‘Innovation is not possible without diversity and inclusion’, says CEO of WMcCann

Since July 2021, André França has been the CEO of WMcCann, one of the main advertising agencies in the country. Among the brands served are Americanas, Banco do Brasil, Grupo Petrópolis, LATAM, Mastercard, Nestlé and Seara.

Some of the clients have already been part of the list of most remembered brands in Folha Top of Mind, which is seen as important by the executive. “The award, as an evaluator of the relationship between brands and consumers, points out trends and shows the path of best practices for our market.”

França succeeded Hugo Rodrigues, one of the most influential professionals in advertising, current chairman of McCann Worldgroup for WMcCann, Aldeiah and Craft Brasil.

The new president is based on electronic training, that is, a professional coming from “the exact”, which is not so common in the command of an agency.

“I started my career fixing Boeings, then I ended up falling in love with communication”, he says. “My training allowed me to be prepared for this increasingly fragmented market with multiple channels”, says the professional, who previously held the vice presidency of data and media.

The phase of uncertainties and changes, with economic instability, pandemic and constant technological advancement, bring challenges in the business model and in the strategies to be adopted to innovate. A strong ally, according to André França, is precisely the acceleration of data usage, in addition to delivering more technology to customers.

For a good service, he observes another fundamental point: “Innovation is not possible without diversity and inclusion. And innovation happens when different people meet.”

According to França, there has been an evolution in this regard, but he still sees the publicity work still below what is necessary. “We are below what is expected of a profession that needs to generate identification in people.”

Today, according to the figures provided by the company, WMcCann has 59% women in leadership roles, 27% black professionals and 11% in leadership roles. “We have diversity goals for the areas. We have just launched the Goma project, to accelerate the careers of black people”, she emphasizes.

Below, read an interview with André França, CEO of WMcCan:

like mr. analyzes the relevance of the Folha Top of Mind survey after more than 30 years?

André França – The consumer is at the center of everything. And what brands want most is to create true relationships and be remembered by him. The Top of Mind award has consolidated itself in recent years as a highly credible evaluator of this very important relationship between brands and consumers.

How does the award impact the advertising market and the creation of campaigns?

The award, as an evaluator of the relationship between brands and consumers, points out trends and shows the path of best practices for our market.

Hence, as an agency, we need to interpret this scenario so that brands can conquer a significant role in the lives of consumers.

It is common in the market to have CEOs who leave the creative areas, but Mr. has a leadership profile coming out of the media area. What are the advantages?

I have a degree in electronics, I started my career fixing Boeings, then I ended up falling in love with communication. My training allowed me to be prepared for this increasingly fragmented market with multiple channels. I believe that my contribution is to see the process in a more structured way, seeking to deeply understand the customer’s needs, and deliver what is expected with greater efficiency and in an integrated manner across all areas.

Data has been important in planning strategy for some years now. An increasingly intense discussion is quantity versus quality. How to work these two paths with brands in a balanced way? Do you think there is an exaggerated concern with metrics?

Data is perhaps one of the biggest nuggets to be exploited within advertising. I don’t think there is an exaggerated concern with metrics, the big question is what and how to measure it, in order to give greater direction to the creative part. I believe in a grounded and technical vision, with KPIs traced, combined with creativity, to generate the best business results for customers.

Mr. assumed the position of CEO in July 2021, still in the pandemic. What is the balance you make of the impacts of Covid on the market and what is the balance of your management?

I have sought to continue the brilliant work of Hugo [Rodrigues, CEO anterior e atual chairman do McCann Worldgroup para WMcCann, Aldeiah e Craft Brasil], which took the agency to be the first in the ranking for two consecutive years. To this end, I seek to accelerate the use of data in the agency with structuring projects, such as media mix modeling, data-driven attribution model, data lake, etc., and greater operational efficiency, with the adoption of agile processes and automation, and integration of the various areas. , without losing sight of the importance of creativity to deliver the best results to our customers.

During the pandemic, the digital environment was fundamental and “phygital” was an expression that came back. like mr. see this movement?

The fall of barriers between the physical and digital world ended up accelerating in the pandemic, and I believe that in a short time the consumer will no longer distinguish between these realities. The experience today starts in the physical and ends in the digital, and vice versa. It is a movement that has no return, hence our role has been to look at the consumer’s journey and think about communication in an appropriate way for each point of contact.

We are in a World Cup and election year in a period of recovery from the effects of the pandemic. How to prepare the agency and clients for this scenario?

We began to experience a tumultuous moment due to the World Cup, elections, Black Friday and Christmas practically coming together in the same period. As a result, there are challenges and opportunities, ranging from the lack of media spaces (clutter) to a long-awaited moment for sponsors. In any case, what does not change is the need to continue monitoring the consumer and the market against well-defined KPIs, in order to draw up the best action plans.

The market has discussed more the importance of diversity and inclusion of minority groups, such as blacks, women, LGBTQIA+ people, with disabilities… Mr. Do you see progress on this issue?

I believe that we have evolved, but we are still below what is expected of a profession that needs to generate identification in people. Innovation is not possible without diversity and inclusion. And innovation happens when different people meet.

Today, WMcCann has 59% women in leadership roles. We have 27% of black professionals and 11% in leadership positions.

What are the main actions that the agency has taken, either internally or externally, when we talk about diversity? Are there active movements to attract black talent, for example?

We have diversity goals for the areas. We just launched the Goma project, to accelerate the careers of black people. We launched a new diversity and inclusion policy. We launched a new host channel. We are signatories of the pact of the Public Ministry of Labor, which promotes the inclusion of young black men and women in the labor market. We make targeted hiring of affirmative vacancies with partners such as Publicitários Negros, Faculdade Zumbi dos Palmares, EmpregueAfro and Transempregos. We have the leadership bootcamp and free English course program, reserving 30% and 50% of affirmative seats. We participate on a global scale in “A Day For Meaning”, a day in which McCann employees around the world bring contributions of ideas related to diversity and inclusion, among other actions.

And with changes in consumption habits and customs, what do you believe is essential today for a brand to be Top of Mind?

Consumers have been wanting more from organizations. The complexity of the world we live in today has led people to pay attention to ESG issues. Today, companies will be constantly challenged to not only focus on financial growth, but on their role in society. This brings opportunities to imagine entirely new ways of creating and sustaining value.

This focus ends up impacting consumption habits and, increasingly, people look for companies that have a clear purpose that goes beyond communication and is reflected in their products and culture.

Purpose is not only good for selling products, but a company engaged in its social context is also better seen by its investors, customers and employees.

What is the value for an agency to be awarded the Folha Top of Mind award?

It is knowing that we have conquered what is most valuable in our profession: we have built a brand with a significant role in the lives of consumers.