This week on The MCA Prodcast you’ll hear one of the brilliant panel sessions from this year’s LBB and Friends Beach at Cannes. We are all story tellers, and this panel is about the power of storytelling and how creativity can be crucial to the success of any business.

Pat Murphy chairs the session and is joined by:
· Doerte Spengler-Ahrens - Chairwoman of Jung von Matt and President of the Art Director’s Club (ADC)
· Upasana Roy - Global Creative Strategy Director at Reckitt
· Philipp Schuster - Agency Management and Marketing Partnerships Director from Bayer Consumer Health
· Sir John Hegarty – Co-founder and Creative Director at The Garage Soho & The Business of Creativity

Storytelling is fundamental to brand success, but sometimes creativity and bravery in marketing can be usurped by fear, budget constraints or other factors. The panel discuss how brands can remain creative and how this is essential to not only sell a product, but to create memorable experiences that resonate with consumers on a deeper level.

Agencies often direct brands to be brands, without being brands themselves – something John argues is a mistake! By positioning themselves as brands with distinct beliefs and values, agencies can differentiate themselves from mere service providers and attract the right clients. This approach is exemplified by revolutionary ideas like Renault's e-mobility solution, which transformed the market by offering a unique value proposition.

Our panel debate who is best suited to sell an idea to a client – is it the creator of that idea or an account manager. Presenting ideas to clients requires an understanding of their language and problems, and constructive criticism is essential for a healthy client-agency relationship. Philipp explains that he enjoys tension with agencies he’s buying from. “We try to build an environment where we, with our partners, have a relationship where we can have healthy tension”, he says. “This is the relationship, the culture of a partnership we want to build together with our agencies, because we feel that this produces the best work”.

As well as tension, the panel discuss the role of ‘fear’ in good creative work. The panellists each recall stories of projects they worked on which, at the time, they were nervous about. John recalls one in-particular where a single different decision could have ruined the outcome. Upasana says “we fear that it's going to fail, and one of the best things that we can do is give ourselves the permission to fail once in a while”. Fear is almost imperative in the constant pursuit of good work!

Click here to find out more about John’s course ‘The Business of Creativity’ and discover how creativity can take your business to the next level.

Hosted by Pat Murphy

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