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Case Five

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Agency Talent Issues: Financial Services Engagement

A financial services organization gave the agency three months to address talent situations it had identified before the business was put up for pitch across Asia Pacific. The client believed it was not getting the agency’s best people on its account.

What was done

A talent audit involving face to face interviews with 149 agency staff members in Australia, New Zealand Thailand, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. Did the agency actually have the right people on the account?

Findings
Brand understanding was spotty with great markets, and not-so-great markets

High agency staff turnover, coupled in some markets with lack of previous brand activity made several markets quite weak

Definite talent gaps were identified in several markets

We needed to restructure and simplify the teams in some markets to increase leadership, clarify roles & responsibilities and accountability:

The briefing process was not optimal as frequent brief changes came up as an issue.

Outcomes
Addressed the key problem areas immediately via staff training, mentoring or replacement

Implemented ongoing programs to raise average agency team scores in all competencies significantly across the region

Results

Agency retained and grew the business over the next few years – and the client remains on the roster to this day