Jim Groves Leads Dentsu in the Wild West
With a prestigious career spanning over two decades, Jim's journey through the advertising realm has seen him don various hats. His latest – managing director – has seen him lead dentsu to triumph in Perth, Western Australia, where Carat has been recognised as a leading agency.
Now, speaking to LBB, Jim reveals how his multifaceted experiences have finely tuned his approach to leadership and fortified client relationships. He takes us on a guided tour through the distinctive challenges and opportunities that grace the Western Australian market, offering tangible instances of steering brands toward market relevance.
Jim elucidates the prevailing trends and innovations that shape its landscape. His reservoir of wisdom stands as a beacon for budding professionals seeking to etch their mark in the realms of advertising and marketing.
LBB> Your career has encompassed various roles in advertising, from managing director to business director and account director. How has this range of experiences informed your approach to leadership and client relationships at Carat?
Jim> Great question. This is a combination of learned behaviours; however, the essential foundations are the following principles: Delivery on time and brief. Ensuring the work is accurate — expectation management at every stage. Everything was delivered as promised Open communication – clear and open at all times. Use Yes or No framing to clarify. No grey areas, you either do it or don’t do it.
LBB> As the managing director of Carat in Perth, what are some unique challenges and opportunities you've encountered in the Western Australian market compared to other regions, and how have you navigated them?
Jim> The majority of clients we partner with are seeking some element of innovation in their agency work to complement the BAU; it’s essential to stage-gate the introduction of new ideas into the mix to ensure the testing environment is de-risked.
LBB> Could you share an example of a brand you've worked with where this approach had a significant impact on its market relevance and penetration?
Jim> Certainly, we enjoy a long-standing relationship with Cash Converters. Carat recommended that the only practical solution to meeting CCV’s increased loan advance targets was to transition paid search to automated dynamic optimisation via a Value-Based Bidding strategy within Google Ads, using first-party data of loan approval values.
Actioning a VBB strategy necessitated highly specific first-party data – a combination of dynamic and static – be incorporated into the search algorithm and its optimisation criteria. Solving for closing this gap required a commitment to a substantial investment of time, effort, and resources to build, test, troubleshoot, and refine the necessary data architecture. This approach delivered an emphatic 17-point growth in loan advances, the value-based bidding project has proven to be an innovative and clever use of data in the service of driving long-term business growth.
LBB> You've worked both in Australia and the United Kingdom. How have these international experiences influenced your perspective on advertising and marketing, and what best practices have you brought from one market to another?
Jim> The UK moved away from a primarily relationship-driven agency/client business culture post 2008/9 GFC, aided by the advent of digital marketing opportunities and ROI culture. Australia has taken longer to adapt, however, as we now enter the age of digital maturity assessments, this market is playing catch up quickly and there needs to be a change in the focus on both relationship and value. All of which is mainly positive and should allow relationships built on transparent commercial models with an integrated capability to prosper.
LBB> Given your extensive experience, what are the most significant trends and innovations in the advertising industry today, and how is Carat adapting to stay at the forefront of these changes?
Jim> We are about blending reach and frequency moments that build incremental awareness with performance excellence that drives action and conversion. At Carat, we are well placed to activate a foundational funnel, bottom-up approach for our clients using our unique tools and IP that maximises client ROI by linking performance acquisition metrics and thinking with brand awareness and consideration. In terms of how we adapt, it is a blend of logic and magic, plus machine learning and planning tool smarts mixed with human experience.
LBB> You've mentioned the importance of integrated communications planning. Could you elaborate on the benefits of this approach for brands and provide examples of how it has worked effectively in your career?
Jim> I really like this space. Audience-oriented comms planning is often the heart of the most successful ad campaigns. Today, as we move to a more customer-centric, journey mapping ecosystem informed by data signals, an integrated approach to communications and touchpoints has never been more relevant. We can now activate integration, monitor, optimise and report on in-sit touchpoints at scale. This puts the value of integration between strategic targets, media moments, and touchpoints front and centre once again.
LBB> Finally, what advice do you have for young professionals aspiring to leadership roles in advertising and marketing, especially those looking to make a meaningful impact on brand relevance and market penetration?
Jim> Understand the operational environment that you are in and appreciate the pressure points. These are the bottom line for clients — and the bottom line for agencies — metrics needing to be met. Creative and strategic arrogance – it’s not about being ahead of the consumer it is about bums on seats — lack of understanding of business. Squeeze on resources (both sides). If you can act with empathy around these critical areas of ‘tension’ in a client/agency relationship, then the good stuff follows.
