A PEEK INTO AN ADVERTISING GURU'S MIND

I was lucky enough to hear Kevin Roberts, global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi speak at the SkyCity Convention Centre last night. As leader of one of the world's largest and best known advertising agencies, I was expecting Kevin to come across as somewhat aloof and intimidating.

When he started talking, I was pleasantly surpised to discover that this highly sought after and incredibly successful man is actually very down to earth. He seems like the kind of genuine guy you could enjoy a cold pint with- this impression only cemented further by his disarming Lancashire/American accent.

Even though I found standing up for an hour quite taxing (wearing high heels was a mistake!) I thoroughly enjoyed hearing what Kevin had to say. It just made sense.

When discussing how companies should deal with the current economic slip, Kevin had a number of suggestions. The one point that sticks in my mind is that businesses should not shy away from being creative and innovative. When every other enterprise is keeping a low profile and slashing their budgets, the astute business owner will be ensuring that they are running an aggressive, inventive marketing campaign and are getting their brand in front of the people that matter,

If you want to get more of an insight into how Kevin thinks, I thoroughly suggest checking out his blog.