The 4A’s, Little Caesars and McKinney on agency collaboration
In partnership with The Drum, the 4A’s created a content series titled Convene. Challenge. Change. As part of the series, 4A’s president and chief executive officer Marla Kaplowitz will lead a discussion with an agency leader and one of their marketing partners to discuss challenges, opportunities and new ways of working in a post Covid-19 environment. The series will also challenge norms, identify learnings and inspire actions that will create new standards to help drive the industry forward.
In the second episode of the series, Kaplowitz chats with Jeff Klein, global chief marketer, Little Caesars Pizza, and Joe Maglio, chief executive, McKinney, about the strength of partnerships and the true value that brands and agencies can deliver together.
Klein and Maglio reflect on how their working relationship has impacted the success of their respective teams – which often blend into one. Diving into the definition of a strong partnership, trust is a key theme. “There’s a tremendous amount of respect and trust between all of the functions at McKinney. As a CMO, I’m struck by that and I want to tap into that and bring it back to Little Caesars,” says Klein.
Maglio says: “It’s very simple, and it’s talked about a lot, but it’s all about trust. That’s ultimately why Jeff chose McKinney. He had to trust us throughout that pitch process ... [trust] has helped us deliver a shorthand over time that allows us to take risks.”
Kaplowitz also asks how Covid impacted the way the two teams are working and have been able to adapt.
“You would think we would’ve developed the way we work at the start of Covid. But in reality, the first assignment was the Super Bowl 2020. We had to work collectively to get to that point, and in three months, we developed a rapport and relationship that sometimes can take a year or more to make. Going into the pandemic, we already had such a strong bond between our teams that it naturally evolved – even virtually.”
Klein agrees: “Looking back at the past few years, I’m most proud of how we’ve transformed marketing at Little Caesars.”