Perspective... It's time to celebrate the greatest influencers and multi-taskers in the region

Creative Rankings 2009 tabulate scores from the most important international and regional award shows. They highlight the performances of agencies, countries, brands, and - of course - the region’s creative directors.

As you’ll notice, we’ve taken a new approach to our rankings this year, shifting the focus from up-and-coming talent to the mentors and creative leaders of advertising agencies - the executive creative directors (ECDs).

The ECD is undoubtedly vital and influential within an ad agency, not least because it’s the person who moulds the great creative ideas that transform brands.

Internally, an ECD has the power to change an agency’s fortunes. The type of creative appointed to the role is perhaps one of the most powerful statements an agency can make about its ambitions. An executive creative director can make a dull agency sexy (or an imaginative one uninspiring, as the case may be).

Our top 10 creative heroes - the likes of Spencer Wong from McCann Worldgroup, JWT’s Sheung Yan Lo (Ma Yan), Saatchi & Saatchi’s Adrian Miller, Grey’s Ali Shabaz and Nick Worthington from Colenso BBDO and others on the list - have a profound impact on the cultures of their agencies and the way they operate. They nurture young talent and generally set the tone and agenda for each agency.

Yet, increasingly, the industry seems in danger of losing sight of the need to champion its creative stars. Too often we hear grumblings from senior creatives that the balance of power is shifting away from the creative department.

Add to this the fact that many agencies have dispensed with the role of regional executive creative director altogether, and it’s easy to see why some perhaps feel that the creative’s power is on the wane.

What’s loud and clear, however, is that the ECD job has changed immensely. Creative directors are not feared and revered in the way they used to be, but today’s ECDs are more client-facing and business-like.

At a senior level, they combine the skills of an account person, planner, media director, and creative. In fact, they often know as much about a client’s business as the account director - and can have closer relationships with the brand leaders on the client side.

For agencies, a key challenge in 2010 will be protecting and nurturing creative talent - an intangible that’s easily overlooked at a time when cost savings and business efficiencies are driving the agency agenda.

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This article was originally published in the 14 January 2010 issue of Media.