Lowe Australia set to acquire indie agency 303 – Cleaver tipped to take CEO role over Pearson
It is believed that Lowe Australia is in the advanced stages of acquiring Australia’s largest independent agency 303, which has offices in Sydney and Perth.
The deal would see 303 take control of Lowe in Australia, with 303 national CEO Nick Cleaver (near left, with Sydney MD John McKie and Sydney-based national ECD Simon Langley) tipped to take the top job.
Current Lowe chief Stephen Pearson has not returned CB calls since Friday while Cleaver texted CB on Friday afternoon, saying: “I’ve no comment to make. I suppose with Host now sold people speculate about the next biggest independent and that’s us. Nothing to add about what is only speculation.”
Lowe’s woes downunder have centred on its creative department, included the departures of several executive creative directors in recent years, starting with Dejan Rasic back in May 2007 and most recently South African Mike Barnwell (left) in August last year (after only three months), followed by Melissa Peters (left) in February this year. Since then, the ECD role has not been filled, and if the deal goes though, Langley looks likely to take the role.
50 Comments
Love your work, Al 😉
Haaa! Haaa!
When this happens, Lowe can now move forward. Good luck to everyone involved.
two wrongs etc
onya Langers, BMF must be kicking themselves for letting you loose
Buying revenue has rarely worked in this market. They had to do something however as Lowe was never going to make it. Just goes to show that wherever its “best Job in the world’ or ‘Lynx Jet’ one fabulous campaign isn’t enough.
Good luck guys.
How could Lowe be in a position to buy anyone? For guys with no idea, they’ve certainly got some deep ass pockets. Good luck, 303 people, with the rehab of that perpetual basket case.
Will 303 Perth’s recent account losses be a deal breaker in the negotiations.
They just lost the prestigious West Coast Eagles account. It’s on the Perth blog not the national. Why?
Lowe acquires or 303 mops up Lowe?
Reverse takeover, the only thing lowe has left is the name on the door and the building. They can’t close it down because of unilever but they can’t win any new business with no talent in the building. Only option is this. Guess Pearson will be heading back to Auckland.
I’m pretty sure Lowe wouldn’t give a flying fuck about Perth. They probably don’t even know it exists.
It’s all about Sydney.
Just saw the Perth thread. Big loss of West Coast Eagles account to new hot shop.
http://www.campaignbrief.com/wa/2011/08/west-coast-eagles-turn-to-the.html
Lowe all went down hill since the latest management took over and all of its CDs walked out the door together with all the good work like Lynx Jet, MTV Snoop etc etc.
http://www.campaignbrief.com/wa/2011/08/west-coast-eagles-turn-to-the.html
3 rats kicking out a skinny rat. It won’t make any difference
The creative rankings have changed in the west since 303 lost the West Coast Eagles account. I think this needs to be taken into consideration.
1. Meerkats
2. Brand Agency
3. The White House.
4. Marketforce
5. 303
4.27
Agree. Rat shit everywhere.
Here, hold this steering wheel. I’m just going to grab a snack from the Titanic’s kitchen.
Perth Top Five.
Thought Marketforce would of been higher on the list.
Who is the White House?
303 fifth.
Well someone better tell Lowe to take interest in Perth.
It’s where all 303’s great creative comes from.
Wake up all you eastern state wankers.
Strange. This news was “announced” by an anonymous poster on the WA blog two weeks ago:
Anonymous said:
Exclusive: 303 merges with Lowe sydney.
July 28, 2011 2:43 PM
Hey Perth Top Five.
Looks like you have a few errors in your list.
Where is Linc? They deserve to be equal 5th with Lowe303.
And I’d probably move Brand to 4th and replace Marketforce with BAM.
I know this is creative rankings but Linc have come up with a new innovative business model that involves agency time sheets. This needs to be taken into consideration.
Thanks.
7.32pm.
I heard about this new time sheet innovation at Linc in Perth.
Sounds amazing.
7.32
Please tell us more about your new innovative business model that involves agency times sheets. It sounds like just the thing anonymous posters love hearing about
An account for a footy team is considered a big account in Perth? Ha, ha, ha that’s freaking hilarious!
8.05pm.
Thanks for your interest in Linc’s innovative time sheet solution.
Here is the post. Hope you enjoy the article.
