Getting your priorities straight is an essential characteristic for successful executives.

It's certainly one of the strongest assets of Alison Simpson, the recently-named president of Enterprise Creative Selling, Toronto.

The characteristic shows in both her business and personal life and relationships. As head of an advertising agency whose clients' products and services touch the everyday lives of consumers from every walk of life, it's a valuable quality.

"It's essential to take the time to understand the world beyond advertising, to have time to enjoy the various cultures and people, and to understand the reality of their lives," says Simpson. "Then, when we must develop communications that are all about the day-to-day reality, we know and can understand the different target audiences. Most people we talk to don't have a ton of money or live in the downtown culture. They have different interests, families, kids, and we need to understand what they're all about.

"It's particularly important for clients like Tim Hortons. Many of its outlets are in more rural areas. But the same situation arises with other clients. My own reality is not necessarily that of our target audience for any client. We must take the time to get out and know each client's customers."

So Simpson encourages her staff to "have a life" outside the agency - but not only to know the customers.

Happy Staff Helps Continuity

"The advertising business is project driven, which can mean long hours and stress. Agencies who have too lean staffs are being shortsighted. It's important to have a large enough staff and, in order to get and keep good people, to treat them well and to appreciate what's important to them. Continuity is so important in an agency. I'd be foolish not to do what I can to make sure that they have time to enjoy the world, and not to do whatever I can to keep them challenged.

"Advertising is a constant challenge and it's important that people don't burn out. Too much work results in productivity disappearing. A balance of work and life must be kept in perspective."

In the past year, the staff at Enterprise produced 28 original television commercials, 32 radio spots, 14 national point-of-purchase programs and more than 100 original print ads - a relatively heavy load for a staff of 43. Enterprise is equally strong between the creative and account groups, says Simpson, but she has been working to further improve the execution side of the agency.

"There's lots of pressure on the people at the end of the line, those in the design studio and print and broadcast production," she says. "These are the people who pay the price for any mistakes made at the beginning, so it's important to make the process as efficient as possible. We can't afford to have anything slip through the cracks, so we've revamped our process and staffed up, with one more position to be filled. And we encourage everyone at Enterprise to truly craft every ad they do, because a brilliant idea is only as brilliant as its execution."

Using WPP Resources

Current clients include: Tim Hortons, McCormick spices and gravies, Toronto Star, Torstar, Good Will Industries, Tim Hortons Children's Foundation, Grafenpils (for the German brewery in Germany) and, until recently, the Discovery Channel (now handled mainly in-house). The agency has media clout through WPP's Mindshare which handles all its media buying. But Entreprise can also call on various arms of the WPP Group for such resources as direct marketing, public relations, promotions and research via Go Direct Marketing, Millward Brown, Goldfarb and other WPP companies.

For Tim Hortons, which comprises about 50% of the agency's total business, Enterprise itself handles promotions and point-of-purchase "right down to the tray liners", but it calls on the WPP companies for various communications expertise as required.

"We're part of a group called Engine, and when we're pursuing new business or doing job training, Engine brings all the integrated parts of WPP to the table," says Simpson. "And rather than setting up our own division to deal with the Internet, or convergence and integrated communications, if they're on a client's business objective, Engine looks at the tools needed right at the beginning to kick-start the process. Maybe it's not advertising that should take the lead, but public relations, direct marketing or another discipline. There's no point in making a change to pull it through after the train has left the station. The timing to get it right at the beginning is key. I think that's where some agencies struggle."

A Small-town Girl with Determination

Simpson didn't originally aim for a career in advertising. The self-proclaimed 'small town girl' - from Cambridge, Ont., where she was class president in high school - planned to be a lawyer. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario, she was accepted for law school - but in the meantime had discovered advertising.

"I was intrigued with creative, and there was a small advertising agency in London, Ont., called Cohn & Watt. I wanted a chance, and so I developed an advertising campaign about myself. I did a direct mail piece, I sent flyers, even a silly cake. I inundated them selling myself. They finally gave me a contract, probably thinking I'd fail and they could get rid of me."

