A GOOD EXAMPLE New ANA chairman Marc Pritchard believes advertisers have a responsibility to make ads that benefit the social good. The results, as his work at Procter & Gamble has shown, can be measured in much more than metrics

BY JOHN PATRICK PULLEN

4 // ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL ADVERTISERS A GOOD EXAMPLE

ANA.NET // 5 magine a woman — an associate manager — in a meeting with an executive who is many rungs her superior on the corporate ladder. But he’s not just any big-wig. He’s the company’s chief brand officer, responsible for one of the world’s largest ad budgets, which I fronts 20 billion-dollar . Well into his fourth decade with the company he has held 25 positions, ranging from a cost analyst in the paper division to his current spot, where he’s the marketing industry’s No. 1 power player, as Ad Age has called him. Twice. “I was extremely nervous,” says casting and coming up with a perfor- of consumer insight. The team found that Procter & Gamble’s North America De- mance that was so perfect and so real,” of the 50 million girls who enter puberty odorants Brand Director Janine Miletic, he says. “You feel like you’re really watch- around the world every year, more than who was in that exact scenario several ing something happening.” half experience a significant drop in con- years ago. “Enormous butterflies.” fidence due to the physical, emotional, If her experience sounds like a scene and hormonal changes they go through. from a recent deodorant commer- GO BIG It’s an ego hit that many never recover cial, that’s only a coincidence. In the Secret Examining Pritchard’s work at P&G is from. “As the brand, stands for ad “Raise,” which Miletic worked on, a also watching something happening. A confidence, and in serving these girls and young woman gives herself a bathroom calm yet outspoken leader in an industry women, we had to do something about mirror walk-through of a wage gap salary full of fearless voices, Pritchard has led by it,” says Fama Francisco, president of negotiation. In Miletic’s meeting all those example, earning him the respect of his global feminine care at P&G. years ago, however, she was reviewing her peers. He uses socially conscious cam- Powered by that insight, P&G issued a brands’ plans with the company’s lead paigns to get agency partners to push creative challenge to the brand’s agency, marketer. “It is such a memorable moment their creative beyond convention. By en- Leo Burnett, which delivered. At the 2014 for me, because he was very thoughtful, couraging his teams to take issue-first, not Cannes Lions International Festival of purposeful in the questions that he asked, product-first risks, he instills confidence Creativity, where Pritchard hosts an an- thought provoking, and extremely support- in his brand managers. And by working nual meeting with P&G’s leading brand ive,” she says. “It was a touchpoint that I elbow-to-elbow with them on the cam- builders, the agency released a 3.5-minute had extremely early on in my career, and paigns, he combats the industry’s talent video that moved everyone who saw it, one that I have never forgotten.” shortage by investing his own experience including Pritchard. “I was like, ‘Wow,’” And that story — comprised of , in P&G’s employees. he recalls. “Goosebumps.” compelling creative, focused in- But while the campaigns he’s champi- Posting the girl-empowering video on- telligence, and a deft human touch — is oned have etched smiles in the minds of line garnered amazing results. Paired with by most accounts what it’s like to work consumers, he isn’t just doing good for the #LikeAGirl hashtag, the campaign with Marc Pritchard, P&G’s chief brand goodness’ sake. “It is a mutually reinforc- went viral, getting more than 85 million officer, and the new chairman of the ing value,” Pritchard says. “It not only views from over 150 countries. The cam- ANA. Well, there’s his humility, too. creates the mental availability that allows paign transformed the public conscious- When asked how the frantic, awkward people to remember our brands more ness as well: Only 19 percent of people appearance of the Secret ad’s main char- effectively, it also creates these different had a positive association with the phrase acter contributed to the spot’s success (it attitudes and thoughts that make things “like a girl” before watching the video. went viral and has garnered more than better.” After viewing it, positive association shot 1.6 million views on YouTube since Take Always’ “Like a Girl” campaign, up to 76 percent. April), Pritchard instantly deflects to the for example. The Always feminine prod- Six months later, P&G saw an oppor- campaign’s team. “Janine Miletic and ucts brand had a 30-year history of em- tunity to do more with Like a Girl, but Bobbiejo Ehlers worked on that — they powering women. But in 2013, P&G’s the clock was counting down to advertis- did a brilliant job on every element of Always group came across a strong piece ing’s biggest day of the year, 2015’s Super OF P&G PREVIOUS PAGE/COURTESY

