Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman at S4 Captial, visited New Digital Age’s Cannes hub, Maison NDA, earlier this week to chat with NDA’s editor-in-chief Justin Pearse.
NDA sat down with Sir Martin Sorrell to kick off this year’s Cannes. In a typically forthright interview we discuss how Cannes Lions is now essentially two separate events, with the original creative contingent and focus now overshadowed by adtech and the platforms.
“I know the creatives would like us to go back to the era of Don Draper but we never will. The first revolution was around data and the second is around tech. Creatives have to understand that technical knowledge is quintessentially important. Understanding tech at scale and on a micro level is really important.”
This means he says that agencies now need to be “validators”, similar to nvestment companies like Blackrock.
“It shouldn’t be called media planning and buying,” he said “It should be called media investment management.”
On proprietary media: “We started it with Xaxis in 2007 and it has a role. It’s transparently untransparent. Now peole are being transparently transparent about it. I don’t see any problem with it. Clients can choose. I know there are tests going on with the platforms having access to this inventory. If those tests are successful, proprietary. trading will become more important.”
On the launch of WPP Media: “Collapsing media brands where you have weak leadership is potentially disastrous.”
On IPG and Omnicom: “When mergers are referred to the FTC for a second time, only 7-8% actually go through.”
Listen to this and more in the full conversation below.
