"Make brands more valuable": BBH's Nigel Bogle

Effectiveness is a subject that Nigel Bogle, group chairman, BBH can talk about for a good length of time. On a visit to India and other offices in the region, Bogle spoke about why effectiveness is an essential part of an agency’s contribution to their brands and expressly so for BBH as an agency.

May 10, 2010 07:00:00 AM | Article | Campaign India Team

“We enter a lot of effectiveness awards around the world, and we talk a lot about effectiveness as an agency. There is no point in our existing if we don’t make our clients’ brands more successful and valuable. There has been a malaise in our industry with an over-concern with recognition by our peers and under-concern with recognition in the marketplace,” maintains Bogle.

The thought that creative and effective advertising are two separate things is one that clearly amazes him. “This idea that you can either have creative advertising or effective advertising is a complete misconception. Creativity is a business tool. When used properly, it is one of the few unfair advantages left to a brand because a good idea does not cost anymore than a bad idea,” says Bogle. As for BBH’s India operations, Bogle maintains that the agency likes to take a long term view with new offices.

He says, “We have a five year plan. To look at what BBH in India is going to achieve, I would look at the way it has worked in other markets. Our Shanghai office has been there for five years. It was judged as the agency with the highest client satisfaction levels in China by R3 Grupo in their Agency Scope Study. That has taken five years, and I believe that it will take us five years to get to that kind of position in this market. That’s the ambition.”