We recently spoke with David Wilson, Ex-Procurement Head of Mattel, about his upcoming talk at the New Business Conference.

MIRREN: What are the biggest myths about procurement? In other words, what are the preconceived notions about procurement that are completely off-base?
WILSON: Procurement is not always about cost savings. In fact, in my experience and especially for services such as agency services, cost is one of the less important factors. A good procurement process should be taking into account quality and service, as w... [Read More]

Today, our conference team announces the Speaker Selection and Agenda Session Line Up for our 400 agency event this April 12 - 14 in New York.
 
And we have quite a dynamic and diverse group of speakers this year. Front and center will be the most innovative agencies in the country - numerous of which are experiencing double and triple-digit growth, despite the current climate. It is their best practices that will define the business (and business development) over the coming few years. It is their best practices that can help you ... [Read More]

I just read a great posting from Tom Finneran of the 4A's about client new business practices. It was followed by endless whining and complaining about what agencies are subjected to with dysfunctional client pitches.

I had to react. Here is a copy of my post:

By BRENT | NEW YORK, NY December 9, 2009 10:21:31 pm:

Tom's thoughts are spot on.

However, there's a bigger issue: What are we going to do about it? There is so much whining and complaining, but little action.

The fact is, the search process is not going to improve. As clients continue to struggle with their own businesses and as they continue to struggle with trying to get meani... [Read More]