Linc’s Carlson says open book accounting move will help restore credibility to industry
By CB on July 20, 2011 11:20 AM Comments (22)
Perth marketing and communications advisory firm Linc has introduced open book accounting from 1 July in a move to help restore credibility to Perth’s marketing industry.
John Carlson, Group Managing Director at Linc, said Linc’s open book accounting system, where client accounts including time sheets and supplier invoices are open to inspection and examination at any time, is a marked change to standard industry practice.
“There is a lot of concern among clients about a lack of transparency with questions over excessive margins, and rightly so,” said Carlson.
“Historically public relations, marketing and advertising agencies have rated poorly in measures of trust with clients concerned about a lack of transparency and a black hole effect. In many cases concern has been justified with inexplicable mark-ups of 100 percent or more on top of external costs.
“If the marketing industry wants to be taken seriously, we need to focus on intellectual property and strategic insight, and a fee for service relationship. This means adding value to our client’s bottom line via our advisory skills rather than acting as salespeople collecting hidden margins and commissions.”
Carlson said the move to open book accounting is the first of many major structural changes at Linc reflecting an evolutionary period at the firm, a constantly changing market and commitment to being at the cutting edge.
He said he strongly believes this consultative approach will deliver more for both clients and the firm alike and will involve being completely transparent, offering high quality advice supported by all associated marketing services.
‘Eastern state wankers’?
Such a hick thing to say.
8.33. What’s your problem man? What’s so funny?
There has been some great work done on this footy team in Perth. The WEST Coast Eagles.
Yeah, the same guys who are mopping up the slops left behind by your Lowe guys in the eastern states produced some of the great adshels. They even picked up ‘metal’ in the local outdoor awards here.
It won in the very competitive retail sporting goods category as well as single awards in the media placement category. Cleaned up.
There was also a TVC spot that had all the players in it. Production values let it down but the idea was strong. Each player said a different word in the script. Directed in- house. So shove it.
7.32
I wouldn’t shout too much about it on here. Those Monkeys will have their very own new innovative business model involving agency time sheets before you can say “didn’t that idea already win Grand Prix at Cannes for another agency?”
Maybe the Directors in Perth should have checked the website before signing on the dotted line? http://www.lowes.com.au/
8.52PM.
You’re right. We’re just hicks here.
Thanks for the advice dickhead.
Eastern state wanker.
Sorry dickhead.
Thanks 8.45.
Have you any other ideas?
Very funny 10.03 and 10.18. Do you guys work at Monkeys? Ya dickheads.
That innovative time sheet idea is going to make waves if it makes it to the east.
And of course time sheets are always filled out with scrupulous honesty.
11.05
All Linc are trying to do is spruik their agency anonymously on the national blog with a perceived point of difference. And all you can do is be sarcastic. Grow up. That goes for you too, 7.47 and 8.05. If we can’t, as bitchy, anonymous posters, each with a personal axe to grind, extend a little courtesy to a small west coast agency who choose to come on here anonymously to tout their tawdry wares, we may as well all get back to work. Personally, Linc I would like to thanks you for your valuable contribution to this thread. I can now go home enriched and safe in the knowledge that someone somewhere is pushing the boundaries of agency remuneration structures via a new innovative business model that involves agency timesheets.
I’m filling my time sheet now.
3 hours wasting time on the CB blog.
A certain agency’s Timesheet:
3 hours – Flick through old award books and internet.
2 hours – Lunch at pub.
1 hour – Make slight changes to idea that they saw earlier.
2 hours – Meet with planner and explain how this idea which may appear familiar actually isn’t.
2 hours – Celebratory drinks because everyone loves this new idea. Comments about plagiarism are laughed off.
123 hours. – Posting on CB blog.
To the poster who laughed at 303 working on a football team client. They billed almost $80k. Hardly a budget to laugh at.
Well said 11.23. I’m going home now to go back to bed to dream of agency remuneration structures.
Such a shame about Lowe…a once great brand. What’s happened in Aust is a continuation of what happened in NZ.
80k? hahahah. thats our bar tab you muppet…
10:22 AM
Lowe once had a great brand? WTF are you talking about, they’re crap, they’ve always been crap.
I want to throw up.
3.46
They’re fucking with you. Don’t take the bait. You’re making east coast look silly
West Coast – 1
East Coast – Nil
If only creatives spent as much time working as they did bitching. Actually, even half the time would do.