Partner, co-president and CEO of Africa Creative talks about inspiration, business, family
Marcio Santoro is one of the founders of Africa Creative, a brand adopted when he and his partner, Sergio Gordilho, became partners in the Omnicom holding company, around a year ago, in the midst of the process of having their own agency. And also from the original Africa, in 2002.
“Why don’t you do your business with us?” asked the American advertising group. They accepted. With the condition of robust corporate participation, freedom and having creativity as fuel and guiding principle for proposing ideas for clients such as Itaú, Azul, Vivo, Fibra, Vale, Natura, Pão de Açúcar, Extra and Mercedes-Benz, for example.
Santoro is CEO and takes care of the service and management processes, while Gordilho leads the creation and branding that generates reputation. And business. Soon, it will announce partners for the operation, from the agency itself.
What adds value to your day to day advertising?
One experience that has helped me a lot is taking care of my three children. It made me see the world from a completely new perspective. The youngest is three years old, the middle one is 6 and the oldest is 13: two girls and a boy. I became a father at 40 years old. This family immersion made me learn and look at things from another angle. What I considered banal, from food and sleep, which are basic things, to technology. Talking to my son, I saw that he was amazed when I told him that cell phones didn’t exist when I was young. “What do you mean?” he asked. But this has helped me a lot in our business.
So, is your family teaching you to understand what a real experience is?
It’s teaching me to review things that I thought were already established. It is accelerating the review of concepts. When I stop to explain a world with cell phones and one without this equipment, I observe the impact that this transformation provides. One thing that business cannot fail to have is that, as we stop to explain something, we learn a lot. This humility makes me see new ways of seeing the world better; in other words, reinvent yourself. For advertising, dealing with things that are so close and daily, with people who are discovering the world, is also a form of discovery. The other day I told my younger children that I was leaving for work. One of them asked: “Daddy, what is work?” How to explain to a three year old what this is. In my case, I started reviewing what I’m doing. This exercise of always learning is new.
Does the sport, which is a passion of yours, continue at the same intensity in this new phase?
I’m more sporty today than when I was 40. Again: I had to relearn how to have space in my life to continue playing sports, find time for family and work. These are phases of my life. When I learn from my children, this helps me stop and listen to a person with more experience who works at the agency and also to young people who don’t yet have that background.
How are you leading Africa?
There’s a quote from Gordilho that is our essence: creativity is his religion and creativity is my business. We have been together for over 20 years. This composition, which combines his vision of me understanding the power of creativity, made me able to transform this into business. And he, who is a creative par excellence and nature, makes perfect sense. When we became partners at the agency again we put creativity into the name. This is a signal to the market that creativity is our business; our asset. Our relationship is quite clear. Because when we see all the disruption that is happening, every business has its core. Ours is creativity. On any platform. We have to be open to changes. Before, technology was an accessory; Now it’s the chassis. Because technology runs the operation. Africa Creative is a tech company that does communications. In the last six years we have changed people’s profiles, skills, etc. by 70%.
Is the business different, including the way you pay?
Yes! But based on the value of creativity and the impact it has on the business. 22 years ago, Africa decided that 100% of the business would be remunerated by fees. A lot has changed, but we kept this concept. Overseas media pitches are bringing creative agencies along to add value to the media. I went to visit State of Art, Omnicom’s media buying company, and in one of the rooms there were creatives together with media.
Is it a benchmark for the Brazilian model?
Here media and creation work together. This is the Brazilian advertising model. We believe that creative media is a win-win for everyone. Mainly for the customer.
Is Africa an inspiration for the holding?
Especially in creativity. Because of technology, media and creation will have to come together. I don’t give much time for this to happen in other countries, as it happens in Brazil. I am a Cenp advisor and I see that maintaining this integrated model is better than being separate.
Read the full interview in the issue of propmark April 22, 2o24
