DDB to back M&C Saatchi Melbourne management team Steve Crawford and David Brown in start-up set for November launch
Campaign Brief can reveal that DDB will be backing current M&C Saatchi, Melbourne management team, creative director Steve Crawford (far left) and managing director David Brown (left) in a start-up agency set up to handle future conflicting DDB accounts, which is slated to launch in November.
When contacted this afternoon, Crawford declined to comment, but calls to senior DDB management tonight confirmed that Brown and Crawford will start the agency around November. CB understands that until that time the pair will remain with M&C Saatchi.
M&C Saatchi, Melbourne has around 50 staff and main clients include ANZ and Mitre 10.
Crawford has worked in advertising for more than 20 years. He has workedfor McCann Erickson, Clifton Court Smith and was a creative director ofClemenger Melbourne prior to joining M&C Saatchi in the mid 2000s.
Brownhas spent the last 10 years in Melbourne on both client and agencyside. First as marketing manager with GE Capital and then as marketingmanager at Ansett. His last 5 years were spent within the DDB Group asmanaging director of Rapp Collins. He has worked across a broad rangeof disciplines and on a broad range of categories including, Banking,Insurance, Charities and Airlines.
UPDATE: This just come through from M&C Saatchi…
Jo Rozario has been appointed acting managing director of M&C Saatchi Melbourne.
Rozario replaces David Brown who resigned as MD M&C Saatchi Melbourne last week.
Rozario was a client services director on ANZ at M&C Saatchi Melbourne before embarking on a sabbatical six months ago.
She had previously worked clientside with the National Australia Bank.
M&C Saatchi worldwide chairman Tom Dery was “delighted” to have Rosario return to the M&C Saatchi fold.
“Jo brings a tremendous amount of skill, experience and knowledge to our team and our clients,” Mr Dery said.
“I’m delighted she is available to assist us.”
M&C Saatchi Melbourne creative director Steve Crawford also resigned from the agency last week.
Both Brown and Crawford are to undertake other business opportunities in Melbourne once their notice period expires on 9 December 2010. They are on leave until that date.
43 Comments
Just what Melbourne needs. Another startup.
Melbourne does need more startups. It’s full of dull multinationals.
Any bloody news on how Ted is doing with the Coles account. Or, more to the point, is it official that it’s left DDB yet?
The mid-90s call on Crawford at M&C is wrong. He would have arrived in the early 2000s. Before that, it was the highly successful duo of Taylor & Banks.
10:24, is this true?
Huge loss for M&C, Steve is a great CD and a pleasure to work with/for.
Big shoes to fill, hope they find the right replacement, otherwise the melbourne office will crash and burn.
yeah, that will work….clients love a non-compete shop
they could use DNA as their model of success
I hope it goes well for them. I have known and worked with Steve for many years. He is a really decent and down-to-earth chap. It’s good to see him not being chewed up and spat out by M&C but rather charting his own course. All the best.
MD & CD leave on same day, ouch!
Yes, I thought Ted was doing all the work DDB couldn’t handle.
STEVE DON”T!!!! Don’t get involved with freakin’ DDB!!!! it’s DEATH!!!!
Great news re Jo – a fantastic operator.
But Steve, it’s worrying you’re getting involved with DDB. Dreadful place.
“Don’t do it, Steve!!!”
Like ANZ and M&C is heaven.
DDB has kept it very quiet that Ted has been asked by Coles to do the creative.
Ted does all creative, directs all tvcs, and has does all the post production through the facility he owns. It’s definitely out of DDB.
Steve Crawford, you are single-handedly the most youthfully handsome man in Melbourne advertising. I wish you all success in your new adventure. Dave.
The bigger picture makes me think this has more to do with DDB’s problems managing ANZ and Coles. I have a sneaky suspicion that Crawford and Brown will be picking up the pieces as DDB’s current management falters.
Dave Brown, you are pretty handsome yourself and good luck in your new adventure. Steve.
Jeez you’d think they were abandoning Collett Dickenson Pearce in their heyday. DDB dreadful? DDB it’s death? Depends on your definition I suppose. This is a creative blog so that’s one point of view. But M&C are on the brink of turning out the lights, while DDB has given jobs to another 100 people over the last few years, and been agency of the year (B&T or AdNews) 4 years in a row. They haven’t delivered the goods creatively yet but they’ve got a more than decent creative line up now, and might yet.
Interesting move, obviously not taken lightly by either side. The MD and CD don’t just walk out for a laugh and DDB wouldn’t invest in a start-up unless there was a real and present need.
Who really knows what is going on with Coles? Huge revenue loss if the account did walk.
However, perhaps DDB feel they might just get all of ANZ out of M&C.
Perhaps the start up is a ruse.
Agree.
Don’t get involved with DDB.
There is no such thing as a free lunch in this business and with DDB, there isn’t even a free mint.
You’re farking mad to get into bed with that lot. Farking mad.
Yes, there’s an uneasy quiet about the Ted/Coles thing.
Bizarre that it hasn’t been picked up by the press – as it would seem to be quite an interesting story on several fronts. Ted relationship with DJ’s etc etc. Also I know that people who worked on Coles have been ‘let go’ at DDB – which would seem to suggest that they don’t have the money coming in on it that they used to have.
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Ted Horton is a genius. He’s got it right. Take the bastard’s money Big Red. Your kids’ inheritance is going to be massive!!!
For those who haven’t actually worked at M&C Melb, DDB is like Wyden & kennedy in comparison to M&C.
