BackMobile is the centrepiece of entertainment and communication: Charles Courtier
Charles Courtier, CEO for MEC Worldwide, talks about key trends globally, the role of strategy and the firm's unusual method of finding talent
Premium
Charles Courtier, chief executive officer (CEO) for MEC Worldwide, the media agency from the WPP Group, was in Mumbai recently to review the business at its fastest growing office in the world. In an interview, he talks about key trends globally, the role of strategy and the company’s unusual method of finding talent. Edited excerpts:
What are the key growth drivers for MEC globally, how does India stack up?
For us MEC India is our fastest growing agency in the world. We are always chasing growth, so from that perspective India is very important to us and part of the reason why I am here now, and keep trying to come regularly.
What are some of the key trends globally?
The massive change that is going on is the digitization of everything and the importance of data in all of that. How do agencies deal with that? The pace of change is incredibly quick and it is very hard to keep up with that but everybody, not just agencies, is learning to deal with that. So learning to move really quickly and get bureaucracy out of the way so that we are nimble and flexible is very important. The other massive change is talent. It is in part about training and developing the people we already have, but also about attracting new talent into the company because the industry is changing so much. The requirement for us is to change internally as well.
You have an unusual approach to hiring talent.
I think from the talent point of view what we are trying to do, is not always fish in the same pond—it just regurgitates the same talent over and over again. We are looking for good, young, raw talent, people who have a different perspective and way of looking at our business… So for instance, we conducted the ‘Live Hire’ twice, recently at Ad Week in London and the another time in New York, where we had a tent on 42nd Street, with a team of senior people, including myself, interviewing young graduates. Much like speed dating, all under 15 minutes. Some people literally stepped up from the street wanting to be interviewed, but some had obviously applied. It helps us find different talent, and also shows the marketplace that we’re a different company. For instance, I interviewed a girl who worked in a supermarket and she was fantastic. She understood insights but she (also) understood people.
Sir Martin Sorrell maintained that the future belonged as much to “math men" as it did to “mad men". What are your thoughts on that?
When I was at school, you were either the numeric type or the arty type. Now you commonly see, in young people, that mix of mathematical ability with innovation and creativity. Not just in the media world but for this generation, those skills together are dynamite.
India is considered by most as a price-driven market. What is the role of strategy in light of this?
There is a commodity element to media and we have to be able to be competitive on price. The other is the whole strategic leadership side of the business. We live in a very complicated media and communications world. The consumers are unbelievably well-informed, far more than the generations before them. So our ability to be able to navigate this sort of chaotic communications market and really create engagement with our consumers is absolutely crucial. That is a massive strategic challenge for all of us. You have to have massive skills in analytics, in data, digital understanding but also consumer insights and great account planning, those are to some degree seen as softer skills in our business, but they are more important than ever. You have to have both.
What role will mobile play in the coming days?
The mobile is becoming the centrepiece platform for entertainment and communication for consumers. You only have to look at 21-year-olds, with their phone they hardly ever look at anything else. Mobile is where everything comes together. It’s not just entertainment, it’s communication, social media and increasingly it’s your wallet as well. It’s in your pocket or handbag all the time, and some under the age of 25, sleep with it. So I think it is absolutely central. I think it is a big challenge for the marketing world. We are still at the very beginning of how to communicate from an advertising or marketing point of view on mobile. That’s still got a long way to go, to be honest. But I don’t think it replaces other media, but it does become the centrepiece. And at certain times, it replaces television, a newspaper or whatever else there is.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
