1. The document discusses how clients should prepare for changes in the marketing landscape by embracing six lessons: create environments for user stories, allow all agencies equal opportunity, give agencies space to explore new ideas and services, launch many small ideas rather than one big idea, ask for minimal participation from users, and foster a culture of calculated risk-taking. 2. It argues that clients should understand communication is about user stories, not just brand stories, and that the most engaging content allows users to personalize it. 3. It advises clients to brief all agencies equally rather than relying on lead agencies, and to let the best ideas win regardless of the source.

1. 1

2. Innovation,
Culture & Courage 6
opinion
Client of the Future:
In Six Easy Lessons
Much has been talked and written about regarding how
agencies are preparing to take on challenges that brands are
facing and will face in the near future such as message and
target superfragmentation shorter attention span, integration of
By: Andre Matarazzo
online and offline capabilities to create unified communication
CCO
Gringo
structures, extension of agency’s offerings to cover new formats,
and emerging technologies and the like. Yet, little has been
written or talked about with regard to how clients should brace
themselves for that shift.
Andre Matarazzo
Client of the Future: In Six Easy Lessons
had worked in
agencies in Brazil, It is somehow assumed that if a creative and strategic agency brings a completely
Canada, Holland, new way of thinking into the company’s structure, all will magically fall into place and
Sweden, and Japan the brand will be ready to roll into a new level of communication effectiveness. But this
before starting his
own in São Paulo unfortunately is not quite so—for it takes two to tango.
in 2006. Gringo is
a strategic agency Clients should put some hard thought into how they are internally structured and how
that is online-centric
but media-agnostic. they inspire their staff to take on the challenges in partnership with forward-thinking
agencies. The fear of risk taking and the tendency to fall back into a complacent
position of letting agencies struggle to fit a square peg into a round hole by
themselves will inevitably yield more of the same.
What Should the Client of the Future Bear in Mind Today?
Understand it’s not about your brand story, it’s about people’s stories.
Communication is much more powerful when it allows people to take something away
from your communication—just a little something—and create some fantastic stories
of their own with it. That is about planting a seed.
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3. One misunderstanding is that a 30-second TV ad is proud! And they will poke each other’s eyes for
content that allows for easy multiplication. Even if it’s getting a larger share of love from their mother’s
a truly eye-blasting spectacle, it will be sent around heart. You will not get extremely bright kids to follow
by perhaps thousands of people, but it won’t allow each other’s lead. They will simply make it all seem
for the social capital we are looking for. What does “integrated” in the most makeshift way to make you,
sending a great video to your friends say about you? the mom, happy! That will be your loss.
It says that you also saw some interesting content
online. In 30 minutes you will see more great content
online. It’s irrelevant. We are starting to use our
On the other hand, let’s assume brand X creates
technology know-how to drive
a nifty and simple test that figures out how old you innovation to products and
truly are, based on how well you’ve cared for yourself create new services that broaden
(or not!) in the last few years. The content is nothing
spectacular if you just let it sit, but as soon as users
the opportunities for connection
interact and make it personal, the brand will offer and deeper recurring
people a simple new truth about themselves that
really defines who they are. And so they spread it
engagement models.
around, since the branded content now has added
extra personal value, and that will generate the
Lesson 2
highest form of engagement and value.
Get all agencies together in a room, brief them, and
Lesson 1 allow them all to put forth their best ideas. Yes, let
Create an environment that allows people to tell all of them stand on equal ground. If you always get
their own stories. Your brand story is secondary and the lead offline agency to create the communication
should be worked into theirs. strategy and structure, you will have lost the
opportunity to find THE new opportunity in digital,
It’s not about digital, it’s about communication. in POS, in packaging, in service, or in any other
Well, who even talks about “digital” these days? segment that can possibly represent the change your
Everyone, unfortunately. brand is looking for. Let the best idea, not the largest
agency, take center stage.
Clients are eager to jump on the integration
bandwagon, and in the process, try to find agencies It’s not about changing perceptions, it’s about
that can deliver in every single specialty field. When changing engagement.
they realize it is an almost impossible task, they bring We usually operate in the realm of changing brand
in a bunch of specialty agencies and assume they perception through communication, and that’s part of
should just get along and create magic together. And the story. But nowadays, agencies are starting to ask
why not? They are all just so good at their stuff—they deeper questions and putting their creative arsenal
must be able to get together and just integrate! and know-how of technology to good use.
