Interpublic-owned The Martin Agency, one of the very best US creative agencies, has, like many of its American peers, made a slow start in London.
The agency opened its doors in 2014 but is still in the process of completing its management. It’s now taken a big step forward by hiring Olivia Browne (below) from Channel 4’s much awarded 4Creative where she was group business director. Before that she was a board account director at AMV BBDO. She will report to CEO Matt Williams.
Williams says: “We’ve always said we would take our time to get the right management team in place in London and it has been worth the wait. Olivia is one of the most impressive people I have met in this industry and has a unique background and skill set. She is a perfect fit for our Martin culture.”
Browne says: “The Martin Agency has a strong heritage of innovative and highly effective work which, combined with the creative firepower of the immensely talented Dan Fisher and Brian Williams, makes it a hugely exciting proposition. I can’t wait to start building on that heritage.”
Fisher, who joined last year from adam&eveDDB is the agency’s ECD, deputy Williams won a host of awards for Martin’s ‘Clouds Over Cuba’ for the JFK Presidential Library in the US. The agency is still looking for a planning partner.
Martin in London has worked on projects for Tetley and the World Wildlife Fund. In the US its clients include Geico and Walmart.
Other US agencies opening in London like Droga5 and MDC’s Anomaly and Crispin Porter have changed their management teams in an attempt to gain a foothold. Anomaly has, so far, been the success. Martin has taken a more gradualist approach, which, with IPG’s coffers, it’s able to do. IPG’s R/GA digital agency now seems to be prospering after a slow start. It will be interesting to see if Browne can kick start The Martin Agency.
