Does Maurice Levy Read This Blog?

So I'm surfing the Web via mobile—I've been checking out Ad Age occasionally since they launched an iPhone version.  And I come across this quote from Maurice Levy, the head of mega marketing holding company Publicis:

"The new model of the agency will work like an eco-system. Everything has to fit and contribute 'rationally': the understanding and knowledge of the consumer, how he/she interacts with society, the understanding of the product, the brand, the competition, the 'marketing-mix,' media and non-media channels, and above all the idea."

Wow.  It's almost works like a caption to go along with the above visual from my post titled "Agency Ecosystems".  I guess stranger things have happened.  If you are reading Maurice, feel free to use the visual for your next presentation!  :-)

Comments

[Garret Ohm]

Just curious as to where you think visual design comes into play in this ecosystem? It's an interesting idea. I like to think ideas, planning, etc....all becomes inconsequential when the design (execution) is poor.

[Dino]

hey david,

while it may be possible that maurice reads this, the more likely explanation is that what he said is the same kind of bullshit most agency heads say at one time or another (question is, do they mean it?!).

[David Armano]

Garret, visual design lives under experience design.

Dino, you had to crush my dreams of a big time French Ad guy reading this blog huh? Can't a guy dream? ;-)

[Brian Morrissey]

Yes, sadly "ecosystem" is one of the current buzzwords dropped at every conference. What used to be a platform is now an ecosystem. I think in the future the agency will work like a tag cloud.

[mookie]

being an 'employee' of this particular French Ad guy, i think he is smart enough to know what he is actually saying in this quote (original thought or not). the question that dino asks as to whether or not he means it is actually less important than:
do the 1,000's of people that he employs:
1. understand his definition of the a new model?
2. know how to actually operate in that model once they do understand?

Don't mean a thing unless you have the people to make it work. The rest is just quotes Ad Age.

[Raj C.]

Marketing, design and social ecosystems...The proliferation of information, and it's growing availibilty make this moniker a apt description of any system of netwroks that are orgonized and built in a complimentary fashion. Love the graphic by the way.

[Branislav Peric]

I mentionned the word ecosystem in july 2007 after you David, but also after an article of a media guru called Dustin Engel :
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/15760.asp

My article in French, at the time :
http://www.branislavperic.com/2007/07/23/strategie-media-lapproche-consumer-focused/

I believe that the fragmented media space and touchpoints encouraged many people to use this word very often in the meantime.

[Dino]

You've surpassed the Maurice Levy's of the world my man ;)
They should be happy you're reading their blog, right?!