WPPED Cream 2007  

ROBYN PUTTER | WPP CREATIVE HEAD


Robyn Putter



The fascinating thing about DNA is that every fragment tells a story. As consumer markets continue to fragment, we need to learn how to do the same. Not only for our clients' brands but for our own. If you were to examine the DNA of WPP under a microscope, the thing that would give it distinct definition is not the numbers bit or the analytical bit but the creative bit.

Everyone of our disciplines and companies becomes more valuable and more desirable when we engage in creative thought. It's our calling to be curious, to look for patterns, to find new angles; to use shapes and colour, to speak across cultures and geographies. We learn to distil meaning and purpose, often out of nothing more than our hunches and feelings, and then turn them into fascinating stories that often outlive us.

The more complex things are, the more valuable we become. This, the first showcase of the best of the WPP group, is not only a benchmark for all our companies and all our people, it is a statement of direction and intent. In it you will find contributions from our Design & Branding companies, our interactive companies, our Direct marketing companies, our media companies, our Public relations companies, our market research companies and our advertising networks.

With hundreds of offices and multiple disciplines around the world, it was impossible to select the best work without the help of a large group of people. So what I did was to ask for help from luminaries from each discipline and ask them to be jury Chairmen - and give them the freedom to choose who would judge and how they would judge.

In each section of this showcase, you will find a short explanation on how a particular Chairman went about making the selection. They will also explain how they came to select their Crème de la Crème award, the grand prize in each discipline. The methods vary across disciplines and I am sure that as we progress with this initiative, we will continue to improve our methods and selection. Your help and suggestions on how to do so are welcome.