THE CHANGEd AGENCY
Eight months ago, after a global search for a replacement CEO, FCB welcomed Dan Martin to the business. To welcome him from the UK, FCB’s ‘cultural ambassador’ Peter Vegas handed him an All Blacks jersey and a framed picture of FCB’s global chief executive Carter Murray. Bryan Crawford, who led the search to replace Brian van den Hurk, commented that “Dan’s body language would indicate this may take some getting used to!”
But as we sit down to talk about his aspirations for the agency – and the broader New Zealand industry – his accessories show that he’s already embraced his new home: he’s wearing a pair of silver fern cufflinks, a gift from his eight-year-old son (who has quickly become a massive All Blacks fan).
“I already see myself as an adopted Kiwi,” he says.
During his tenure at Ogilvy, Martin secured Kronenbourg UK’s social advertiser of-the-year status, drove behavioural science into the heart of the UK’s biggest supermarket, Tesco, and led SCJ, the world’s largest account win of 2012. Also, while at WCRS he led his client Transport for London to being voted UK advertiser of the year by Campaign magazine and won the MINI global business. This built on a track record of being a key part of teams and brands that had won numerous Cannes gold Lions with a variety of clients.
And judging by Martin's extracurricular activities, he shouldn't have too much difficulty settling into New Zealand life. Outside the business, Martin ran a craft brewery for some time.
However, he admits there was some disruption in the first few months, both in terms of adapting to a new culture and his new agency adapting to a creatively-focused CEO.
Compared to the previous incumbent, van den Hurk, who retired in 2017, Martin says he has been more involved in the day to day business. And this stems from his belief that it’s critical the leader of an agency is involved in the product and stands by it.
Now, having settled in, he says he and the agency have a very unified vision and focus on driving the work and its clients’ businesses to ever greater heights.
“I have had a number of clients state how much they appreciate the CEO being directly involved in their businesses, and that it is unusual for an agency of our scale.”
He adds he’s been very fortunate to have a strong and experienced management team, which has been extraordinarily helpful in helping him bed in.
“I couldn’t have a better right hand woman than our COO Niki Pettifer, she is utterly intrinsic to my own and the agency’s success. I, in turn, was very keen to unleash the sheer fire power of this team, by giving them a clarity of role and ambition.”
Despite FCB’s long-running slogan of ‘The Change Agency’, Martin is quick to emphasise that he did not join to change everything.
“It’s to take something that works really well and work with the team
