Pam Hamlin
Global president, Arnold Worldwide
Newly appointed global president of Arnold Worldwide, Pam Hamlin describes 2013 as a year of transition. “I wanted to focus in on what the DNA of Arnold is,” she explains, “and then how can we use that to power and define the next chapter of the agency.”
Fortunately, she didn’t have to look very far. “We have a mantra here, it’s up on the walls, ‘Great work works.’ The DNA of this agency is all around the belief that creativity is a leverageable business advantage.”
“[While] the expression of the work is what’s evolving, the underlying principle about the importance of creative and how you get there—that’s all the same.”
And for Hamlin, Arnold’s high regard for creative was the reason she joined the agency in the first place 16 years ago. “When I first came here,” she recalls, “I was struck by what the agency was doing at the time. Arnold was really trying to elevate its creative reputation and the quality of the creative product. It wasn’t just creative-for-creative’s-sake—but showing brands the ability to deliver impact on their business.”
While Hamlin is quick to extol creative’s virtues, she says one of the biggest takeaways from her career is the importance of execution. “Every great campaign and every successful initiative I’ve been a part of, is always rooted in a deep understanding of a client’s business and clear strategy,” Hamlin affirms. “Strategy is critical to being successful in this business.”
And that art of understanding, and having a firm grasp on a client’s needs, is an underpinning that Hamlin says was been with her long before she entered the agency world.
“Growing up, I had a real interest in art,” she says, “But I could sell more girl scout cookies than any troop combined. I loved being with people, and being able to sell. Truthfully, that’s what’s marketing is all about—the art of persuading and selling.”
From the May 01, 2014 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