They reckoned wrong. They were dealing with someone who, when she puts her mind to something, is determined to achieve - and perhaps over-achieve. (Her family refers to her as a 'type A on steroids'.) Soon she was working on the client side, with the hotel chain Relax Hotels and Resorts (later bought by Travelodge), and, wanting to live in a bigger centre, moved with it to Vancouver. From there, it was BBDO Vancouver for more than two years and then BBDO Toronto for four, moving through various account manager and supervisor positions to become director, and working on such accounts as Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts (now Fairmont), BC Tel, Tourism BC, Apple Computers, Oral B, Effem, Campbells and Bayer. She then moved to Enterprise where she has spent the past three-plus years, until recently as general manager.

"I've always worked on the account side, although I want to be creative," she says. "At the agency, I put my hands in as much as they'll let me. Because they know that good ideas can come from anywhere, the creatives indulge me. They're the ones who make ideas magical."

Simpson is particularly proud of the cinema spot Enterprise produced this year for the Toronto Star. The commercial shows the ethnic diversity in Toronto, the heart of the city and values held by different groups. It gives the message that, if you want to know what life in Toronto is about, you must read the Toronto Star.

"When we showed it to the publisher and editor, they said," That's what we do on our best days working here. You've brought it to life." It was a great feeling."

Personal Strengths

Has the promotion to president had a major impact?

"Well, my business card looks great and my mom's really proud," she says with a flash of the humour that bubbles through her conversations on a regular basis. "But it hasn't changed my day-to-day reality. It's more an endorsement of my work. Being general manager gave a way for me to be immersed and show that I could do the job after Tony Pigott, former president, (who hired her) moved in 1998 to J. Walter Thompson as president and CEO."

Simpson's fast move to President (at age 37), can be attributed in part to what she claims is her real strength: that she adores what she does and works hard. "I think I have a neat mix of understanding and approach. I can give a different perspective to a subject.

"On the other hand, working hard is also my weakness. I can get too consumed. I can be too much of a perfectionist. And I'm tougher on myself than others would be."

Simpson's earlier experience with such technology clients such as Apple helps Enterprise meet the needs of its clients. "I know what it's like to have to move at warp-speed. Our clients are very strategic and dynamic and, in the case of Tim Hortons, growing at phenomenal speed. So its very important that we work closely to meet fast deadlines. If you come to a meeting at our agency, you probably couldn't tell who is client and who is agency. It's a dynamic partnership."

Passion, Experience and Training

Founded in 1976 by four ex-J. Walter Thompson executives who wanted to offer clients worldwide clout without the bureaucracy of the larger agency, Enterprise competes with JWT - both WPP agencies - for clients. Some staff have worked for both.

"Most of the people working at Enterprise have come from a big agency environment, many from the packaged goods or technology business," says Simpson. "We don't necessarily look for retail or packaged goods experience, but we put applicants through a long interview to get an idea of their values and mindset. Honesty is crucial. And while you can't demand passion, I'll take a junior if I see that sparkle of passion in their eyes. We look for people who are fast, strategic by nature and results-motivated, people who don't want to spend a year doing one commercial. Clients don't have the luxury of time or money to do that anymore.

"The 1980s were tough on the ad industry. Training as given by the big agencies was cut back or disappeared, so that generation had to mostly learn on the job. I was lucky in that I had great leadership with an international agency. I think that a lot of agencies don't appreciate the value of training or have the resources, so they're more selective on whom they invest in and send for training. That's unfortunate.

"Enterprise has in-house training and some sessions in partnership with JWT. The Institute of Communications and Advertising has been a mentor. Our studio manager was at a meeting with her contemporaries in New York recently to discuss best practices and learn from each other. Our broadcast producer has been working with the WPP network for best practices. A retail group within WPP has several training sessions each year that our staff and even our clients can attend. And our juniors have a weekly training program to learn more about the integrated services and how to work with the other companies in the WPP Group. Training staff pays off."

