CEO and CCO talks about topics such as diversity and strategies, in addition to structuring a part of the creator economy at the agency
Since July 2023 as CEO and CCO of Gray in Brazil, after an eight-year stint in Europe, Manir Fadel says he has prepared the agency to grow this year. Chosen to take on leadership with the aim of strengthening the creative side of the company in the country, he also hired award-winning art director Andr Gola as ECD two weeks ago.
A writer by training, Fadel highlights the creative boutique side of Grey, which has all WPP tools. We have agility and creative independence, without bureaucratic constraints. On the other hand, it has a gigantic WMS (WPP Media Services) media operation, he says.
The executive also talks about the recognition of Brazilian creative work in the international market, as well as topics such as diversity and strategies, such as structuring a part of the creator economy in the agency.
How long have you been with Gray (WPP agency)? Did you organize the house and give your face to the agency? How is this process?
I’ve been at Gray since July last year. This process goes like this: it arrives, stabilizes and then starts to print your face. So, I think I’m starting to print my way now. First, it was really understanding, getting to know the customers and getting into the operation in depth. And now, with the beginning of the year, I have already made a growth plan and we are going to start with everything.
How was last year for the agency?
I’m going to talk about myself and the agency. For me, it was a very challenging and happy year at the same time. It’s the first time I’m running an agency as CEO. What I found beautiful was learning again. Between mistakes and successes, learning and developing. I also have my hat as a creative leader as a CCO, but I ended up dedicating myself more to the other one, business, for obvious reasons, because I had to take care of the operation. For the agency, it was also interesting to strengthen ties with the team itself, with local clients, and develop a relationship with Coca-Cola, for example. We are producing a global campaign for one of Coca-Cola’s brands, which was created here and goes worldwide. It was a period of reaching out to our current clients very strongly, stabilizing, evolving and now being ready to go to the market.
Does choosing your name as CEO have to do with your creative profile? an attempt to reinforce the creative side of Gray in Brazil?
Yes. Gray is a network in which most of the offices have creative leaders. And here in Brazil they wanted to do the same thing. So, they looked for me because, in addition to being creative, I have been on the board for a long time. I was a partner at LewLara, outside I was on the board of VML. In other words, he already had executive experience in this sense.
How long were you out of the country?
I spent almost eight years working at WPP, between Thompson and VML.
How does Gray’s structure with AKQA work today? Are they independent operations?
These are Independent operations, we are part of the group, but there is not much exchange. I think it will start more now, especially globally. But here in Brazil we have a cousin, sister agency relationship, especially because they are also different business models.
How do you define Gray today?
I like to say that Gray is now the biggest of the smallest. a creative boutique, that’s what I’m here for, however, with all WPP tools. We have agility and creative independence, without bureaucratic constraints for creation. On the other hand, it has a gigantic WMS (WPP Media Services) media operation. So, the client who comes to work with us has the best of both worlds. Today, we have around 60 people on the team.
What are the main differences between the Brazilian advertising market and the European market, where you lived?
I stayed in London, France and Madrid. And I would say that each country is a different world. The English market, like New York and perhaps Dubai, is a creative hub. So, even though we lived in France or Spain, we did a lot of things with London. The European market is very rich, lively, with large productions, however, it is very slow. The Brazilian market is much faster in making decisions. Even today, you can launch a campaign much more quickly here, even though you are part of a multinational. Of course, there are companies with similar behavior around the world, like P&G itself. But here are things that I can make possible via WhatsApp.
And in terms of creation?
Brazil is very well regarded and respected. It makes me proud to see how Brazilian creatives are admired in all markets. So much so that there are a lot of Brazilians out there. In Spain, mainly, there were meetings that I held in Portuguese. In France, the market is a little more closed, and it is more difficult to work there because of the language issue, only if you have an international account. I was lucky enough to work at Colgate’s global operation, which was based in Paris, so I took two Brazilians with me and then one more arrived. In London and Madrid, there are a lot of Brazilians, everyone is very respected. I think the wave of Brazilian advertising being seen more during the awards season has passed. The campaigns won several awards, but they said they were ghosts. This movement of Brazilians going to work abroad helped people see that things get the job done with Brazilians.
Read the full interview in the edition of propmark of 11 brown of 2024