6 // ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL ADVERTISERS Bowl. Paring down the three-plus minute PRITCHARD’S PRIORITIES spot to 30 or even 60 seconds seemed im- Leading the ANA’s almost 1,000 member companies — which make up more than 15,000 possible. In January, just weeks before the brands and spend more than $250 billion on — is an enormous challenge. While big game, Francisco recalls meeting daily at times the various members are competitors, they also need to work together to move the with Pritchard, a core team, and partner industry forward. agencies to pull off what was the indus- “Each one of us can do our part on our brands and companies, but that’s not enough,” said try’s equivalent of a quarterback sneak. Pritchard in his chairmanship acceptance speech at the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference Always was maneuvering to be the first in Orlando, Fla., earlier this year. “We need to also come together to be a force for economic and societal good.” To that end, there are three areas Pritchard intends to focus on as chairman feminine hygiene brand to take on foot- of the ANA. — J.P.P. ball’s biggest game, and Pritchard was right in the middle of the huddle. “I can’t Improving advertising quality: Over the past few years, consumers have increasingly em- think of a more hands-on partner than ployed ad blocking technology to push back against the collection of data and perfor- that, working with you every day just to 1mance drags on their computers, but Pritchard thinks the industry doesn’t need a technological response. “Ad blocking is not the problem, it’s a symptom of a deeper problem — get it right,” Francisco says. crappy advertising,” he says. The new chairman is challenging ANA members to make a differ- Michele Baeten, associate brand direc- ence by elevating the craft and delivering ads of the highest quality. tor for Always, recalls being on a call at “It’s more challenging than ever with the array of media and platforms technology brings, midnight, Geneva time, 14 days prior to but it’s more exciting than ever with the creative innovations that technology affords,” he says. the game. “To be able to pull the plan together and have the CMO on call — Increasing accountability: Media transparency across the entire industry — from agen- cies to measurement suppliers — is another urgent issue that must be remedied, says that’s really Marc,” she says. “Marc’s 2Pritchard. “We’re all spending too much of our time and wasting investment on non-stan- words were, ‘Michele if you need me you dard and faulty measurement,” he says. “There are too many touches, and too many players just call me,’ and he’s true to that …. He’s grading their own homework.” really there for you.” Pritchard thinks it’s time that the industry bands together to solve these problems by hold- Pritchard pulled out all the stops to ing all players accountable for adopting common and transparent measurement standards, as well as third-party verification. “If we can invent technology for driverless cars and virtual real- maximize Like a Girl’s gameday impact, ity experiences, we can find a way to track and verify media accurately,” he says. wrangling his contacts to secure airtime and spending whatever it took to buy the Being a force for good: In crafting everyday advertising that touches on issues that slot. As a result, the 60-second spot wasn’t matter to consumers, brands not only develop affinity, they also affect societal change. just a player that day. 3 “Our voice can be used to step up on important matters such as gender equality and As one of the industry’s most heralded racial bias, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability,” Pritchard says. “The advertising industry can be a force for good, because our ads can promote positive conversa- campaigns with more than 200 awards, tions, influence attitudes, and change behavior to make our world a better place.” Pritchard it’s practically become a franchise. “Four is committing to personally use the power of both the ANA and P&G to help the industry be a videos later, it is probably one of the most leader in this constantly evolving arena. culturally game-changing campaigns and “We have an opportunity and a responsibility,” says Pritchard, who is convinced that when platforms for girl empowerment around advertisers step up, they’ll not only improve their brands’ standing with consumers, but also the lives of the people that those brands serve. “[Let’s] think about what more we can do — the world,” Francisco says. individually and collectively — to fully realize our impact.”

PUSH HARDER If there’s a bigger challenge than advertis- ing a product at the Super Bowl, it’s repre- senting the entire consumer packaged think more about doing things differently,” but Pritchard demanded creative that goods company at the Olympics. That was says Dave Luhr, W+K’s president, who be- would transcend the product. Instead, the creative task Pritchard threw to agency gan working with Pritchard on the over- W+K came back with the “Thank You, partner Wieden + Kennedy, when P&G the-top, masculine campaigns. Mom” campaign, an 18-brand effort that announced it would sponsor Team U.S.A. “He talked about using insights to build a linked P&G with both its products and its for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. “Marc campaign, touch lives, and improve life.” consumers by focusing on the mothers of wanted his agencies to do more than just Conventional wisdom for the Olympics athletes, instead of the medal-winners come back with the traditional TV, and to spots would have been to feature products, themselves. “We celebrate moms because

