I was a newbie at PRWeek in 2001 when IBM decided to consolidate its global agency roster from dozens to three. For weeks we chased rumors, but eventually a conference call revealed Big Blue's new team: Text 100, Magnet, and an Omnicom cross-agency construct dubbed One Blue, led by Ketchum's Rob Flaherty.
The newsroom was awash with skeptics. In the industry, few would openly criticize the decision, but naysayers proliferated. One Blue was widely expected to fail for lack ...