As the Managing Director of one of our offices in the Netherlands, I’m officially an outsider who’s looking in. What I see is a region with a rich and diverse cultural heritage, which usually provides a deep well of inspiration for creative expression. As someone with a multicultural background (and an extensive career in this creative industry), I know that this cultural richness often translates into unique storytelling, vibrant visuals, and a fusion of traditional and contemporary elements.

At the same time, I see a region that—like most others—has a complex social and political landscape, marked by historical events and ongoing challenges. Such a context can serve as a source of inspiration as well as motivation for creative professionals to address pressing societal issues and challenge norms, so I’m curious to see which brands dare to spark complex, impactful conversations through their work.

Lastly, I’ve been amazed by how talent across this region has embraced technology and digital platforms in the most innovative ways. From interactive installations to virtual reality experiences to AI-powered integrated campaigns, creatives in MENA have been at the forefront of utilizing technology to deliver immersive and engaging content that truly captivates audiences.

Moving beyond what meets the eye, I want to understand what matters in the MENA region, what makes both brands and audiences tick, and what opportunities exist for international companies looking to set up shop here? What’s top of mind, trending and creatively outstanding? So, in the lead-up to Dubai Lynx 2024, I decided to sit down with a few fellow Monks who are also joining the big event. Scroll down and get the full scoop from Hoda El Nazer, Gavin Stradi, Nada Nassar and Tomas Almuna.

Nada Nassar, Associate Creative Director

How does creativity in the MENA region stand out in the global landscape?

What sets us apart is our unique ability to merge traditional storytelling with modern mediums, creating a rich, distinctive voice in the global arena. Our creative landscape is diverse, encompassing everything from cutting-edge tech in Dubai to groundbreaking films in Egypt. We’re not afraid to push boundaries or challenge norms, often infusing our work with social and political commentary that resonates globally.

How do you see the role of digital marketing evolving in the MENA region over the next year, especially with the use of AI?

Digital marketing in the MENA region is on the cusp of a revolution, spearheaded by AI. We're looking at a future where personalized marketing becomes not just an option, but a necessity. AI will enable brands to understand and predict consumer behavior with unprecedented accuracy, tailoring content, recommendations, and interactions to the individual level. Chatbots, voice search, and AI-driven content creation will become more sophisticated, providing consumers with instant, relevant, and interactive brand experiences. Moreover, AI’s role in analyzing big data will allow for more strategic decision-making based on consumer trends and preferences. The key will be to use AI to enhance human creativity, not replace it, making marketing campaigns more effective and emotionally resonant than ever before.

What do you think matters most to audiences in the MENA region right now?

In the MENA region, authenticity and digital engagement are king. Audiences here crave content and products that resonate with their cultural and personal identities, all while seeking seamless, technology-driven experiences. Brands should prioritize storytelling that is deeply rooted in local culture yet has a universal appeal. This year, focus on leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AR and VR to create immersive experiences. Sustainability is also a hot topic; consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that demonstrate genuine commitment to environmental and social responsibility. In essence, blend tradition with innovation—and always keep it real.

What opportunities exist for international companies looking to tap into the MENA region?

The MENA region is a goldmine of opportunities for international companies, offering a young, tech-savvy population, a growing economy, and an appetite for innovation. To succeed here, companies must navigate the landscape with cultural sensitivity and a genuine desire for partnership. The key is localization—understanding that each market within the region has its own preferences and nuances. Collaborating with local talent, respecting cultural values, and contributing to the community will help build lasting relationships. Additionally, the region’s strategic location as a bridge between East and West offers unparalleled access to diverse markets. In short, come with respect, bring your A-game in innovation, and be prepared to embrace the vibrant complexity of the MENA region.

Gavin Stradi, Creative Director

How does creativity in the MENA region stand out in the global landscape?

The MENA region is a hub of creativity, showcasing an interesting blend of tradition and modern innovation. It maintains local authenticity, yet has a universal appeal. As MENA creatives embrace digital and AI tools, they're not just pushing boundaries—they're redefining them, propelling the region into the limelight with innovative, forward-thinking ideas. This fusion of heritage and innovation positions the MENA region not just on the global stage, but as a global pioneer across multiple industries.

