4A's President Nancy Hill

4A’s President Nancy Hill opened the conference with a note of optimism: ”Our industry is back….Our industry didn’t die.  Some might have once said that we were on life support.  But we’re revived.  We’ve by-passed rehab and come out leaner, more creative and more productive than ever.”

There was the standard allotment of buzz-words at the conference, but here are some thoughts that inspired me:

• Bill Koenigsberg, CEO of Horizon Media:  “We’re in a period of positive chaos…embrace change, don’t fight it.”

• Keith Weed, Global CMO of Unilever: “Don’t be a bystander, get involved…you won’t excel at anything just watching people, you have to get into the ring and have a fight.  There is a huge hunger for content and great content will travel.”

• Marilyn Mersereau, CMO of Cisco:  “90% of internet traffic by 2013 will be video and video is changing how the world communicates.”

• Fareed Zakaria, Editor at Large, Time:  “We’ve got to get back into the science and technology game…We’ve seen a serious decline in the technology skills of the American worker and if we don’t ramp up, the Silicon Valley companies will find they can’t make their product here.”

• Cindy Gallop, Founder & CEO, IfWeRanTheWorld:  ”In order to predict the future, you need to invent it.”

There was talk of how gaming companies are fighting for the living room; how 2011 will finally be the year of mobile because development, distribution and the devices (I call this D3) are finally here; and whether or not crowdsourcing is a tool or a tactic.

Ad holding co. CEOs discuss state of the industry

The most spirited and inspiring session was when three of the largest agency holding company chiefs came together to debate talent and collaboration with clients.  WPP CEO Martin Sorrell called it “criminal neglect” that we don’t recruit good people and until we do this, our business will be challenged.  Michael Roth, CEO of Mullen’s parent company IPG, talked about the importance of diversity in our business and how everything is structured around client needs.  Omnicom CEO John Wren said that clients need to give their agencies the “Permission to fail.” I loved this, as he’s 110% correct.

None of us strive to or want to fail, but because our business is changing so fast, it’s paramount that we as creators and inventors experiment and try new and different things.  If clients give us that ability to fall down once in a while without repercussions, I believe we’ll see more innovation and inspiring work (and we’ll make you famous).  What’s great is that with the fluidity of the digital age, we can do things more efficiently and invent new things.  It’s one thing to develop a $1,000,000 traditional campaign vs. $50,000 or $100,000 program or platform that lives digitally.  So, to all of you Fortune 500 CMO’s, it’s ok to fall down everyone once in a while.  I’ve been telling my kids for years that “Complacency is a four letter word.”

If you fail every now and then and don’t become complacent, I promise you’ll win in the long run.

Mullen Pittsburgh Cyclists

Rolling on two wheels seems as natural as walking on two legs…especially when you take the Pittsburgh office of Mullen into account.  We’re passionate about cycling.  For us, it’s normal to see bikes littering the hallways or the bike rack, for helmets to be resting atop piles of RFPs and status meeting notes and for people to be changing in our locker rooms for a lunchtime spin.  For us, cycling is not just a hobby but a mode of transportation.

For example, Tom Walker is usually not introduced by his title, senior multimedia designer, but instead by the anecdote that he has biked to work, year round, for the last 18 years (averaging 2000 miles/year).  Recently he’s started to kayak to work.

Another avid cyclist, Brian Bronaugh, president and executive creative director, commutes to work on his Cannondale a few times a month.  How many top brass do you hear about that commute to work by bike?  Brian’s enthusiasm for cycling has spurred a Mullen culture of living healthy lifestyles.  Through the volunteer efforts of the “mullenteers,” we clean-up bike trails, organize and participate in events such as ADA Tour de Cure and share in an active and healthy lifestyle modeled after Highmark’s (Pennsylvania’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield healthcare provider) lifestyle returns program.

With our presence in the Pittsburgh cycling community and our belief in alternative modes of transportation (running, kayaking, public transportation), we established a relationship with BikePgh to promote and launch Car-Free Fridays.  This is a city-wide initiative to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home at least once a week.  Car Free Fridays is a day where the air is a little cleaner and the streets a little safer. A day each week we can all look forward to, not just to welcome the weekend, but to welcome the use of smart transportation.

Alex Leikikh Joins Mullen as Director of Account Management

We could not be more thrilled to announce that Alex Leikikh (pronounced Lakey) has joined us in the new position of director of account service. Alex comes to Mullen from Fallon, another rough and tumble agency with a great creative history.

Our newest managing partner brings plenty of experience to the job. At Fallon he ran some of the agencies most visible accounts, including United Airlines, National and Alamo Car Rental, Garmin and Boston Market.

But perhaps more interesting is Alex’s personal background.

His family fled Kiev, Ukraine at the height of the Cold War. He grew up in the Midwest and while a junior in high school enlisted in the United States Army National Guard, completing his obligation upon graduation from Carleton College. During college Alex returned to Russia, where he worked for an import-export firm until a run-in with the mafia forced him to reconsider.

It was these experiences on the frontlines of international and domestic conflict that gave Alex the focus and determination that has made him one of the industry’s most respected account managers.