The Global Marketer

Partway through the Diamond Awards presentations the other night it occurred to me that something had been left unsaid — so I decided to say it.

We were gathered at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum off Times Square in New York City for the first-ever Diamond Awards gala and presentations.

The mood was festive, the music outstanding and the food terrific. Ron Gartner was midway through describing the Best Practices of the winning campaigns, when it hit me:

What made these campaigns so extraordinary was, in every case from Chicago to Shanghai to Moscow to Johannesburg and back again, the agency team that had put it together and made it work.

There wouldn’t be a campaign if there weren’t a client, a budget and the confidence to see it through, of course.

But it’s the agency that’s at the center of the process: more often than not a core group of people with the creativity, the expertise and yes, the VISION it takes – not just to get an idea but to stake one’s reputation on its ability to deliver the intended results.

THAT is why we were there, THAT’s why we were happy to present a cash award and THAT’s why our hats are off to all those who make marketing the wacky, wonderful business it is.