MARKETING MIX: Boss gets into the spirit at the bar

All agency bosses talk about keeping in touch with their staff, but

in Mix’s view, Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray is taking it to

extremes.

Friday night visitors to the refurbished bar in the agency’s new

Marylebone offices are likely to be served by agency chief executive

Simon Hall, who has taken to pulling pints in his spare time.

As he claims to be engaged on agency business in the daytime, Hall will

not be available to serve coffee when the bar opens in office hours, but

if it’s the hard stuff you’re after, Hall is your man.

Apart from personally supervising the installation of optics containing

the agency’s latest account win, Famous Grouse, Hall is trying to

recruit fellow directors to help him out. So far, however, while the

spirit might be willing, the flesh is distinctly weak. Not a single

taker, or so Mix heard.

If you’re an ex-client of BMP DDB, you should have received an

invitation to its 30th birthday mega-bash at the Albert Hall on October

19. Yet, despite its best efforts, BMP has failed to track down some old

friends.

Glen Lomas and David Kean are appealing to invitation-less former

clients to ring them on 0171 258 3979. If you’re not a former client but

would like to go, a few tickets are available to Marketing readers. Call

Sarah Jane Costello on 0171 258 4401.

The Tin Medal for back-handed compliments goes to Terry Mansfield at

NatMags, which is losing Company editor Fiona McIntosh to Emap’s Elle

magazine.

NatMags’ press release refers to ’what is believed to be the best

package ever offered by Emap’. The final sentence is a Mansfield quote:

’It appears that Emap has an even bigger cheque book than Conde Nast

whose managing director spends most of his time outside NatMags offering

cash and new frocks to staff.’ Bitchy? Chauvinistic? What, journalism?

Surely not.

This article was first published on Marketing