Sited just off Fleet Street, the very first agency for which I worked was called 'Riley' and it was great. Inevitably though, I eventually moved on (sooner than I should have, actually) and 'Riley' changed too. In a large-scale, late nineties upheaval in the industry, 'Riley' was acquired by a corporate giant from over the water: 'Euro RSCG', to create a shop called, surprisingly enough, 'Euro RSCG Riley'.
In the ad game, we're used to agencies with spectacularly long names - think: 'Bartle, Bogle, Hegarty'; 'AMV BBDO'; 'Moxon, Kirby, Dolphin' - but last year, 'Euro RSCG Riley' became 'Havas'. The move was apparently inspired by a fear that the state of Europe's economy was tainting the brand. But it's just as likely the name game was getting out of hand.
The business was established in 1986, taking the names of its founding partners, 'Messner, Vetere, Berger, and Carey.' When one Bob Schmetterer joined as President he added his moniker. The agency performed very well and was then sold to a French agency: 'Roux Séguéla, Cayzac, Goudard', who also added their initials to produce an outfit called 'Messner Vetere Berger Carey Schmetterer RSCG'. After a period trading under that unwieldy tile, 'Eurocom', bought RSCG and came up with the snappy handle 'Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG.'
A joke soon circulated that the shop's receptionist had the hardest job in the industry, being forced to say “Good morning, 'Messner, Vetere, Berger, McNamee, Schmetterer, Euro, RSCG', may I help you?” - every time the phone needed answering.
You'd imagine this whole palaver had reached its nadir at this point, but incredibly, there was more to come.
The French owners soon rebranded and compacted everything down to 'Euro RSCG'. However, this shortening exercise didn't last too long. Next, Eurocom jettisoned the founders' names and the agency took on yet another title, 'Euro RSCG MVBMS'. Understandably, this was less than popular and almost completely unmemorable. So, for a second time, 'Euro RSCG' was adopted. And now, as mentioned above, 'Havas' has been in place for about twelve months.
I should stress, all this rigmarole hasn't affected the agency's success. I has continued to grow at an impressive rate and was once Ad Age's 'Agency Of The Year'. Indeed, the name (or names) an advertising firm chooses rarely impacts on its performance. Two London shops bear titles which include the word 'Saatchi' - both do well, although only one is operated by the Saatchi brothers.
Obviously, not every agency takes the same approach. Many younger businesses have intentionally swerved the long-form option, preferring identities like 'Mother', 'Dinosaur', 'Bonehook' and 'Engine'. Whether this gives them any sort of edge is highly debatable. At best it merely marks them out as 'independent' or 'boutique' shops.
This is all rather counter-intuitive. One would imagine clients would regard the name of a marketing communications firm as highly important. If the company is proposing to promote a brand, product or service, surely their own identity should be sharp, concise and clear. Which is why these agencies take such trouble over the naming process. But apparently, clients remain largely unmoved by such considerations.
Perhaps they are enchanted by the 'mystique' of it all, or maybe they are less concerned with the name above the door and much keener on the results they can expect from their campaigns. And rightly so.
That said, I still think 'Riley' had an unbeatable, simplistic charm. Don't you?
Magnus Shaw is a writer, blogger and broadcaster
*additional research from forbes.com
Nick September 17th, 2013, in the morning
I recall when Marcantonio left WCRS Marcantonio they chiselled his name off the concrete outside the agency, but the years it had been there had discoloured the stone and so for some time after that his name was still ghostly visible in certain light. Goes to show the wisdom of keeping the name abstract.