Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Adnan Arnautlija
Golden Drum is just around the corner, and we wanted to learn more about the people who will share their knowledge and insights with us this year, and to find out what is it that fuels their creativity.
You already had the chance to hear about some of the most pressing questions for advertisers across the globe in our interview with Stephan Loerke, CEO of the World Federation of Advertisers.
Today, we talk with Justin Billingsley, global head of Publicis Emil – a bespoke agency tailored to the needs of just one client – Mercedes-Benz. This is the agency model of the future that draws on the transformative ‘Power of One’ proposition, designed by Publicis Groupe to deliver on Daimler’s marketing and business transformation. Justin led the creation of Publicis Emil and the win of Mercedes-Benz across 37 markets, which is considered as one of the most significant holding company coups this year.
Media Marketing: Publicis Emil is described as the “agency model of the future”. What is it that actually makes an agency model of the future?
Justin Billingsley: Daimler were very clear in their brief of needing a new type of marketing partner that was prepared to rethink how to work with them effectively on a global scale. There are three tenets to this future model: customer-journey focused, data at the core for making better decisions, and dynamic creativity for efficient and effective execution. We, and Daimler, share a belief that the age of specialist agencies is passing and the age of integration is rising. Let me be more specific: for many clients today, who say they are customer-journey focused, are still maintaining many different specialist agency relationships: creative, digital, mobile, social, production, data, app developers and others. When a data signal suggests a next best action or message to serve to a customer this kind of structure loses time, cost and effectiveness. By integrating with one partner across the journey we can be responsible and accountable for real business outcomes, not just our slice of the marketing pie. And above all, the consumer is king, and their relationship with the brand is stronger when it feels personal, consistent and timely, and this is made much more possible with one partner managing the journey.
Media Marketing: You are the head of this bespoke agency tailored for a global client, Mercedes-Benz. How is it to lead an agency that caters a single, albeit giant client? What are the specifics of such work?
Justin Billingsley: To lead the marketing transformation partner for Daimler is a great honour and a great challenge. Previously I might have been concerned about being focused on one client – but in this case that client is one of the world’s most iconic brands, who make amazing products and experiences, and who are going through a fundamental change in their industry with connectivity, autonomy, electric and mobility services which makes for a fascinating set of marketing and business challenges to solve together. We are focused on being the best transformation partner for our client. Central to our success will be the culture so I’m ensuring we are hiring the best talent in the industry. We are also ensuring we work at speed and avoid building in cumbersome processes that hold us back – we follow agile working and scrum approach to execution. I’m keen to show a watching industry how our new model can be transformational.
Media Marketing: You already had the opportunity to work “behind the enemy lines” many times, on the client side with many global brands. How helpful is that experience in your current work, especially given the specificity of your agency?
Justin Billingsley: I’m extremely lucky to have such experience as a client. I value it, and this is why half of my Publicis Emil leadership team also have client-side experience. To be a credible transformation partner we need to understand the brand and business problems we are solving. I judge client relationships by the quality of the brief: if they are asking for an ad, then we are an ad vendor, if they are asking for our help to solve a business challenge, then we are a partner. To have the empathy and knowledge as an ex-client is extremely helpful, and I encourage everyone to ‘walk a mile’ in the shoes of the other side as you will undoubtedly emerge a stronger marketing or agency leader.
Media Marketing: What does the future bring? What should marketers and agencies have in sight to give themselves a head start in that future?
Justin Billingsley: There are three things that I believe are true today and will be even more true tomorrow:
- Take accountability. Data is not about how much more we know, it is there to help us make better decisions. Without data, you are just another person with an opinion. The better you are with data, and the more evidence about how what you do drives specific business results, the more your agency will grow.
- The robots are coming (in fact they are here). There are dramatic evolutions happening to automate what were previously agency roles: dynamic creativity is disrupting production, data is disrupting market research – and we embrace these technologies if they scale our impact. But never forget about….
- The unreasonable power of creativity. Data and dynamic automation are there to remove distractions from our core calling – to use creativity to inspire action, to nurture loyalty and to unite communities. Data helps up refine, but not create. Automation helps us scale, but not create. And this is the reason that Publicis Groupe has a better chance of success than other holding companies and the consultancies – we have struck the right balance to achieve the alchemy of creativity and technology.
Media Marketing: Any message you would like to send to Golden Drum delegates this year?
Justin Billingsley: Thank you for inviting me to your event. I’m looking forward to hearing about the successes and challenges from different markets and brands – it’s always inspiring to hear these stories and meet fantastic talent.