• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, October 22, 2014

Here's yet another in a long line of ad agency killers that's hyping itself and hoping to take over the world. Okay -- maybe not take over the world, but perhaps steal a little more business from agencies. Victors & Spoils, the crowdsourcing poster child, is out with Pearl Street Marketplace, a clearinghouse where creatives can list their services and marketers can post jobs they need completed. Yup, it's like a Contently for ad creation. Victors & Spoils has created a Chipotle-like video in which a farmer dude looking for some creativity hooks up with a coffee shop hipster and it appears to be the proverbial match made in heaven.

But for every agency that's having its veneer peeled away by upstart and tectonic shifts on the marketplace, there are agencies that are innovating and going with the flow. One such agency is Chicago-based Schafer Condon Carter, which took a 15% stake in mobile marketing firm Captivate Mobile Engagement Solutions. So rather than outright buy a mobile expert or build internal expertise, SCC took a hybrid approach that also calls for some of the Captivate staff to sit inside the offices of SCC. SCC became interested in Captivate following the development of an app that connects businesses with consumers -- sort of like a dating app for the two sides of commerce. Of the hookup, SCC CEO Tim Condon said: "It's great to be able to join up with somebody that has been in the race for a while and understands the territory. They'll be helping us in the consumer side mobile space and we'll help them to market the app."

Oh, and look what this smart Minneapolis-based agency did. Olson sold itself for $295 million to DC-based ICF International, a consultancy service that provides technology solutions for government and commercial clients. ICF made the acquisition so that it could now deliver on the customer engagement, eCommerce and system-integration services it offers to its clients -- seemingly because it lacked the marketing muscle and wherewithal to implement some of the marketing recommendations it makes to its clients. Match made in heaven? Unlikely. Everyone knows ad agency people hate IT people and that's what this marriage is like. Then again, everyone hates IT people so maybe this inbred hatred will actually fuel something awesome.

How many awards can the man get in one year? Chock another one up for WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell who was just named recipient of The M&A Advisor's 20014 Lifetime Achievement Award. And while there's plenty of successful merger and acquisition activity under Sorrell's belt for the year, it's just as likely he was given the award for not participating in the advertising industry’s biggest M&A blunder of the year. Of Sorrell's win, The M&A Advisor Co-CEO and President David Fergusson said, “Sir Martin Sorrell continues to set the bar for business professionals worldwide. We are honored to present Sir Martin with The M&A Advisor Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions that have not only shaped an industry but have influenced the world in the process. Sir Martin’s accomplishments are truly an inspiration to us all.” Or, more succinctly, he avoided the POG Plague.

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