Are CSOs becoming a luxury agencies think they can no longer afford? Every week seem to see the departure of one such chief strategy officer – head planner in effect – with media agencies especially dispensing with the role.
Another high profile exit from a creative agency is Richard Huntingdon (left), from Saatchi & Saatchi where he is also chairman. Huntingdon began his career at the lost but not quite forgotten HHCL and has spent 18 years at Saatchi where he has also authored several tomes including the rather inelegantly titled What the Fuck is Going On? research-based piece.
Planning, in the UK anyway, was mostly authored by Stephen King at JWT and Stanley Pollitt at BMP, boffins who filled out the role of agencies by helping clients plan their business, not just the ads. Cynics said Pollitt’s main role was to produce post-rationalisations for creative director John Webster’s off the wall inventions.
Ever since a planner – or CSO – has been an integral part of most high-performing creative agencies and start-ups (not sure about media agencies) with David Golding, one of the founders of adam&eve and then New Commercial Arts (now at NCA owner Ogilvy) perhaps the prime example.
Huntingdon, who may well show up somewhere else, may just have run his course at Saatchi after 18 years (Saatchi, part of the Publicis empire, doesn’t seem the happiest ship although it sits atop the UK billings table.)
But CSOs are looking like an increasingly endangered species.