One of the problems with big agencies is that, while clients like to have seniors with a hand-on approach, it can put a heavy burden on the high paid talent when things could really be delegated to a lower level. However, clients often don't find this appealing. Enterprise seniors are very hands-on, but, says Simpson, "We try to be wise in time-investment. The top creative and account people and I do the strategic development and planning and the juniors do the execution. We have Manic Monday meetings where everybody can brainstorm and debate and give ideas. It's harder to do that in a big agency.

"We're very disciplined. Since we do all original creative, we send people at any level to meetings if we feel that they can contribute. Follow-up is tremendously important, too. At the end of every program for Tim Hortons, for example, a post-mortem is held by everyone responsible at a TH outlet, where every step and result is evaluated."

Simpson says that Enterprise is very hands-on and involved beyond advertising, working with its clients in product development, market assessments, competitive environments and using research tools to be able to track data, measure creative and learn.

"We're paid to be marketing experts and we're very privileged to work in partnerships such as we have with our clients," she says. "We can't take such partnerships for granted. We also know the importance of honesty, to be able to say to each other if we're pleased or annoyed. I don't believe in sugar coating."

Role of the Web

That shows in another area of business where Simpson is moving ahead in a complete overhaul of the agency's own Web site. She doesn't gloss over its faults.

"It's hard to find, dated, not entertaining, and really not a good representation of who we are," she says. "We've started a process to revamp it, because it's important for both clients and potential clients. We have to play up our staff and our work. To walk down the halls of Enterprise Creative Selling isn't flat and boring, and our Web site must reflect that. We're starting over, with improvements to be seen next fall."

Simpson says that the Internet is an important tool for agency staffs, and that agencies whose employees are 'too busy to use the Internet' are making a mistake.

"To work smart, it's important to spend time on the Internet, to know the technology and to learn. It offers such resources. You can do on the Internet in an hour and a half what used to take weeks. On the other hand, it's important to prioritize, to use such tools effectively, and see where time is best spent."

Time is a Preoccupation

"What I have done has shaped who I am," she says. "Life is a journey and you can't plan it. If I could do it over, I would take a year off after graduation to travel the world. I love to travel, and I'm doing it now. I've visited London and Italy, and went to Cannes this month for the International Advertising Awards. Seeing the world and its people, cultures and experiences gives you opportunities but also makes you realize what you have here, too.

"I also wish I had spent more time with my Dad (now suffering from Alzheimer's). You assume that the people you love will always be there, which isn't the case."

Simpson, who has partaken in several duathlons and three triathlons, has also taken up running seriously. She ran in two marathons, last September in Toronto where she broke four hours and again in Italy in October where "I was slower because I kept admiring the scenery." She hopes to run this year in Toronto, Chicago and "maybe New York if I can get in. I'm not really a morning person, but I'm up running at 6:30 a.m.. I run for stress relief and, with friends, for fun."

While other hobbies are skiing and reading, Simpson, engaged to an engineer, can also be found at the local baseball field, cheering on the playing of Madison, her soon-to-be stepdaughter.

Business and Personal Goals

For the future, her immediate goals are for Enterprise to be bigger, "although not huge", and to have more offices, especially one in the U.S..

"But as the agency grows, I want to be able to keep the camaraderie and family feeling that we have. We've walked away from some new business because we would have grown too quickly and the fit wasn't right. I want us to keep what we have and grow in the right way. I know from experience that the way we work together is rare and I'm protective of it."

Nevertheless, she has her eye on adding clients, with priority on the financial, pharmaceutical, alcohol, retail and media entertainment sectors.

"I want to stay for a while and build Enterprise. I see it as home and having incredible potential. I have bright people here that I think the world of, and having worked in other agency cultures, I know that the feeling here doesn't happen often.

"And on a personal basis, I'd like to work more with the ICA and start giving back to the industry, outside of my own agency responsibilities.

"And I really must set a wedding date!"

(June 30/02)