David Droga gave details of Accenture’s purchase of the agency, plans from now on, the relationship between creativity and AI, among others
Last Thursday (2) the news that had already been circulating behind the scenes in the market was confirmed: Accenture closed the purchase of Soko, which will become part of Droga5.
Founded in 2015, Soko is one of the main players, having won some of the most important creativity awards. In the last edition of Cannes Lions, for example, Soko won five Bronzes.
With the acquisition of Soko, Droga5 aims to accelerate its mission to deliver creativity rooted in strategy and purpose, as well as being obsessed with humanity and experiences that deeply connect with people and add value to their lives.
This idea, in fact, was one of the ideas defended by David Droga, who is in Brazil and spoke with the propmark this Monday (6). In the interview, Droga explains why Soko was the agency chosen by Accenture, the plans from now on, as well as the relationship between artificial intelligence and technology.
Why was Soko chosen to be purchased by Accenture Song?We chose Soko because of a pure and authentic culture, built around people, society and, above all, the great work they have been doing all this time. And I can say that it’s not just a business, it’s a community that built a business, and there’s a big difference. Furthermore, I see similarities with Droga5, at the same time that we can learn a lot from the differences, from the agency’s own personality. So for us, that was enough.
Do you remember the first time you heard about Soko?
I was already aware of different things that came from the most diverse markets. When I first started joining Accenture, they pointed to a lot of campaigns that I had seen before and that I thought were just amazing. Eco, Rodolfo and Camilo told me about the agency, which made me very excited and happy to know that those cases came from one place, from Soko.
From now on, with this acquisition, what skills will be strengthened?
Excellence on multiple levels. Excellence in the belief in great work, excellence in the concept of community. And this is not just about the Brazilian market, but about the impactful work they do in Brazil and how we are influenced by it globally. It’s about their personality, their reach, their ambitions, pushing and directing Droga5 in other places in the world. I also like to highlight the natural ecosystem, which always starts with people and their beliefs. And I don’t know if you know, but before I sold Droga5 to Accenture, people absolutely wanted us to open the agency all over the world. We resisted and even now, that we are part of (Accenture) Song, I insist on the idea of being very technical in these choices, and also privileged that they wanted to do business with us.
How important is Brazil to Droga5?
It is very crucial and important. It is a market with a growing economy, and very influential. Now, if you look at it from the perspective of talent, I love diversity, I love the Brazilian spirit of improvisation, which justifies the country having the best football players in the world, and musicians. It’s just the ability to be able to flow with creativity and that, in my opinion, is the right thing to do. This is very beautiful, because there are other potentially larger markets, but which are more rigid.
Of course we want to continue growing in this market, and add impact and prove our value. You can’t be great in Brazil without influencing other markets, and vice versa. And that gives us an even bigger platform. I want people in the European and New York markets, for example, to be inspired and excited about their new brothers and sisters. For me, this is true cooperation that is being built as a community. We don’t just look at things in dollars and cents; We are creative people, which means we are full of empathy, conscience, ambition and optimism. And, if you make a business out of it, you can build something spectacular. To do this, however, great people and great minds are needed.
Where does Droga5 want to go?
Let’s take a step back and look at Droga5 as part of Accenture Song, because it’s no longer just a little independent garden. Song is the largest creative-tech group in the world, and we have a huge influence on that. Droga 5, on the other hand, has a creative DNA in the context of brands, narrative, technology and data. Our ambition is not to have 100 Droga5 offices around the world, but, tactically, to have excellence that can be scaled, and that its capillaries can influence. I can say that, if I didn’t know them until now, I could say that they (Soko) were from Droga5, which I started 15 years ago, with the same values.
Do you have plans to acquire other agencies in Latin America?
We have brilliant talent, and, as I said, we are growing three times faster than the competition, which gives us the certainty that any acquisition we make is not to mark territory on the map, but rather because of the people we bring in for our group. We invest in capacity and talent for the future, because a creative mind fits any content and opportunity.
What are your concerns regarding artificial intelligence?
We have an opportunity now, with this new march of omnichannel technology, which is to make us more thoughtful and responsible. Because of previous interactions of technology responsible guards came second. Obviously, I think we have to make humanity play a role in this. But a lot of people expect me to be against this because they think AI will defeat all creativity.
Creativity that cannot always be saved, because too much creativity is mediocre and AI can do better. However, the original, what comes from people, will always be necessary. I worry about AI taking away our connection to the real world, to personality, to learning. And remember: it’s just a tool.
In addition to technology and creativity, what does an agency need to have, in your opinion, to be relevant in the client’s life?
This is a very important question. You have to have a real appreciation of the business, from a knowledge standpoint, of why you’re doing what you’re doing, and also an understanding of why they’re asking. The more comprehensively you understand the business problem you are trying to solve, the greater your chances of solving it. I would say we have to look at things in a less transactional way. And that comes from data, from job diversity. So you see things in a more holistic way.
