Think of a dishwashing sponge. Now, imagine a giant pile of dirty dishes in the sink, those really greasy ones that are disgusting even to touch. What do you do? I don't know about you, but what I do follows this exact ritual: I put a little detergent on the sponge, wet it so the soap mixes with the water, squeeze it a little to make foam, and get to work on the dishes. My self-confidence to "kill the job" is at its peak. But it lasts more or less until the fourth dish. It's at this point that I come to a sad conclusion: the soap on the sponge can no longer handle the grease, and the water in the sponge is dirtier than the dishes themselves. Now what? I go to the detergent and repeat the ritual. Drip, wet, squeeze, and go back to wash the endless pile from the night before (yes, I only wash the next day). But I come back different. I come back with the unshakable self-esteem of having renewed water and soap by my side, with blood in my eyes and my hands foaming with confidence.<\/p>\n
Why am I saying this? It's simple, because this "refresh" of the sponge also applies to us. Think of it this way: the sponge is you, the pile of dishes is your problem, and the soap and water refill is the tool that needs to be renewed from time to time. It's all about mindset. Renewing our mental model is fundamental. In fact, it's practically an act of faith. Yes, because imagine stopping doing things the way you used to and trying a different way? It's not easy. Our brain keeps echoing a "why bother?" \u00e0 la Galv\u00e3o Bueno, without resting. And it only truly rests when it realizes that the new way is good and works too. Sometimes, even better than the old one. And this applies to all of us, to those who work in agencies, production companies, businesses, but fundamentally, to those who work with creativity every day.<\/p>\n
When I came to Ana Couto, I experienced this clash of models. From the traditional "brainstorming in the office" to the Sprint model with clients. From the hierarchical structure of many agencies to a more horizontal model, with agility, autonomy, and alignment. From the "I liked it and I didn't like it" model to the "approve or improve" model, where the client feels like a co-author of the ideas and, therefore, is invited to approve or improve them collaboratively. Oh, and all of this with method. A lot of method.<\/p>\n
In fact, one of the practices that advertising should draw from design and other areas of knowledge is the consistent use of methodology. Here, a parenthesis is in order: methodology isn't that annoying aunt who comes in to spoil the kids' fun at the playground. On the contrary, it tidies up the playground so the kids can play even more. It's a boost to creativity. Think of Google, Apple, Silicon Valley. They have no shortage of methodology. And look how creative they are and how much value they generate for their brands.<\/p>\n
Here at AC, I had the opportunity to create, together with the team, our workflow. It basically consists of 3 stages: Brand Insight, Brand Idea, and Brand Connections. Each with its own specific methodology. And the client validates each stage before we move on to the next. This avoids that old way of working where the agency brings planning, creation, media, a disruptive intergalactic special project, but, right on the first slide, the client says it wasn't anything like that. Turning every job into a competition makes no sense at all. Not to mention the emotional strain on people. That's why, more and more, doing things together means doing them better. A different way of working not only with advertising, but with creativity in general. Is it the only way? Obviously not, but it has worked very well. For us and for the clients. It's worth remembering, sponges "are nuts". From time to time it's good to change the water and soap. Purely a matter of hygiene\u2026 mental hygiene.<\/p>\n