Harwood-Matthews

Whilst not wanting to (nor frankly feeling worthy of) taking issue with Mr Dyble, a man I have but the scantest acquaintance with but the highest regard for, I do wonder how valuable a “global brand” is in Didsbury Village

True, BDH’s client reach goes far beyond the beer garden of the Dog and Partridge, but how far has its “brand” ever really extended? The website www.buildingbrands.com describes a brand thusly: "A brand is a collection of perceptions in the mind of the consumer,” which is as good as a definition as many I suppose.

A survey once commissioned by that other long-gone “brand”, Adline magazine, found that the majority of marketing staff in the North West (as in other regions of the UK) had scant knowledge of the agencies on their doorstep. Typically, clients knew their own agency, their former agency and a small design shop run by one of their mates where, by preference, they got all their brochures done.

They probably knew Saatchi and Saatchi too, but then so does my mum.

By that reckoning, the loss of the BDH brand hardly ranks up there with the demise of the Aztec bar or even the slap-dash process that brought about the withering away of “Piccadilly 261”, but it is a little bit of Manchester business history that has forever been consigned to oblivion. It’s an event that will probably not bring a tear to your eye, but it should give you a touch of the Ozzy’s.

On a lighter note, a detail announced simultaneously with the agency’s re-branding was its appointment of Lorna Hawtin as “Disruption Director”. Now, no doubt, this position is one of the utmost gravitas and has involved the imbibing of much wisdom during extended North American secondments, but I still largely imagine Ms Hawtin’s role as bursting unheralded into client meetings, issuing forth an almighty “BWAAH! HA! HAH!” to the startled prospect then capering off down the corridor gibbering.

One final thought, whilst we are marking the passing of BDH. Mike Dyble will be forever remembered as the man who contributed the “D” to BDH, so just how will Robert Harwood-Taylor be commemorated if this all goes tits up for possibly the finest agency the North West has ever spawned? Please send your suggestions to the usual email address and mark all submissions “TbWA manchesTer”…

Gone: Native

Unlike BDH, some marketing communications companies  seem to obligingly write their own epitaph – so fair play this week to the How-Do sub who resisted the temptation to headline the demise of a certain NW B2B agency as “Gone: Native”. Me?  I’d never have been able to resist and in fact seldom did.

My excellent friend Tim Gresty took it somewhat badly when a headline announcing the foreclosure of his Carter Gresty agency said simply “Carter Busty”.

Similarly, I am not sure how, whilst in its death throes, Leedex in Birmingham took the headline announcing the imminent decampment of its most senior account director, Roberta Fuchs: “Roberta Fuchs off to Countrywide”. Sigh. Happy days.

Still, in the spirit of the way that the BBC et al prepares obituaries, perhaps we should spare a thought for the way a callous sub might report the demise of some of Manc’s current marketing communications finest.

Some of the new crop of PR companies lend themselves particularly well to this notion – “Vertigo-ne” and “The Tangerine Dream is Over” would be shoe-ins. Similarly, I doubt “Death: Rattle” would make MD Nigel Hughes’ day.

For those favoring something less prosaic – “Love’s Labours Lost” and “For Whom the Cheetham Bell Tolls…” would surely do the business. Whilst “Dis-Connectpoint” and “Dinosaur Extinct” would both get the message over should column space be at a premium.

For those more tempted by matters acronym-onious how about: “DOA Mediedge” or, possibly cutting a little close to the bone in light of recent developments, “BCMBCNU”?

And as to this mighty website, should the day ever come when it is deemed surplus to requirements, a gleeful “How-Done!” would surely grace the pages of some of the publications not entirely delighted by its arrival or subsequent success.

A few random-ish thoughts

Riley

Whilst wins of several hundred layers of magnitude less are being heralded as breakthroughs or opportunities to push through to the next level by lesser PR companies, MFI is arguably one of the largest PR accounts now handled in the region. In its hey-day it kept the whole of Greenwood Tighe’s Leed’s office afloat – to the extent that no more MFI = no more GT Leeds office. Rob Brown, a former GT MD himself, will no doubt be doing his best to secure this account on a permanent basis – if only to annoy Jo Leah, MD of Weber Shandwick Manchester, McCann PR’s sister company in town.


Tony Murray has changed his name to AWM Beijing. He sees this as an opportunity to reinvigorate this column and because he wants to be a global brand (at least in the Timperley area of South Manchester where you don’t tend to get all that many of ’em). You can email him to criticize his prose style and content on tonymurray37@hotmail.com

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