Please. Fucking Slash is a rock star. Change agent? Here. Break a ten. I got laundry to do.
Tags: advertising, Julie Roehm
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Wal-Mart’s Rock Star/Change agent.
Please. Fucking Slash is a rock star. Change agent? Here. Break a ten. I got laundry to do.
Tags: advertising, Julie Roehm
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12 comments:
Methinks you’ve been spending too much time at Parker’s blog. This scenario is not as extreme as others make it out to be.
First of all, AdAge labeled her a rock star. By that publication’s standards, she is. Remember, the Crain boys wanted to name Draft FCB as Agency of the Year (and there’s been no announcement that they’ll change their minds). A few years ago, they named McDonald’s as Advertiser of the Year, despite the fact that the fast feeder failed to produce a single award-winning ad in that time period. For Christ’s sake, these morons continue to employ Bob Garfield, who critiqued the infamous Draft FCB Cannes ad THIS WEEK. In AdAge’s eyes, Roehm is definitely a rock star — in a Milli Vanilli/K-Fed kinda way. And don’t think for a second that Garfield doesn’t still rock to those stars on his outdated Walkman.
Anyone in the business will agree that Wal-Mart needs a change agent. Like it or not, Roehm did fit that label. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart needs a Change-for-the-better agent, and Roehm failed on that tip. Failed miserably, in fact. But how did a strict, rigid and anal organization like Wal-Mart fail to do some basic background checks and reference calls? This woman did not mysteriously transform into the person that she is upon touching down in Arkansas.
Oh I have free time, but not spending too much of it there as much as hearing the damn phrase from a lot of sites, and it's a bullshit term applied to people who fuck things up and are then heralded as doing no wrong.
I've seen a lot of 'heros' like her ride in to save the day. Then when thngs don't work out? No prob. She's on to the next big thing. Wow for her.
I can call myself an expert if I say it loud enough, long enough. That's actually the playbook for a lot of new-media cheerleaders. Looks like her 10 years experience wasn’t enough based on how things played out though. What else she got?
I disagree that Wal-Mart needed change. That brand is about value (read: $4.88 plastic) that everyone laughes at but won’t admit they shop there. The brand may have needed a facelift, but a wholesale change? Hard to swallow.
In no way am I a prude, but just how professional is it to be sitting in the laps of people with both brand and agency people with a brand like that? I know that shit goes on at parties in agencies, but time and place man, time and place.
It's Wal-Mart, it ain't VeeDub, no matter how much she wanted to pretend it was. For all the complaints over glass ceilings in the biz world, does she really need to set things back by proving the critics right with her actions?
They're not Target and they never will be. I know that wasn’t her main charge, but Wal-Mart coulda saved a shitload of money and hired me to tell them that – and I wouldn't have fucked up the brand doing it either.
Do you really think Wal-Mart will survive by maintaining their status quo? That retailer is running in the same direction as Sears and Kmart, growing out of touch with consumers. They need to change. This doesn’t necessarily mean walking away from their core value message. But they don’t have to present it in such a stodgy and outdated style. Target and other retailers have managed to present value with flair (see Best Buy too). Consumer expectations have changed. No way will Wal-Mart ever become Target — and they shouldn’t even try — but they need to freshen their appearance. That’s why they hired Roehm. Too bad she was the completely wrong change agent. But it also shows that Wal-Mart is desperate and clueless. That’s a dangerous combination for a leader to display.
The truth is, no corporation should bring in a change agent from the outside unless there is clear agreement on the objectives, goals, and ultimately, the tactics. Yes, Roehm was wrong. But Wal-Mart was/is wrong too. Perhaps they need to even reconsider their ridiculous restrictions. Like it or not, client-agency relationships thrive on personal components too. Who the hell would want to be involved with such a lifeless and emotionless client who views everyone as vendors? It sure shows in the work that’s ultimately produced.
Wal-Mart views customers as people who buy shit. Nothing more.
In the end, Roehm didn’t fuck up the brand. It was veering into the abyss all on its own.
"Wal-Mart views customers as people who buy shit."
You mean 'value' and not shit right?
;-p
No brand will survive via status quo, I'm not advocating that. I did feel you could revitalize the brand without wholesale changes though. Evolutionary, not revolutionary.
As for Wal-Mart treating all vendors the same, yep, that's what they do. Drive vendors into the ground on price.
And as for working for lifeless clients, while I agree, there’s still a lot of small shops doing boring grunt work for far less prominent brands and making a lot of money doing it.
Actually, I meant Wal-Mart just views customers as people who buy stuff. Customers are numbers. Indistinguishable carbon-based life forms who fill shopping carts with items that are exchanged for currency.
Retailers like Target and Best Buy tap into what makes customers excited. They’re all selling value, but the successful retailers offer added value — mostly by appealing to the emotions behind buying stuff.
Agreed that the Wal-Mart brand can be revitalized by evolutionary change. In fact, revolutionary change will just look desperate — plus, it’ll probably turn off the current loyal customers.
So the question is, why is there no one in the current ranks at Wal-Mart who’s a change agent? Are they all lifeless automatons? Change — evolutionary or revolutionary — won’t take place in a static culture. It won’t happen by bringing someone in. The change has to start with the morons currently running the ship.
Regarding the way Wal-Mart treats vendors, I’ll stand behind my original contention that Draft FCB was the perfect choice for the hacks in Arkansas. Draft FCB sold itself as a vendor capable of delivering cost efficiencies and edgy-free work.
I just need to add one thing. WalMart cannot soon eliminate their "ridiculous restrictions" and embrace the laid-back adbiz client-vendor reach-around culture for one very good reason: a former vice chairman was convicted this year of stealing from the company. Seems he fictionalized his expense reports. It would be irresponsible and unwise of any company NOT to introduce strict guidelines in the wake of that. And it would be spectacularly stupid of any new employee to ignore such recent history.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled debate.
there are zero rock stars working in ad/media biz. ZERO.
"Draft FCB sold itself as a vendor capable of delivering cost efficiencies and edgy-free work."
I think we agree there.
Irene’s comments confirm another point I’ve made at another blog: the damned restrictions are not being followed by anyone in Arkansas. It’s asinine for folks to rip Roehm for her alleged abuses. Rip her for doing a shitty job, not for accepting free sushi from Draft.
Also, copyranter, folks like P. Diddy and Russell Simmons have/are working directly with advertisers and ad agencies — so technically, there are rock stars in the business.
Hj, I'm not ripping her for free sushi. Expense reports make the world go ’round. We all know that game and have played it at one point or another.
However, should you be giving the proverbial lapdance in a high-profile NYC restaurant and not expect it to end up on Page Six before you even get to your car?
Maybe I’ve been in the game too long, but sitting on some guy’s lap is mighty tame compared to the typical corporate shenanigans. In the coming weeks, the industry will stage countless holiday parties. Roehm’s alleged “lap dance” will pale in comparison to Caligula-like events we’ll all be quietly forgetting in our respective work stations.
I know. No arguement. It's minor-league shit. I’ve seen far worse. Point is, the brand is Wal-Mart, not MTV. And judging by Wal-Mart’s actions, it's clear they couldn't handle her sitting in someone’s lap, even if it was just playing around.
I've said before and beleive even more, that maybe Wal-Mart just ain't ready for new, as much as they posture otherwise.
;-p
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