October 09, 2006
Leadership matters
By MICHELLE WARREN  

It's not a large agency's clout or a boutique's sexiness that attracts top talent, but the attitude of their leaders

Does size matter? When it comes to agencies and opportunities for employment, recruitment experts are divided.

There's no doubt so-called traditional agencies have been forced to defend their turf in recent years as formidable talent-fuelled upstarts and sexy boutique agencies grab headlines, clients and top talent. The bias has been squarely in the small is beautiful camp-less overhead, more hands-on talent. But those in the know say that when it comes to employment opportunities, it's more about attitude than size.

"Frankly, big or small, agencies attract talent based on the mindset of the leaders and the challenge of the businesses they are developing communication programs for," says Rick Chad, president, Chad Management Group in Toronto. "It is my view that it has less to do with size of agency and more to do with the leadership and the business."

Sylvia MacArthur, president, Madison MacArthur in Toronto agrees it's not really an issue of traditional versus boutique: "Agencies that are committed to excellence in creative and provide an environment that is conducive to creating it, fare equally well in attracting top talent."

Smaller agencies do have a certain allure, especially for new recruits, says Deanna MacDougal, partner, IQ Partners in Toronto. "Today's younger candidates are concerned more with experience over managing a career, which leads them to boutique firms where they get more experience quickly, as opposed to the traditional agency path that requires putting in dues and moving up the ranks."

Michael Gates, vice-president partner, Mandrake Toronto, says smaller shops tend to appeal to those on the creative side of the business. "Creatively the boutiques generally have the advantage, but once (the talent) make a name for themselves, they are often wooed to the larger shops."

According to Barbara Morris, president, Morris Group International in Toronto, "there still is a prestige that comes with being hired at a large traditional agency, especially for those who want to understand many disciplines."

But Martin Kingston, president of Martin Kingston and Associates in Toronto, says in the long run it's a losing battle for traditional agencies: "Specialization is the future and the cream of the talent knows it."

Still, the larger agencies can and do attract skilled people for a number of reasons, explains Gates: "At the senior level there are fewer opportunities for people other than creative. Also they may be perceived as a better training ground." The larger agencies hold many of the high-profile packaged goods accounts, which can translate into opportunity to work with multinationals. As well, they have many of the big-budget accounts, such as automotive, telco and quick service restaurants, although many smaller agencies are vying for and winning at least pieces of these businesses.

The Montreal market is primarily made up of smaller agencies, with only a handful of larger traditional shops, says Normand Lebeau, Mandrake's VP executif/directeur general Montreal. "Both agency sizes have their challenges in terms of attracting talent since the overall marketplace is in shortage," he adds, but "I would say that the larger agencies have a harder time since they often require bilingualism and some kind of corporate background experience, which is not an everyday situation in our market."

Robert Lafond, president, Lafond & Associes in Montreal, agrees: "The boutique side is growing as far as our clients are concerned."

Search consultants across the country point out that the stereotypes associated with working with larger or smaller agencies are being re-examined as agencies that started as boutiques-Taxi, Grip, Zig and Rethink to name a few-mature and flourish.

All large traditional agencies can't be lumped into the same camp, insists Harry Teitelbaum, president of InterCom Search in Toronto, who points to the likes of DDB. "Is (it) a large traditional agency? Yes, by some measure, but they don't have a problem attracting talent. But others are experiencing difficulty in gaining talent, and usually at their expense, to the smaller perceived 'hotter' boutiques."

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