Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Case Study

Introduction Founded in 1948 by David Ogilvy with little money and no qualifications, Ogilvy went on to win contracts with business giants such as Rolls-Royce, Schweppes, and Hathaway Shirts. His belief was advertising had to create an unforgettable image of the product in the minds of the consumers, the agency’s credo was “We sell-or else” (Ibarra & Sackley, 2011). Ogilvy retired in 1975, the next four successors proved to be less remarkable then he. The agency grew internationally over the years and Ogilvy & Mather was the leader within the advertising world. One of their weaknesses was their tendency to be slow to change, since they were doing so well many did not feel that it was necessary. After the acquisition by WPP Group Plc, several top account executives left. Another CEO change occurred and shortly after large advertising clients left, taking with them millions of dollars in business. When Charlotte Beers took the reins Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide was operating in state of declining revenues and no clue how the serve their customers. …show more content…
The press had labeled Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide as “beleaguered”, Beers strived to remove that title, to reinvent the agency, gain a clear vision (or understanding of what they stood for), create collaboration amongst the various offices in regards to brands that are multinational, and to build their clients brands. Beers spent her first few months at Ogilvy meeting with clients to understand their needs and their opinion regarding the performance of Ogilvy and Mather. She found that many were not completely satisfied; they did not feel that Ogilvy was in tune with consumers, and felt that other agencies did a better job in respect to