PRNewser interview: Rob Flaherty, President of Ketchum

Upon Rob Flaherty‘s ascension to President of Ketchum under CEO Ray Kotcher recently, we got a chance to ask him a few questions. Flaherty’s answers from the perch within the global powerhouse–a division of Omnicom–is an interesting look in to big agency structure and how it operates across dozens of countries in an era of “naked brands”. Flaherty also shared his thoughts on presenting your personality in the workplace, and a prediction about Meet the Press that might surprise you:

Your speech to industry groups is titled “The naked brand in the post mass-media world”. What is a ‘naked’ brand and what are a few good examples of them?

The title refers to the instant feedback made possible by the Internet and hand-held technologies. Every brand is exposed. I was on a flight back from Hong Kong a few weeks ago that was delayed on the tarmac for three hours. People were using their cell phones to shoot video of disgruntled passengers in the cabin. Some of that video probably landed on complaint sites, maybe even before the flight took off. Cable companies and airlines seem to be the most exposed. Presidential candidates and their surrogates are under constant scrutiny, too. Two recent examples were when Mayhill Fowler caught both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in unguarded moments. The important point to me is that this scrutiny can be a good thing if the person, brand or company realizes that their actions have to match their words.

More after the jump:

When would you say the concept of your speech came to the fore, and what were the turning points?

It started a few years ago as we all saw the exponential increase in criticism and consumer-generated feedback and video diatribes on Youtube. Some of the turning point moments would be when JetBlue was swamped with criticism, when Dell was attacked by Jeff Jarvis and when Comcast was attacked by Bob Garfield last year. These experiences all deliver the message that a brand is only a promise–a promise that has to backed up by action. If brands are a promise, great brands are a promise kept.

Recently one of my sources told me about a speech he gave in Moscow to Russian business leaders about user-generated content. Most were incredulous at the concept. As Ketchum’s Global leader, how are you coordinating what’s happening in more connected countries like the US, South Korea and others, to countries where the press isn’t necessarily free, and user-generated (UGC) tools like blogging are controversial, if even criminal?

Members of our Global Media Network, which include media specialists from dozens of countries, are constantly meeting and talking about differences in various regions of the world. Our whole system and value to clients is based on local knowledge of how mainstream and online media work in that geography. Based on local media consumption patterns, we customize the mix across digital, mainstream and word-of-mouth channels. We do see differences based on levels of scrutiny and criticism. We conducted research within the last year in 11 countries–developed and emerging–that shows more trust in institutions, corporations and CEOs in countries with less scrutiny. Put another way, people in a market with more scrutiny and criticism have less faith and trust in institutions and leaders.

Are there brands connected with the Olympics that are prospering in this new climate?

Absolutely. Some of our clients are TOP sponsors at the global level and for others it’s a major campaign to achieve a new level of visibility in China.

Given the protests over the Olympic torch in 2008 versus when you worked on the pass in 2004, are some brands connected in for stormy weather this August in Beijing?

The Olympics remain an extremely rare mass platform for brand building in an era of very fragmented choices. There very few common experiences anymore–especially on a global scale. If these Olympics produce on-field drama and heroes, there will once again be a great opportunity for positive brand affiliation.

Now that the lines between where marketing dollars are spent and who is responsible for creating content have blurred, does being part of a global agency–with branding and advertising divisions–help Ketchum compete? How often do these divisions talk and join forces?

There are many advantages to being part of Omnicom. Access to other disciplines and the potential for integration are a couple of the advantages. Two other advantages are huge: a high level of knowledge sharing through Omnicom University and access to capital to make investments in growth and new capabilities.

Congratulations on your promotion. You rose through the ranks quickly through the agency world, and internal positions. What advice can you give to young executives just starting out?

Within reason, bring who you really are into the workplace. We need real diversity of backgrounds and opinion in our business. Don’t conform to some notion of a business person or communications counselor. Bring your interests and personality to every meeting and experience. You’ll be happier and more effective for it.

What is your media diet like? What newspapers/magazines do you look at first? Do you have any guilty pleasure reads and/or TV that you like to share?

I’m a media junkie, so it’s more of a binge than a diet. I pull news and blogs into my PDA in the morning including a current favorite, First Read, on the presidential race. I read the New York Times and Wall Street Journal (or FT) in the morning and USA Today and the New York Post for a somewhat more entertaining read on the way home. I channel surf for political news across the networks at night and check in on several blogs throughout the week.

Can you give our readers a prediction? How many medals will Michael Phelps win? World Series match up? Who will win the election? Who will anchor Meet the Press?

A prediction regarding Meet the Press. First, my wife and I are still mourning Tim Russert’s passing. She’s from Buffalo and I’m an Irish news hound. As NBC acknowledged, no one person will fill his shoes.

I think it’s unlikely to be one of the three most often mentioned: Andrea Mitchell, David Gregory or Keith Olbermann. Consider these two candidates on somewhat different ends of the spectrum: David Gergen for bi-partisan gravitas and Chuck Todd, for an everyman Russert-style passion for politics.

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