Global CEO of the R/GA network, from the IPG group, will be at the Web Summit, in Rio de Janeiro
One of the main speakers at this year’s Brazilian edition of the Web Summit, which takes place this week in Rio, is executive Robin Forbes, Global CEO of IPG’s R/GA network. ‘Brands as operating systems’ is the central theme of his presentation at the event. He cites Nike and Google Android as examples of this solution. Connecting people through the infinite arsenal of tools available is something he considers a ‘burden’ for marketers to “manage an increasingly larger and more complex ecosystem”. According to him, the way forward is to use new approaches with artificial intelligence and its generative environment. “We know how complex it is to take care of countless channels, creators and inputs”. Check out his interview.
It is a company of reinvention. We are in a constant search to bring technology to the service of impactful innovations for our customers. For example, helping Nike continually innovate to deliver its purpose. Starting from the creation of connected devices for runners or, more recently, creating a new digital support service for female athletes. Looking ahead, we see a point of tension emerging that needs us to innovate and rethink our processes. So what is needed is a new approach to help our clients manage their brands in this generative environment. Our inspiration has always been technology and a model that has always proven successful in doing just that in this digital environment: operating systems. An operating system is the most fundamental program where applications are built and manages interactions between computers and users. So we believe that there are very common principles that we can borrow from operating systems and can help us build and manage brands. The burden is all on the same brand marketers.
Need
First and foremost, brands need a code base that can guide all interactions across any interface. This requires us to go beyond traditional positioning and brand identity work that guides how a brand appears, expresses itself and feels across different channels. This is verbal design and how it (the brand) moves. With all of this together, this code base can inform how the brand interacts with its consumers, everywhere. Second, we have to build teams to deliver this work at scale. This is because your brand needs to be co-created by many. And, to achieve this, we developed generative tools that make it possible to effectively increase creative results versus relying on old methods and rules to direct our teams. Finally, we need to keep in mind that brands are always evolving. This transition from branding or rebranding to a brand with constant updates allows us to have integrated feedback and continually address your emerging needs.
Example
We took this approach for one of the largest global brand systems: Google Android. Essentially, we built a branded operating system for a literal operating system – Android – the biggest OS in the world. We help them rebrand through a new code base. Tools to help these be implemented at scale and updates to help them constantly evolve. Since last October, the brand has seen record growth in brand trust and consideration with Gen Z.NÉ, work we are incredibly proud of, and a significant portion of the team that worked on this did the work in our São Paulo office. We’re happy to share this as our flagship brand OS example on stage at WebSummit Rio.
Support
There are emerging tension points for clients: while tomorrow promises much, today’s challenges are how to understand the full value of digital investments. How to capitalize on a generative world and effectively manage an increasingly complex brand ecosystem. We can help them navigate the future and make today even more valuable by partnering with our clients from strategy to execution: charting new paths for growth; help them design and implement new experiences that make the most of their digital ecosystem and the possibilities of this generative world. For example, helping our clients identify their new best customers – how to connect them, what experiences will drive loyalty. We recently did this with Dwane (The Rock) Johnson and his business partner Dany Garcia to help them grow the Zoa energy drink portfolio. And helping them use generative AI to elevate their creative output, efficiency at scale, as we’re doing with partners like Samsung. We bring together different expertise, including our technology professionals, to help our clients create or recreate their brands; the design and construction of digital products, innovation in communication and CRM. All in the service of creating more valuable experiences and delivering value back to our customers.
Retail Media
Especially retailers who have become the custodians of their customers’ data at a time when we will no longer have cookies. For example, retailer brands like Walmart in the US and Amazon regionally are creating a multi-billion dollar advertising market across retail channels. Our role is to help clients see the strategic and creative opportunities in this environment. To ensure they connect with their consumers in a relevant, usual and efficient way. Marcio Oliveira, who heads RGA in Brazil, says that Mercado Livre and the Pão de Açúcar group are two good examples of retail companies in the country that are analyzing consumer behavior in a strategic way based on data coming from millions of daily transactions, to generate more business for your brand portfolio.
Read the full interview in the edition of propmark April 15, 2024
