Leo Burnett integrate Adstream's Workpath, Quickcut and AdBuilder tools

Leo Burnett is on a journey with technology. The intended destination – great creative output – is one that every agency should aim for in any case; but to get there, things have to change, and a raft of Adstream technologies is the path that is being followed.

People talk about Magic and Logic, but this is really more about bringing clarity amidst a fair degree of chaos. Before speaking exclusively to PMM, Robert Zappa, Leo Burnett USA’s senior VP, had already told a panel debate at mediaPro that he “cannot tell you how many ads we produce”, to demonstrate the scale of the challenge being faced.

The big focus, he told PMM, is on Adstream’s WorkPath campaign project management tool, while the QuickCut and AdBuilder tools are also parts of the jigsaw. Tying all these Adstream technologies together is a key point. Using any one of them individually would be beneficial, but the real value comes from integration, and the integration itself is less challenging since they are all Adstream products. WorkPath has been implemented in London and Frankfurt, with Indonesia and Moscow next on the agenda.

“The vision is to have our top-tier markets, which is 15 geographies, all operating in WorkPath with a total alignment with multi-channel clients. Then we will have created this seamless environment operationally between ourselves and our clients, allowing the focus to shift back to the creative. That’s what we have to get back to,” says Zappa.

WorkPath will provide the agency with “one common version of the truth”, he continues, facilitating more consistent campaign delivery. “It provides us with greater transparency on both sides. We are always pressured to meet deadlines, but the client doesn’t always meet the same deadline. With WorkPath it’s now a much more factual and more transparent conversation with clients. We can track how many versions had to be done and before, that was anecdotal.

“It’s one platform where we and our clients can see that the reason an advert was late was that it went through six revisions as the client requested.”

Zappa points out that agencies have a long history of being inefficient; they are “inherently dysfunctional”, he says, and have been allowed to be for many years. Clients demand something better from their agency suppliers now though. From the agency perspective, it’s also important that they are able to negotiate the “right kind of deals” to ensure that when they are able to bring efficiency to a client and to the advertising process, the agency is suitably rewarded. This was a point made by Adstream’s Andy Hopkinson in the mediaPro panel debate.

“That’s a much more difficult dynamic to change,” Zappa comments. “The first thing is to show that we can produce those efficiencies. We have to earn the right to have that conversation. We are continually trying to improve operations and internal processes. The good news is that we have found the ability to leverage our strong focus on efficiencies in technology in new business opportunities.”

The early stages of the technology implementation have been aimed at improving processes for print-based advertising creation, this being the most natural place to start, says Zappa. This is because the workflows are already well-defined and because the print channel lends itself to this kind of campaign project management. However, the intention is that processes for every media channel come within the technology, and this aligns with the multimedia expectations of customers.

One thing that Zappa can count upon, it seems, is support from within the agency. “It’s a great benefit to work for a very progressive management,” he says. Zappa presents to the top agency executives on technology progress every quarter. He has a small governance council and the global leadership of the agency also helps to prioritise improvements. “Everyone,” he adds, “now understands and supports the vision of a global open platform and great efficiencies.”