What do you think matters most to audiences in the MENA region right now?

As we navigate the ever-growing digital landscape of MENA, it's clear that the pulse of the market is defined by authentic connections and personalized interactions. Today's consumers are active participants seeking brands that they can connect with. It’s up to brands to not only listen, but also engage in a dialogue that is personal and genuine. The most successful brands will be those that harness the power of AI to peel back layers of data, revealing consumer preferences and behaviors. These insights will be the cornerstone of marketing strategies, crafting experiences that reflect the nuanced cultural diversity intrinsic to the MENA region.

How do you see the role of digital marketing evolving in the MENA region over the next year, especially with the use of AI?

The digital marketing domain within the MENA region is on the brink of an AI revolution. In the coming year, we'll witness an evolution towards hyper-targeted messaging that speaks to the individual, all thanks to the alchemy of AI. Programmatic advertising will refine its aim, ensuring that every bit of the budget is an investment in engaging the right audience at the opportune moment. As the omnichannel experience becomes the norm, AI will help form a cohesive narrative, transforming the marketing ecosystem into a mix of synchronized interactions.

Hoda El Nazer, Managing Director Cairo - Head of Film & Content, MEA

What do you think matters most to audiences in the MENA region right now?

In this current fast-paced, technology-driven world, it's very common for brands to lose track of their message. You have to deliver content that meets the audience’s needs and interests, is relatable to the local culture, and relies on storytelling to establish an emotional connection with the audience. Brands that prioritizes care in their communication strategy will be the ones that stand out. Moreover, audiences in this region are craving the need to make a difference, so a clear call to action should be a priority.

What opportunities exist for international companies looking to tap into the MENA region?

There are ample opportunities for international companies looking to expand their business. From renewable energy to technology and innovation, countries across the region are actively investing in various sectors to diversify their economies and foster sustainable growth. In addition, several cities in the MENA region are aspiring to become smart cities, integrating technology for improved efficiency and sustainability. The region has also seen a significant rise in e-commerce and digital services, especially considering the convenience factor and the amount of time younger generations spend online.

Tomas Almuna, Head of Creative and Judge in the Entertainment Category at Dubai Lynx 2024

How does creativity in the MENA region stand out in the global landscape?

In recent years, the MENA region has become a hugely important player in the world of creativity and business. Personally, I believe that the creativity in this region has become a global benchmark because it is honest with its roots, possesses its own identity, and doesn't try to be something it's not. It has a highly identifiable style that is typically deeply rooted in its cultural foundations, which, in my opinion, is the best way to build ideas that leave a lasting impact and evoke envy on a global scale.

What will you focus on in selecting the cream of the crop in your category?

Entertainment, the category I'll be judging this year, is one of my favorite categories. I believe that one of the fundamental pillars of our work is to entertain and not bore. When it comes to judging, that’s the baseline for me. Then, of course, the idea is—and always will be—the life of the party. As judges, we will put a lot of focus on rewarding those ideas that embody the foundations of the category, offer a fresh and unique approach, and have made an impact with their audiences and in the business. But primarily, I will look for ideas that have this “wow” factor that we all love to see.

What do you look forward to most at Dubai Lynx?

Dubai Lynx is a festival that I know very closely. Some years ago, I was fortunate enough to work in the MENA market and participate in the festival, so I have a vast understanding of the talent that exists and the quality of the work—and that’s really what excites me the most. To be surprised again with culturally powerful ideas and insights that are capable of shaping and challenging the future of the region. Well, and clearly also to see old friends again.

Sure, I’ve seen my fair share of over-hyped duds along the way—we all remember hyped-up “innovations” like 3D TVs that promised to change the way we create and consume video. But once in a blue moon, something comes along that will undeniably change the world. Recently, that’s generative artificial intelligence, yet I still see some brands shun the technology, worried about its risks.

As a creative, I’m not worried about AI taking my job away the way others might. I’m more concerned that by not embracing AI, I risk being left behind. The same risk is true for brands who are reluctant to fold AI into their workflows. Why? AI is making creativity more accessible than ever before; cinematic, high-quality content is no longer exclusive to the skilled few.

