Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
Executive Summary
Charlotte Beers has a vision; however, she cannot convey this message personally to the whole Ogilvy & Mather organization (O&M). Appointed CEO after a hostile takeover, Beers was faced with the challenge of uniting a multinational, autonomous corporation under her concept of Brand Stewardship. David Ogilvy founded the company, that later merged with Mather & Crowther, which became one of the leading advertising agencies. O&M had offices worldwide, focusing on local as well as global advertising campaigns that used the influence of a multinational corporation with the appeal of local intricacies. The culture of O&M was such a large part of the company that any change was deemed as a personal attack on the employees. To overcome this obstacle, Beers assembled a team of change thirsty individuals that would create a model and process for the dissatisfied to recapture the once held high esteem of the advertising world. Beers ultimately is trying to create the emotionally charged environment necessary for organizational change. Case Analysis Charlotte Beers entered O&M at a time when it was most vulnerable. She was placed into an advertising company that had accolades for memorable campaigns but had become stagnant due to inappropriate leadership. David Ogilvy was an eccentric leader and it was his eccentricities that paved the way for O&M to be such a successful organization. His out of the box thinking processes gave way to innovative advertising campaigns in all avenues of media. Gaining many major accounts with the credo “we sell – or else,” Ogilvy created the culture necessary for expansion while retaining the charm that attracted clients. Many employees noted his “presence,” how it was paramount to the success of the organization. Four chairmen attempted to fill Ogilvy’s shoes following his departure from the company. None of these leaders had the necessary presence to lead as effectively as Ogilvy had. Nonetheless O&M still had many
Charlotte Beers has a vision; however, she cannot convey this message personally to the whole Ogilvy & Mather organization (O&M). Appointed CEO after a hostile takeover, Beers was faced with the challenge of uniting a multinational, autonomous corporation under her concept of Brand Stewardship. David Ogilvy founded the company, that later merged with Mather & Crowther, which became one of the leading advertising agencies. O&M had offices worldwide, focusing on local as well as global advertising campaigns that used the influence of a multinational corporation with the appeal of local intricacies. The culture of O&M was such a large part of the company that any change was deemed as a personal attack on the employees. To overcome this obstacle, Beers assembled a team of change thirsty individuals that would create a model and process for the dissatisfied to recapture the once held high esteem of the advertising world. Beers ultimately is trying to create the emotionally charged environment necessary for organizational change. Case Analysis Charlotte Beers entered O&M at a time when it was most vulnerable. She was placed into an advertising company that had accolades for memorable campaigns but had become stagnant due to inappropriate leadership. David Ogilvy was an eccentric leader and it was his eccentricities that paved the way for O&M to be such a successful organization. His out of the box thinking processes gave way to innovative advertising campaigns in all avenues of media. Gaining many major accounts with the credo “we sell – or else,” Ogilvy created the culture necessary for expansion while retaining the charm that attracted clients. Many employees noted his “presence,” how it was paramount to the success of the organization. Four chairmen attempted to fill Ogilvy’s shoes following his departure from the company. None of these leaders had the necessary presence to lead as effectively as Ogilvy had. Nonetheless O&M still had many