5.37 and 10.39: you’ve obviously not worked for DDB either. It’s a mess. Capital MESS. Given jobs to over 100 people?? And taketh away just as many. Agency of the year?? In marketing mags, nothing to do with creative. They will never deliver the goods creatively because the ‘good lineup’ is utterly hamstrung by atrocious account service and management. And for those who haven’t worked at DDB: M&C is like Goodby Silverstein in comparison.
Hopefully Steve and David won’t be subject to the 5 ‘MDs’ DDB have in place to ‘manage’ the agency. It’s a disaster.
Why are you out of focus Steve?
Don’t do it, DDB.
10.49 what strange comment.
Do you honestly think working at DDB is like Wieden & Kennedy in comparison to M&C?
The culture of an agency is defined by its management. Dave Brown was the MD and Steve the creative heart of M&C.
Are you suggesting they did a poor job of creating the environment?
Obviously DDB must believe they have done a good job with M&C or they wouldn’t be investing in these two guys.
Please explain what you mean.
Total ruse.
DDB thought they were being smart hiring Tony Phillips to lead the Coles account before parting ways. Good idea until he turned up as the client again and has seemingly since getting his own back. Poetic justice some might say.
Beware Steve and Dave. DDB will hire you, hope ANZ follows and, when it doesn’t, part company with you too. Don’t stick any of your hard-earned into it.
My writer and I worked with Steve briefly when he was at Clems. He’s a top bloke, and a rock solid creative. Good luck at ddb Steve. Cheers
P.S Apologies for the positive comment.
I’ll just stick to the facts. DDB’s gone from 40 to 140 people in 7 years. It’s definitely let some good people go in the process, and hasn’t handled their departures brilliantly either.
It’s been agency of the year in Adnews and B&T, which have got something to do with advertising.
Account management is not fantastic and not great creatively, but there again it doesn’t lose many accounts. And it’s not so appalling that it hasn’t managed to attract and hang onto Grant, Pat, Ben, Brendon and Tim. Of course it could all unravel, and no it hasn’t won any awards to speak of.
It’s got more than one MD because it’s DDB Group – i.e. DDB, Tribal, Rapp, Shop, Interbrand and Mango – and one Group MD. They couldn’t have won the Coles account without Tony Phillips being onside so they had to suck up the politics involved with all that.
And finally, Dave worked at DDB for years, he’s known the people he’s making a deal with for years, so he’s hardly a lamb to the slaughter. You’d think he might have mentioned what they’re like to Steve.
3.54. You nailed it. Exactly what I was thinking.
Steve and Dave might be flattered right now. But the whoel thing smells of a couple of people’s agendas. The same couple of people who stop at nothing to get what they want.
Good luck fellas. You’re going to need it.
Want some advice? Trust no one. Especially not the people you’re about to get into bed with. Especially not the people who were pissed off with you going to M&C in the first place.
My rule would be a guaranteed salary for three years irrespective of the agency’s performance and 12-month redundancy attached.
DDB complicates and over manages itself out of any good direction. It is its own worst enemy.
Not matter the creative line up, it always struggles creatively.
Countless CDs and creative people have come and gone.
Yet the management remains the same.
What does that tell you?
Steve, seriously mate, I wish you luck.
Who are these guys?
5.35. You might stick the ‘pardy line’ (thanks Julia), but they’re not necessarily facts.
Clearly from inside the building, though.
I agree with you 9.11.
5.35 is definitely from inside the building and sticking to the party line.
The facts are different to the party line and a certain level of people have left a trail of wreckage and destruction behind them…called people’s careers.
They don’t give a shit about anyone except themselves. ANZ bank what they’re committed to getting, not the two people they’ve just agreed to back.
Dangerous stuff.
Fools. Absolute fools.
And sucked in badly.
Here’s a conspiracy theory…
ANZ have ‘already’ secretly decided to move to DDB.
M&C suspect something is going on but not yet confirmed by client.
MD and CD may know ANZ are secretly going and therefore leave to form new ‘start up’ agency backed by DDB. Who of course are willing to put up the cash to cover MD and CD salaries because they know they already have ANZ. Otherwise why would the MD and CD walk away from their well paid positions at M&C? Or DDB ‘suddenly’ decide to invest in a so called ‘start up’ agency? Conflict story a simple slight of hand ruse.
MD and CD already had a good relationship with ANZ and became part of the deal set up by DDB for ANZ moving all their business to DDB. (Remember they got Tony Phillips and then got Coles.)
Talking of Coles, if it is true the business is going or gone, of course DDB would keep it hush hush for as long as possible. Manage the damage and spin. Announce the grim news when ready but counterpoint it with DDB wins all of ANZ story. (Which of course they know they have already got.)
New ANZ focused agency or so called ‘start up’ takes over the space used by Coles team and helps soak up some of the displaced people. Another spin pr opportunity to counter job loss story as a result of Coles going.
Of course, none of this is actually true. Just bullshit. A simple piece of fiction. A conspiracy theory.
2.10. And probably right on the mark given the way the mafia at DDB work.
2.34
It’s 10.49 here
Heres my explanation.
The heart of M&C was way back when Tony and Paul ruled ANZ.
DDB don’t care what dave and steve did at M&C, they only care about what they can bring to DDB. Hate to say it (not necessarily their expertise, put the people/clients they know). All comes down to money.
Apparently the new CD to be announced at M&C will be a wonderful, generous and marvelously charming bloke to work for, who everybody will just love.
Hmmm, I am hoping what goes around comes around.
Wonder how being used will finally feel when the boot that “employed” you turns around and kicks you in the arse.