Shake-up as M&C Saatchi, Auckland poaches AIM Proximity’s Dave King, Darren Melrose and Tony Burt – CEO Nick Bayliss moves on
October 28 2009, 5:17 pm | | 55 Comments
In a major industry shake-up, M&C Saatchi has raided AIM Proximity to secure the talents of CEO Darren Melrose, ECD Dave King and planning director Tony Burt. At the same time, M&C Saatchi CEO Nick Bayliss is departing the agency after four years as is Simon Smith, the English digital CD only hired in late August, who replaced ECD Todd Waldron and who took the title ‘Head of Ideas’.
For King (left), it’s a return to the M&C Saatchi family, having made his rep as CD of M&C Saatchi Direct in Sydney prior to joining AIM Proximity in March, 2007. Meanwhile, AIM Proximity will no doubt be madly looking for their replacements.
55 Comments
Go Kingy. Back in the fold and bringing some top notch strategy too.
Wow! Congrats Dave.
This is fuckin unbelievable.
Baylo has been replaced by this?
In three short years, they have taken an agency that was the legend for digital and direct for over a decade and turned it into it the biggest train smash in a decade too. All the largest clients have left, all the best people with it.
Bloody hell eh. Advertising is madness. This is proof.
Steve, I would have thought that taking an agency to – “Most awarded agency in the world” earlier this year would have qualified as, building on a legend not “a train wreak” you complete idiot.
Good work Kingy. Always full of surprises! Don’t forget to reply to my email….
Adrian.
That pr story is BULLSHIT. BNZ. Telecom. AA Insurance. Asteron. BMW. Foodtown Woolworths. Yellow Pages. All gone. And that’s not the full list of clients who have fled the place in recent times.
this is bloody nuts.
why would they go work for this lot.
M&C brand is dead. It is worse than Ogilvy!!!
There’s one ex- Aimer who has big troubles moving on with their life. Whoever it is, you need professional help. Its not good for you to be like this years after leaving. You are delusional, and people are laughing at you.
What planet are you on 7:43? Some of these haven’t been clients for years – Telecom was resigned. You’ve failed to mention TVNZ, IRD, Tower, Vodafone, Meridian, Kiwibank etc etc….what it does show is clients move around , always have, always will – that’s the way it works.
and…cue vultures…roll camera…action.
Oh well, one good thing out of all of this bullshit is that someone has moved on, yet again – So yeah, every cloud.
Hey mate. 8.45. Some of those clients were Aim clients for years. But what does it matter eh? You’re tellin the story.
8.42. All us ex-Aimers talk about how the place has changed because it has. Nothing deluded about that. But that’s agencies and agency people for you so harden up or get out of the business whoever you are.
Looks like BBDO is doing a great job stuffing up the company, ahead of predictions. I bet they will turn Auckland into another Sydney. Watch for the exodus of colenso leadership to begin.
9.48 The point is that the commentator at 6.13 and 7.43 regularly chips in and rains on every parade to do with Aim and the person has a problem they need to deal with, rather than bothering the rest of the world with it. They are deluded because they can’t look rationally at the agency. Perhaps they (you) are a jilted lover.
Barry, you’re an idiot.
Dave….you need a better photo. When was that taken?
10.50. There are plenty of commentators on the fortunes of Aim right now. Try the whole dm industry. It is abuzz.
I would have to say that having two planning directors at M&C is just mental.
But I guess that’s the idea. Have two, one will eventually ‘leave’.
M&C has been a graveyard for MD’s and CD’s since it opened its doors. I’ve actually lost count how many CD’s they’ve had since Roy Meares.
This shake up is all about a rather large retail account heading their way, via Australia, in the next week or so.
Remember, business pitches aren’t won with creative, they’re won at board level. And M&C are bloody good at it. Well… not in this country at least, but there is a particularly well known gentleman in Aussie that runs and wins the business for M&C Saatchi that is hard to battle against.
But all up, well done Dave, I didn’t see this one coming. I hope you get a car park.
Bring back Kleber.
Bring back Andrea
Congratulations Dave.
There’s not many in the industry that wouldn’t agree that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer, or more talented, bloke.
10.50. Think you’re missing the point being made by 7.43. This should be good for Aim too. Maybe lets them start to go ahead again.
Kleber was a genius.
“Weedgits…everyvun…weedgits.”
Go Dave! I know you will do super well in the new role. You always were an M&C man!! I agree with 10.43 – couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke!
Who is on M&C’s client list? (this isn’t a loaded question – I just don’t know!)
I hope Darren can fix the WGTN shop, what a shambles that place has become.
The Wellington team do an admirable job.
One suit in an office doesn’t constitute a Wellington presence.
The best thing thing that never made it out of M&C Saatchi was the ‘Ceiling Cat Is Watching You Masturbate’ sticker that was stuck to the ceiling above Cubicle 2.
Ceiling cat got the axe about 12 months ago.
Ceiling Cat…wha…? Oh the tragedy. Oh the humanity.
Which agency is Ceiling Cat overlooking now?
Now who will watch you masturbate?
The king is dead.
Long live the King.
Meanwhile in Africa…1809 kids die.
take your Africa nonsense elsewhere mate, back to the gossip!
The M&C office in Shortland St. was one of the nicest around.
Dave. Why are you leaving me? Was it something I said?
Reforming a management team that have all but run Aim into the ground
He signed out 7 months ago, should have left then and saved us some money.
Aim are currently #2 in the World with great clients like Vodafone, Air New Zealand Warehouse and TVNZ. You call that run into the ground 2.38? Jealous more like.
The running into the ground came from when someone much higher up started. Those of us left working under his reign of terror are finding the going tough.
Ceiling Cat was responsible for the agency’s problems and has subsequently been replaced by someone else.
7.45. You are in denial mate. Run into the ground is being kind. Now sod off and stop writing about yourself. You are lame.
“Veedgets everyvun. Veedgets….”
This
is
quite
a
long
blog
!
8.36. The running into the ground started when clients peeled off like bananas after a certain Aim CEO started. Someone ‘higher up’ has been left to scrape up the mash.
AIM’s track record has to be questioned, as does their absolute belief in digital as a replacement for everything else. Aim’s downturn coincided with their focus on digital at the expense of good old DM – who makes money out of digital????
C’mon, let’s crack the 50 comments mark then!
OK. 50.
Has Baylo really gone? he’s still listed on the mcsaatchi.com website as part of the Asia Pacific team. I smell a conspiracy.
Who’s ever heard of a ‘Head of Ideas’ who had no idea?
You put you right veedget in.
You put your right veedget out.
You put your right veedget in.
And you shake it all about.
Veedgets everyvun!
That’s what it’s all about!
The reason Simon Smith has struggled in AUS and NZ is because digital here is 8 years behind the US and the UK.
The poor guy came down under and took a step back in time. Why he came down i am not sure? I would have stayed in LONDON, even after selling up a small but successful digital company.
The thing that makes me laugh is all the digital people in advertising who talk like they actually know something. Most tutored themselves online by steeling ideas of f other web sites or comms projects.
Back to smith, nice guy but why come down to NZ? Better off in Kenya, their broadband is better.
3rd world down here.
Just hope Dave’s left his can of chilli beans at AIM. No one needs to smell that shit.