Carl Johnson
Co-Founder
Anomaly
I’ve been in the communications industry since 1981. In that time I’ve started, expanded, bought, merged and evolved agencies ranging from 5 to 8,000 people working in London, Sydney and New York.
I am best described as a ‘change-agent’, irrespective of the size or nature of the organization I’m working in. Finding that balance between evolution and revolution that result in considered, planned and controlled progress is what he strives for.
I’m one of the Founders of Anomaly – a new, and new type, of communications company comprised of a number of senior executives from a diverse skill set including advertising, design, technology, NPD and media strategy. It was created in response to client calls for industry change and more holistic solutions in mid 2004.
Prior to founding Anomaly I was the former COO of TBWA\Worldwide, a top 10 advertising agency network with more than 8,000 employees in over 200 offices. Particular emphasis was placed on optimizing worldwide account management, uniting the network around a common development process and blueprinting the new agency model. I had been promoted to that role in 2001 after two years as the CEO of the New York office of TBWA\Chiat\Day.
Involvement with TBWA started after selling my own London based advertising agency after 9 years to Omnicom who then merged it to expand TBWA/London. Simons Palmer Clemmow Johnson started in 1988 and was one of the most respected UK advertising agencies of the ‘90s, with clients including Nike, Sony PlayStation, Virgin, British Telecom, and News Corporation. As the company’s CEO I was named one of the UK’s top young business executives in Business Age Magazine’s ‘40 under 40?’ issue.
All of that experience seems to be relevant to helping move the Effie’s forward.
Firstly, we need our ‘product’ to keep pace with the exciting times we find ourselves in, where change is everywhere. The rapid fragmentation of media, the optimum structure of marketing departments and their agencies, the demand for non-traditional solutions, the ever expanding meaning of the word ‘media’, the difficulty of valuing an ‘idea’ and the increasing pressure for accountability.
How we respond, given our historic close association with the narrower world of advertising, is crucial.
Secondly, building on the previous point, we need to ensure we create increased relevance to a broad community. Raising our profile, generating a sense of momentum behind the brand, engaging people from across the communications spectrum and seeking ways to be relevant on a more regular basis than one show a year.
These issues are at the core of achieving responsible but sustained progress that can lead the Effies to its rightful position as the most relevant and coveted award all ambitious marketing and communications professionals can receive.