ANA.NET // 7 moms are the primary consumers of our the video has been viewed more than 220 second-class citizens. Hoping to spare brand,” Pritchard says. million times in 28 languages, with a them this fate, their parents would adver- “Marc does a really good job of stay- paid/earned ratio that performed almost tise for them in the Shanghai Marriage ing open minded, finding the big idea, 30 percent better than industry average. Market. and then challenging the agencies to push And it was one of 21 award-winning Pairing this consumer insight with Pit- harder,” Luhr says. According to Luhr, P&G campaigns at Cannes this year. Talk era, a byproduct of yeast fermentation Pritchard saw the importance of the op- about bringing home the gold. from a specific strand of yeast and SK-II’s portunity and the Olympic moment not miracle ingredient for firming and tight- just for what it would do for P&G’s brands, ening skin, yielded the new marketing but for the company as a whole. CHANGE THE WORLD message of “Changing Destiny.” The re- Initially, however, P&G didn’t have a As humble as he is, it’s clear that sulting four-minute video is an earnest, budget set aside for what was essentially a Pritchard is honored by the acclaim his heart-wrenching depiction of what hap- corporate branding campaign. “Marc company’s work has garnered, but the pened when these women posted mar- went around and talked to his different chief brand officer aspires to more than riage market ads of their own. Only they brands, got a budget, and pushed P&G to just awards. When discussing the myriad weren’t looking for husbands; instead they produce the Thank You, Mom cam- campaigns that he touches, he takes par- campaigned for acceptance of their desire paign.” Luhr says. “He does a very good ticular pride in the Glass Lion–winning to live independently, at least until they job of rallying the troops — it’s clear to campaigns: Always’ “Like a Girl,” found love on their own terms. me that Marc has respect in that organi- laundry detergent’s “Share the Load,” “The marriage situation in China is a zation and can get things done.” and SK-II skin care’s “Marriage Market very relevant situation — it’s a big part In the subsequent Olympics, P&G took Takeover.” Celebrating campaigns that of the culture there,” says , their messaging to an even larger stage, challenge issues of gender inequality or group president in charge of beauty at partnering with the International Olympic prejudice, the Glass Lion isn’t about pro- P&G. “When we engaged in it, we knew Committee to sponsor the worldwide moting or brands. It’s about we were on to something that was going games themselves, for the five Olympics changing the world. to have significant impact in the way the brand was going to be perceived, and the role that the brand could play in our con- sumers’ lives.” PRITCHARD SAW THE IMPORTANCE OF In its first six months, Market’s effect was staggering. It had reached 1.4 billion THE OLYMPIC MOMENT NOT JUST FOR consumers and generated 32 million on- WHAT IT WOULD DO FOR P&G’S BRANDS, line views while helping China to be- come SK-II’s fastest growing market. BUT FOR THE COMPANY AS A WHOLE. To Louvet, the success is not a surprise. “Marc’s in it to help others,” he says. “It’s not about his ego or his personal agenda. It’s about setting others up for success and following Vancouver. So far, the results “When we come up with advertising creating the condition where people can have been medal-worthy. and creative work that reflects the insights leverage their full potential — that’s his Since the launch in 2010, the cam- and the attitudes of the people we serve, motivation.” paign has generated 85 billion earned and offer them the products and the ex- To be clear, Louvet was talking about impressions globally. By simply being as- periences that they want, that is how our how Pritchard leads at P&G, though the sociated with the Olympics, brand equity brands grow,” Pritchard says. “It is busi- comment could also describe the role of increased dramatically, driving incremen- ness value, and it is societal value.” his work in the world at large. Pritchard’s tal sales. “Strong,” the newest video in SK-II’s Marriage Market Takeover campaigns for social good have built con- the campaign, was everywhere at the was a daring video that challenged the fidence, instilled pride, and encouraged 2016 Rio games. It launched in 35 mar- longstanding traditions of China, where acceptance, not just within his industry, kets, kicking off P&G’s Olympics pro- women who weren’t married by age 25 but in everyone who is watching. That is gram just before Mother’s Day. To date, suddenly became “leftover women” and some reach.

8 // ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL ADVERTISERS