The democratization of AI will make some things easier, but not without challenges.

Technology has always transformed the creative process—in some ways making it simpler, and in other ways requiring creatives to adopt new skill sets. When the Lord of the Rings trilogy pushed boundaries, it led to the creation of new technology, like motion capture and its evolution into performance capture, and new talent hotbeds designed around making the most of those innovations. Today, AI is likewise challenging all of us to adapt.

First, there is the need to scale up production. The speed of creating content with AI is raising the expectation to make more. In this respect, AI doesn’t necessarily make content production easier; it makes it more sophisticated and ups creative potential. Making a mark remains a challenge.

We’ve already seen this before with CGI. Today, you can render a scene in three minutes in Maya that once took six hours. But fire up the program and it looks more like engineering software than something creative. Cobbling a scene together requires as much of an understanding of mathematics as it does of design. Using the technology to its fullest potential required the confidence to embrace it and tinker with it.

The biggest risk is in doing nothing at all.

It’s easy for brands to default to what’s familiar. I can relate; remember what I said about being stuck in my ways? But those who rest on their laurels risk losing market share to challengers who are quicker to the uptake and embrace experimentation. Smaller brands and influencers are already leveraging the availability of advanced video tools to make their mark. Closing that gap is key to reduce the risk of being forgotten.

Throughout my career, I have witnessed the transformative power of integrating technology and experimentation into one’s own creative DNA, and I am confident that this approach will continue to drive success for creative teams who dare to embrace it. On my team, we’re elevating our already best-in-class talent by augmenting their creative process with AI. As a team, we understand that it may require getting our hands a little dirty, and sometimes going back and forth with a chatbot more than expected, but the rewards are immense. By incorporating AI tools into every stage of the creative process, from ideation to concept art and beyond, we enable ourselves—and our clients—to surpass standard limitations, supercharge our output and create captivating content that leaves a lasting impact. And we can’t wait to see how it develops even further.

Start small, but think big.

The good news for risk-averse brands is that you don’t have to choose between being too conservative or too experimental, throwing caution to the wind. There’s no need for a binary approach to whether you’re in or out with AI adoption; there’s plenty of room to experiment within guardrails. You just need to start playing with the simpler ways to enhance your output (like generating numerous backdrops with AI, or digitally replacing products to make content more dynamic and personalized) and iterate from there as your team becomes more skilled.

If a creative with 20 years in the business can confidently embrace AI without reservations, so can you! While the AI boom may feel like untrod territory, it’s not the first time we’ve needed to creatively adapt—and with new customer expectations and increased competition through the democratization of content creation, there’s no better time than now to start. Otherwise, you might just be left behind.

For starters, it’s important to have a holistic view of the brand experience and how it manifests across the various touchpoints. In the wake of new behaviors, devices and channels, an end-to-end approach is needed to drive value across digital—the kind that includes branding, creative, social, go-to-market, UX and more. On top of that, consumers crave personalization, which adds data management to the equation. In the past, these needs could’ve been met by hiring different providers for each. Now, we know that the brand experience is more than the sum of its parts, meaning there can’t be disconnections between them.

For Booking.com, this realization came into sharper focus as its SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Arjan Dijk set out to leverage the accelerated shift in consumer behavior and the post-pandemic rise of travel intent. This prompted his search for an end-to-end partner that could bring all digital disciplines together. Fast forward to today, we’re proud to announce Media.Monks is Booking.com’s new social partner of record, and we’ll work together to deliver a future-proofed social strategy that covers everything from content creation to data management.

When every brand is a social brand, creative differentiation matters.

As previously hinted, the biggest brands today are the ones driving culture, which means they found success in leading the conversation—not chasing trends. In that, the role of social media can’t be overlooked. Social is the barometer of culture—a fundamental indicator of what people find exciting, the problems they face and the issues they care about. It’s also the entry point for any brand looking to make an impact.

Doing so, however, may be harder than it sounds. Creative competition is becoming fiercer, especially in the new era of virtualization. Consumers’ voices are stronger, expectations around personalization are higher, and audiences are well aware of the value of their data, money and attention—meaning they demand a clear value exchange. Meeting those needs is no easy feat, but here’s the good news: communities are hungry for opportunities to co-create alongside brands, and those who provide those opportunities for them will be greatly rewarded. 

