Mad Men dash to Cannes as top gong comes as a surprise
HATS off to Adam & Eve/DDB, the Halifax ad agency, named global Ad Agency of the Year at last week’s Cannes Lions ad festival.
Co-founders James Murphy and David Golding were in Cannes earlier in the week but returned to London, not realising they would be in the running for the top award, which is based on the number of award wins in different categories during the week.
When organisers announced on Friday they’d won the agency of the year gong to be presented that evening, Golding had only just landed in London and Murphy was already back at Adam&Eve/DDB’s office in Paddington.
Cue a frantic race back to Cannes for the Adam&Eve/DDB team as festival organisers rejigged the running order of the awards ceremony to give the Londoners more time.
They arrived at the Palais just as their names were being read out.
It’s the second time in five years the agency has won the top prize. Veteran Mad Man Sir Martin Sorrell, who sued Murphy and Golding when they quit WPP to set up Adam&Eve, must be delighted by this British success story.
A COUPLE of months back, Spy asked whether Tottenhambased brewer Beavertown had any plans for a sale, with rumours rife. “Never going to happen. We’re in it for the long haul,” was the answer from the firm, accompanied by a smiley emoji. Voilà, the Gamma Ray maker sells a stake to Dutch beer giant Heineken for an undisclosed sum enraging London’s bearded craft beer swillers. No smoke without fire, eh?
CONGRATS to
Clare Nesbitt, the Footasylum boss who’s off on maternity leave soon. As pointed out in these pages, she just lost her crown as the stock market’s youngest boss to 28-year-old Tekmar chief James Ritchie. But that’s probably the least of her worries with mountains of nappies heading her way.
A TASTY role for Big Mac-loving property bods emerges. McDonald’s is looking for a Londonbased senior estates surveyor whose responsibilities will include providing strategic advice and support to a significant proportion of the UK estate. No mention on the job ad as to whether the gig comes with free lunches.
CITY analysts spend a fortune trying to weigh up the prospects of a company:
EPS, P/E ratios, leverage. A better rule of thumb might be what some in the City call the “Swiss watch test”. What watch does the chief executive wear? If it’s a Rolex — sell sell sell!
DAIMLER warns on profits by saying it “adapts earnings expectations”. Is “lowers”, or “cuts” forbidden?