Microsoft “Believes in the Holding Company Model”

That’s what Adweek says is in the RFP in describing the global review for the account. Good luck! 

Has anyone at Microsoft called Dell?  Does any one remember?

After 11 years, Dell and ad agency Goldberg Moser O’Neill parted ways and Dell went through one agency after the other, after the other, in their search for the “global” solution.  Finally, WPP the big global holding company came up with the solution by creating an entirely new agency with a dedicated global army of 1000 soldiers.  It was called Enfatico. Uh, it didn’t seem to work.

In the process Dell’s sales and share cratered.  And, they never did find the golden “holding company model”.

It’s all detailed in The Insanity of Advertising (www.theinsanityofadvertising.com).  Better check it out Microsoft. 

If they think, as they say “one or two holding companies” is the formula for success.  Why not three or four?

See Chapter 14 in above book.