Careers at Omnicom
Mission
Omnicom’s mission is to deliver big creative, competitive ideas based on actionable customer insights.
History
In 1919 Bruce Barton, Roy Durstine, and Alex Osborn founded an advertising agency in New York City, BDO (a combination of the first letters of their last names). Years later the firm moved to a building that housed another agency, the George Batten Company. Realizing they could be stronger together, they merged to form BBDO in 1928. The firm went public in 1974 to diffuse operating costs.
In 1924 Maurice Needham founded an ad agency in Illinois, called The Maurice H. Needham Company. After some partners joined it was renamed Needham, Louis & Brorby in 1929; in 1964 its name was changed again to Needham, Harper & Steers. In 1972 the firm went public, but became private again four years later. In 1984 it became Needham Harper Worldwide.
In 1949 Ned Doyle and William Bernbach, former employees of Grey Advertising, partnered with Maxwell Dane, who owned a small ad firm. Together they launched advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach in New York. The company became renowned for hirning the most creative people it could find regardless of background. However, in its first year it lost $113 million in net earnings.
The mid-1980s saw many hostile public company takeovers in the ad agency world. Out of concern, Keith Reinhard, head of Needham Harper, met with BBDO president Allen Rosenshine and Doyle Dane Bernbach executives to discuss a possible merger. In 1986 they combined to form Omnicom Group, which would be a holding company and later became the world’s largest ad agency group.
Business model of Omnicom
Customer Segments
Omnicom has a mass market business model, with no significant differentiation between customer groups. The company targets its offerings at companies of all industries and sizes.
Value Proposition
Omnicom offers two primary value propositions: accessibility and brand/status.
The company creates accessibility by providing a wide variety of options. It operates in four main disciplines: advertising, customer relationship management (CRM), public relations, and specialty communication. It provides over 30 different services within these disciplines:
1. Advertising
2. Brand consultancy 3. Content marketing 4. Corporate social responsibility consulting 5. Crisis communications 6. Custom publishing 7. Data analytics 8. Database management 9. Direct marketing 10. Entertainment marketing 11. Environmental design 12. Experiential marketing 13. Field marketing 14. Financial/corporate business-to-business advertising 15. Graphic arts/digital imaging 16. Healthcare communications 17. In-store design 18. Interactive marketing |
19. Investor relations
20. Marketing research 21. Media planning and buying 22. Mobile marketing 23. Multi-cultural marketing 24. Non-profit marketing 25. Organizational communications 26. Package design 27. Product placement 28. Promotional marketing 29. Public affairs 30. Public relations 31. Reputation consulting 32. Retail marketing 33. Search engine marketing 34. Social media marketing 35. Sports and event marketing |
The company has established a powerful brand due to its success. It is the world’s leading corporate media services conglomerate, with a global network of over 1,500 agencies, including 200 brands in its Diversified Agency Services division. It serves more than 5,000 clients in over 100 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe/Middle East/Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. Lastly, it has won many honors, including the following:
- 11 gold, 13 silver, and 15 bronze prizes at the 2016 IPA Effectiveness Awards
- Over 300 wins in 21 categories at the 2016 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
- Recognition as one of the Most Innovative Companies of 2016 by Forbes
- Ranking as #1 in the advertising and marketing industry group of the Fortune 500
Channels
Omnicom’s main channel is its business development team. The company promotes its offerings through its website, social media pages, and participation in conferences.
Customer Relationships
Omnicom’s customer relationship is primarily of a dedicated personal assistance nature. The company’s employees work closely with clients in order to implement their marketing and media strategies. In many situations, several of its agencies serve different functional groups at the same client. As an example, in 2015 its biggest client was assisted by over 250 of its agencies.
Key Activities
Omnicom’s business model entails designing, developing, and delivering its services for customers.
Key Partners
Omnicom’s key partners are the third-party suppliers that provide it with the services it needs to manage its operations for its clients. It also works with media providers and production companies.
Key Resources
Omnicom’s main resources are its human resources, namely its 70,000 specialists worldwide, who include designers, artists, writers, marketers, and other creative professionals.
Cost Structure
Omnicom’s has a value-driven structure, aiming to provide a premium proposition through significant personal service and frequent service enhancements. Its biggest cost driver is salary and service costs. Other major drivers are in the areas of office and general expenses.
Revenue Streams
Omnicom has one revenue stream: revenues it generates from fees charged for its services based on a rate per hour or equivalent basis.
Our team
info: Bruce Crawford earned an AS degree at De Anza College and studied Finance at San Jose State University. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom and held various senior roles at BBDO, including President and Chief Executive Officer.
info: John D. Wren earned a B.A. in Economics and History at Boston College and an M.A. in International Relations at University of London. He previously served as the Chairman and CEO of the Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom.
info: Philip J. Angelastro previously held several leadership roles at Omnicom, including SVP of Finance, Principal Accounting Officer, Controller, and Vice President of Finance of Diversified Agency Services. He also served as a Partner at Coopers & Lybrand.
info: Michael J. O’Brien earned a B.A. in Economics at Trinity College and an MBA at Stanford University. He previously served as Portfolio Manager of Advantage Advisers Multi - Sector Fund I and as a Managing Partner at King & Spalding LLP.