Well, it doesn’t work quite like that. Why? Because We are starting to use our technology know-how to
the best agency creatives are like chefs in the drive innovation to products and create new services
kitchen. Too many chefs equal disaster. They are all that broaden the opportunities for connection and
like needy kids who want to play and make mommy deeper recurring engagement models. That relates to
anything from the oh-so-talked-about Nike Plus case
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4. study to the more nimble and nifty application field of possibilities, and you should set aside a fraction
users may download to their mobile phones or of your budget, if nothing else, to high-risk enterprises,
social profiles. such as emerging technologies, wild ideas, things
that are difficult to operationalize, and your team’s
Lesson 3 passionate visions…Allow for wild dreams to come true!
Give agencies space to explore, to help you build
better products, to help you create new and much
needed services, more intelligent operational
structures, facilitate user interaction through other
channels. This realm is not occupied by the traditional
agencies as they do not dare to enter because they
did not dominate the technology that could potentially
be game changing.
These ideas are now starting to be put forth by the
new agencies, but they are harder to push through
the approval chain for they go beyond the marketing
department’s domain. Try to see the larger operational
picture, and ask your agency to see the brand as
a living organism that is not only in possession of a
communication mouth.
It’s not about the big idea, it’s about the
little ideas.
Yes, it’s not about one big idea that gets pushed and
It’s not about motivation, it’s about participation.
adapted and elevated to fit different points of contact.
So you want your brand to motivate millions, to what?
We are beyond the age where our ploy was to make
Be better people? Help change the environment?
clients understand that ideas must assume a totally
Create a new social order? Finally be an integral
different format to work best in different channels.
part of culture? And you want to use the magical
ingredient—social networks—to make that happen?
Now we face a different challenge. Try to think
Well, you’re in for a bumpy ride.
of digital communication as a pinball game. Take
advantage of the game that launches several balls
The fact is that high levels of motivation are achieved
onto the board while keeping them in play. It’s fast-
through deeper experiences. Consider how you
paced, difficult, and you have many variables to
may stop smoking only after you or someone in your
watch out for. Some balls will go straight into the
family has suffered serious smoking-related health
gutter, others will live for a while and then disappear,
problems. Maybe that will motivate you to change
and a few lucky ones will allow you to play the game
your behavior.
for long time giving you great joy and satisfaction.
Lesson 4 You may click on Facebook’s “Like” button when you
bump into an important message for saving our planet’s
Have the courage to dare, to hit and miss, to launch water, brought directly to you by a friend who did
several little ideas onto the board and see which ones the same. But that will most likely not be motivational
come to fruition beautifully. We are playing in an open enough for you to really change your habits.
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5. Not to worry, that should not be the purpose of Lesson 6
messages that move around and across networks.
The medium excels at increasing participation by Try to instill passion and fearlessness in your team,
lessening the degree of motivation that participation especially the communications team that work
requires. Clicking a button? Passing on a message? directly with agencies. Consider how many great
Sure, millions can do it—and therein lies its strength. ideas have been pushed aside particularly because
they represented risk to the everyday junior
Lesson 5 marketing manager.
Ask for less. Instead of urging consumers to grab The math is simple: if you dare and fail, you put your
their webcams and their mothers and friends and career on the line in a corporate world that privileges
their dogs and create a funny video, or get them to well-scripted and calculated moves. If you dare and
feel inspired to write a short story that will win them succeed, you get a pat on the back and maybe
a prize, ask for less. Ask for support in the shape you’re eligible for a small bonus. Create a culture that
of a click, a tweet, an “I like this,” and you may see awards calculated risks that foster innovation. You
participation soaring. The golden rule of thumb is to may have to account for a good degree of trial and
give a lot and ask for very little in return. error, but eventually you will leap far ahead.
It’s not about staying ahead, it’s about Conclusion: Are You Ready to Be a Client of
leaping ahead. the Future?
Everyone wants to leap ahead. We know the
competition is biting on our ankles, and we need to Creating movements that change the way brands
start sprinting. But then most clients get weighted touch people’s lives is no easy task. Clients must
down by their own systems. build solid partnerships with one or several agencies
—it is no longer what we encountered from the ‘50s
Risk aversion is a corporation’s sure path to spending through the ‘90s. Today we are literally on the same
more money than is necessary on actions that do boat, fighting the same battles, trying to see the larger
not generate much value and drive brands to near picture, and finding creative ways to do everything
oblivion. In our competitive market, doing good work better at a lower cost.
is not good enough. Walking fast will inevitably place
you in last position in the race where many Do allow for true partnership, and be part of
are running. re-inventing our industry and our world.
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