Flock Associates is the first and leading marketing integration and effectiveness company. Clients we have helped with transforming their marketing include McDonald's, BAT, Toyota/Lexus, Campbell's and many others.We have offices in London, NY and Hong Kong.Flock is designed to help increase marketing effectiveness through better integrated marketing. Flock fixes and fine tunes your integrated marketing resources:- Get the best marketing structures (i.e. organization, process, evaluation, remuneration)- Evaluate existing agency ecosystems and when needed, select the right agencies i.e. run agency pitches- Get clients and agencies to work together as an integrated marketing team- Project manage key integrated marketing initiatives e.g. marketing campaigns and launches- Measure marketing effectiveness across all marketing channels (what, how, who with, etc.)We are analytical, consumer centric, honest and impartial. Visit www.flock-associates.com for more details.

With over 25 years of Advertiser and Agency experience, Maarten Albarda offers one-of-a-kind global insight and strategic advice for Marketers, Agencies, Start-Ups, Media Companies and other Marketing Services related businesses, NGO's and charitable organizations in the field of Integrated Marketing Communications. Through my consulting business I work with start-ups and other companies that are part of the new marketing economy and help them develop business plans and a business pitch that drives their bottom line.

In May of 2013, WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell conceded his clients were wasting 15-25% of their advertising dollars, only he didn’t know which 25% exactly was being wasted. Retailing pioneer, John Wanamaker, almost exactly 100 years prior, estimated that number to be 50%.What if we knew what to do with the wasted budget; to redistribute or optimize inefficient budgets from acquisition to retention? From incumbent channels to innovation platforms? What if brands could move from being tenants to landlords? Authors Joseph Jaffe and Maarten Albarda not only feel that given two forces that are combining to deliver a perfect storm which will rock the media world to its core. The push of media inflation, noise and clutter, consumer resistance and apathy and fleeting viewers, will ultimately intersect with the pull of the increasingly digital, social and connected world, powered by startups, content creation and customer-centric ecosystems powered by technology. The results will be catastrophic to those who remain paralyzed on the sidelines, but ecstatic to those who take action. In Z.E.R.O., Jaffe and Albarda introduce the power of Zealots (advocacy), Entrepreneurship (innovation), Retention (customer-centricity) and Owned Assets (direct to consumer channels) under a unified call-to-action that in a perfect world, the optimal media budget would be Z.E.R.O. Z.E.R.O. is a no holds barred call to action for corporations and their marketers to adapt or die amidst an increasingly turbulent, changing and dynamic media landscape. In three sections, authors Jaffe and Albarda outline the problems and challenges that are leading to the Perfect Storm approaching (Section 1), the introduction and delivery of the Z.E.R.O. Manifesto (section 2), and finally a ten point Action Plan with pragmatic recommendations marketers can start doing to ensure not just survival, but also the ability to thrive in the turbulent (and yet exciting) world that lies ahead.

At AB-InBev I had global responsibility for all aspects of Consumer Facing connections. These include media, digital, Sports & Entertainment marketing, CRM, Licensed Merchandise etc. I reported to the CMO and the CEO.My responsibilities focus on all aspects of Consumer Connections: strategy, capability development and training, process and organisational design, recruitment of key country leaders in Connections, identification, negotiation and activation of major brand marketing platforms (e.g. FIFA) as well as measurement approaches and standards. I was also closely involved in the selection process of agencies, consultants and other partners such as research & measurement, sharing platforms for knowledge management, etc.

I manage five area's of Marketing Communications: (1) Strategic Connection Planning for our Global Brands that will guide us in the rapidly evolving world of communication opportunities. (2) Agency Operational Management: managing a portfolio of global agency assignments for media, creative and design agencies in terms of fee negotiation, resource allocation,evaluation and auditing. (3) Marketing Communications Capability Development: developing a comprehensive training curriculum for all Worldwide Marketing Associates. (4) Measurement & Effectiveness of Marketing Communications. (5) Marketing Communication Productivity: driving productivity efforts across our portfolio of Marketing Communications investments (several billion US$) with tangible hard and value added track record. I manage a team of 10 people and interact and collaborate with a global marketing community of 500+.

Managing a department of 20 people. Responsibility for development, execution and implementation of all advertising, media, e-communications, packaging/equipment/graphics look & feel, and sponsoring of events and celebrities.

Led the Integrated Communications department for all brands. Created and managed the FIFA World Cup 2002 local market implementation team. Led the development and management of the World of Coca-Cola Tokyo, and licensed merchandise across Asia.

Led the global team delivering media and communications strategy, planning, buying and implementation.

Led the Europe team for client media and communications strategy, planning, buying and implementation.

Led the media planning, buying, implementation for Philip Morris and Procter & Gamble Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Led the media department of the Leo Burnett Amsterdam office across all clients.

Wrote a column in rotation with other industry columnists.