It’s Not A Talent Shortage, It’s A Dollar Shortage: Clemenger Boss

It’s Not A Talent Shortage, It’s A Dollar Shortage: Clemenger Boss
David Hovenden
By David Hovenden
SHARE
THIS



Clemenger Sydney’s CEO has handed down a withering assessment on the parlous state of the advertising agency industry in Australia and blames clients’ unwillingness to remunerate them fairly as the root of the problem.

Andy Pontin, CEO of Clemenger BBDO Sydney, who is responsible for the Clemenger BBDO, Proximity and Porter Novelli businesses in NSW, was speaking as part of a skills shortage workshop organised in partnership by ADMA and B&T.

andypontin-thumb-200x278-41636
“I think you can either say there is a talent shortage or there is a dollar shortage. And our issue is that there is a dollar shortage. The talent’s out there, we just can’t afford to pay for it,” he said.

Pontin said the problem applied to both talent already living in Australia as well as talent the agency was trying to bring into Australia.

“I think where we and every other agency is really struggling is that we used to be able to attract really great thinkers because generally we pay more, we used to offer a better working environment and often more variety in the role. All three of those things have changed now.”

Pontin said that agencies were now paying relatively less for their staff than the the clients they serviced.
“So I think now we’re beginning to pay less, so it used to be an account director would be sitting across the table from the client, our guy would be earning more, now they are probably earing 30 per cent less than the person on the client side. So that’s a big challenge.”

So how do you keep people on board with that, Pontin asked the room?

“One way to keep on board is the soft stuff. So it’s the cultural side, the environment, well that costs money and we all have tight controls over line items. So, that’s difficult to do and also frequently now many of our clients have funkier premises than us.

“They have their own creative product, their own great thinkers and they can offer similar scope and scale in the roles that really only used to exist in advertising.

“So that’s the issue really: the talent’s there, we’ve got to find a way to make an advertising agency the right place for the right talent to land,” he answered his own question.

He also said that while many agencies were going for people with broad skill sets, he said what was really needed was people who are jacks of all trades, masters of none.

“You still need experts. Clients still look across the table at you and say: who’s your digital guy? Or, who’s your social guy? So you need all that because the generalists know some things, but most clients will say that that’s a weak link but it’s actually what they pay for.”

Pontin finished off his  opening salvo in the workshop with one last observation: “If clients paid us properly, probably we’d have better talent. And that sounds like a whinge, but the industry is in a dramatic hole at the moment, because we sold ourselves 20 years ago onto the consultancy, head-hour based model and I’m telling you in 20 years, that hourly rate for that creative director has not changed, but the salaries have changed.

“So our ability to detach our revenue line from a linear connection to a cost line is zero. And that’s a horrendous business model in a business changing as fast as ours.”

Please login with linkedin to comment

ACCC Advertising Standards Bureau Craig Davis

Latest News

“Simply Disingenuous!” Coles Challenged Over Its Decision To Phase Out Its Printed Catalogue
  • Marketing

“Simply Disingenuous!” Coles Challenged Over Its Decision To Phase Out Its Printed Catalogue

The Real Media Collective (TRMC), the Australian industry association representing the interests of companies in the paper, print, publishing/media and related distribution sectors across Australia, has challenged Coles Supermarkets for using the environment as a reason in its announcement today outlining its plans to cease sending catalogues to Australian homes from September. In the announcement, […]

Major Stars Including Kerri-Anne Kennerley & Tim Bailey To Go As 10 Announces Major Restructure
  • Media

Major Stars Including Kerri-Anne Kennerley & Tim Bailey To Go As 10 Announces Major Restructure

Network 10 is set to undergo a massive restructure, leaving a number of high-profile journalists out of a job, including Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Natarsha Belling and Tim Bailey, B&T understands. As first reported on The Sydney Morning Herald, the restructure was announced to staff on Tuesday. As part of the restructuring, the presentation of the weekday […]

Recommended

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
The Alcohol & Drug Foundation Team With Dee Madigan’s Campaign Edge To Tackle CV-19 Drinking
  • Campaigns

The Alcohol & Drug Foundation Team With Dee Madigan’s Campaign Edge To Tackle CV-19 Drinking

Alcohol & Drug Foundation (ADF) has launched a new national health campaign with Campaign Edge aiming to tackle COVID-19 drinking. Funded by the Australian Government, Break the Habit reveals that it takes only around 66 days to form a habit – roughly the same amount of time many Australians spent in lockdown. It’s a fact most Aussies are […]

How To Get Out Of A Cashflow Crisis
  • Opinion

How To Get Out Of A Cashflow Crisis

Paul Roach (pictured below) is a business strategist and coach who has worked with hundreds of SMEs across many industries to supercharge their cashflow. Roach is also author of the book Smarter Business Stronger Cashflow. In this guest post, Roach gives his top tips when the cash taps start to be turned off… Cashflow is like […]

One Daydream Expands Into Alcohol Category
  • Marketing

One Daydream Expands Into Alcohol Category

Sydney and Melbourne based PR, Talent & Digital agency One Daydream has extended its client portfolio to include alcohol. The category expansion comes as One Daydream joins the agency roster of Pernod Ricard, working on a project basis to manage strategic PR and digital campaigns. The global drinks group boasts one of the most comprehensive and prestigious […]

Modern interior with furniture and creative business sketch on wall. Success and solution concept. 3D Rendering
  • Media

Commtract Appoints New Business Development GM

Commtract today expanded its marketing, advertising and digital offering in response to a growing number of CEOs outsourcing to ‘gig-workers’ amid COVID-19. According to new research, 40 per cent of Australian CEOs are planning on outsourcing to freelancers in the contingent workforce. Commtract, which launched in 2016,  has more than 4,000 communications experts on its platform, and has already placed over 800 roles. […]