Circus act is a market force

The launching of Paul Twivy’s “Circus” prompts me to write asking if the ad industry is noticing what appears to be happening in the market.

The joining of forces between Interbrand and Newell & Sorrell is an interesting event in itself, if logical and unsurprising. The fact that Rita Clifton is its ceo makes it much more interesting, given that she will undoubtedly bring an advertising perspective to the operation, if not advertising people. This could signal the rise of a new kind of brand-centric communications company.

While Circus is not exactly the same offering, and while two swallows don’t make a summer, there is an undoubted move afoot by a handful of thoughtful ad people to adapt to (and, in turn, lead) the market. Until such time as the rest of the industry understands that brands and branding are at the heart of communications, and not advertising, the industry will miss this wave and have to settle for being much further down-stream in the communications process.

Robert Bean

banc

London W1