the client briefs, that may be because mostly our business is project based. But even with a couple of retainer clients, we are not leading them very well. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | The clients frequently can't understand the link between the Agency's recommendation and their business objectives, especially when projects are being briefed outside of the brand imagery. The all new insights/solutions generate insecurity rather than enthusiasm and create a demand for details not necessary suitable for the pitch presentation. |
| Bottom line, what do you think the agency most has to do to improve at new business? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | The detailed understanding of the market - the in-outs of it. We need to develop more and more local talents, and also the 360 view of the business so that we can guide the client rather than client guiding us. |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | Frequently, in order to win the business, the Agency must go beyond the brief, as the Clients may already have their presumptions built into pitching. The Agency has to look for not what the client wants, but what their business need and sometimes that has to be explained in the proper statement. Finding a link between creative and business goals could help to make pitching deck more concrete and provide better chances to win not only the business but the results for the Client. |
| Any advice for us as we prepare the training program for you? | |
| Alok Bhute, Senior strategic planner | Projecting the business implications of a communication campaigns for new business pitches Approaching new business pitches unconventionally, which might give us the edge against the competing agencies |
| Julian Brzoska, Digital Account Lead | It would be great to learn more on linking Agency's recommendations with the business results for the Clients. I'd also like discuss more on how the pitching process could be enriched with something new or unexpected that may give the Agency an edge and Clients final benefit. |