If you were reading Adweek last week, perhaps you came across the news that Kraft Miracle Whip shifted creative duties to mcgarrybowen in NY. I say "perhaps" because I find that in my travels many people aren't very familiar with this shop yet. Which is odd to me. Mcgarry and team have quietly built a pretty amazing agency in less than five years.
First off, the work is solid: Entertaining, motivating and easy-to-understand. 
Second, the mcgarrybowen client list is amazing. Consider: Verizon, Kraft, Disney, Marriott, Crayola, The Wall Street Journal, Reebok, Chevron and Chase. All gathered since 2002. And I don't recall them publicly losing anything either...
Our industry is filled with talented people trying to start and build great agencies. What can we learn from the success of mcgarrybowen??? Wait a while.
Most agencies are created by a couple of execs who have 15 or so years in the industry and then strike out on their own--usually out of frustration or because they have an opportunity with one large client. That isn't what happened with mcgarrybowen.
John McGarry retired from Young & Rubicam as Chairman/CEO and THEN started the agency. Stewart Owen, one of the other founders, was Vice Chairman of Landor before he joined John. And Gordon Bowen has, by my count, over thirty years of industry creative success. Having guys like that pitch your business carries all the excitement of going with a start-up, with minimal perceived risk.
The connections they have run deeper than most. Their brand projects confidence. They're winning most accounts without reviews. Just a great effort all the way around that, in my opinion, hasn't received the proper ink deserved.
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