In any case, this has prompted a new urgency for creative differentiation. To that end, having a partner of record can help. While consultancies spend more time consulting than creating, a partner of record is fully immersed in the day-to-day of working in data management, content creation, creative editorial, digital media and beyond. That constant exchange of insights and expertise is key to engaging with audiences on social media, where delivering relevant content can be challenging and coming across as authentic is table stakes. 

Creative innovation is a mindset, not a sum of capabilities.

To seize cultural opportunities as they arise, a brand and its partners need to be quick on the draw. That means not only delivering with speed-to-market, but also coming up with creative ideas in the first place. A social partner of record fosters that by having a constant exchange of knowledge and ideas with the brand. While the brand’s input is key to crafting a story that’s true to its identity, the social partner provides unique perspectives that come from years of working with thousands of clients in different industries. And because they work so closely together, they operate as one well-oiled machine.

With Booking.com, we’re building on a long-standing relationship with a history of driving value through culturally-relevant campaigns. Not long ago, we helped the brand show up across cultures during the world’s largest musical event, Eurovision. Through an integrated strategy that included everything from influencer partnerships to content creation, we inspired audiences to experience the music, language and cultures that Europe has to offer—fostering meaningful conversations between influencers from different countries. And on the day of the event, we enticed the audience with exclusive behind-the-scenes content from the venue.

This, of course, is only the beginning. For Booking.com, the new, integrated social strategy includes managing PR campaigns, starting a global TikTok channel, doing a community management tune-up, adding paid social to the mix and aligning on how to communicate with the audience across platforms. “We will expand our partnership into end-to-end social that includes the launch of the first Booking.com TikTok channel, paid social, influencer marketing, community management and social strategy,” says Cedric Brunings, Head of Social Growth EMEA. “We will put together a team of social talent in Amsterdam and Madrid that will be fully dedicated to enhancing the brand’s social media presence.”

While mastering a variety of capabilities is key to seizing opportunities at the speed of social, it’s having the right mindset that sets you up for success. This means not only being adept at identifying the places, events or spaces where your brand should engage, but also knowing how you can show up authentically in every instance. That is why a social partner of record joins the conversations further upstream: because it helps marketing teams gain awareness on upcoming opportunities.

Working as Booking.com’s social partner of record, our job is to bridge innovative thinking with end-to-end creativity and speed-to-market to enable the brand to show up for consumers across platforms, regions and languages.

CMOs understand this need to meet audiences where they are more effectively: research from WARC shows that half of marketers say they are spending more on performance this year than last. If marketers are not marrying the performance levers of media and measurement to that of creative, they are not leveraging the most-malleable potential for aptly fueling for performance.

Adopting the performance creative mindset does more than enhance the rigor of ideas; it helps brands develop creative that is authentic to each channel and made for a target-specific audience. If done strategically, it educates and informs consumers, meeting them where they are—at the right place and right time, motivating them to engage with the brand speaker and (eventually) move down-funnel to purchase. Let’s dig into the tenets for performance creative success.

Be data-first, always.

Rethink your approach to creativity to make room for data inputs and outputs. Challenge yourself to view each new idea as potentially iterative, malleable for specific audiences and the different ways they interact across the user journey. This also gives ideas legs to stay relevant in the long term.

The old agency practice is antiquated, but many still place longform TV spots on digital. Rather, we must put in the time and energy to meet people where they are, creating meaningful experiences for audiences in a personalized and culturally conscious fashion. When we think with our audience truly in mind, they accept our invitation and welcome us as a speaker.

In this respect, performance creative isn’t about ticking off the boxes to optimize for the lowest common denominator in the audience. In an interview with SoDA Executive Director Tom Beck, Media.Monks Co-founder Wesley ter Haar put it this way: “It’s about how we message and personalize in ways that are actually meaningful for people and fun… understanding where the content lives and whether the effectiveness of the work you’re doing actually delivers the results you want.”

We aim to create the most-refined “fuel" for the media engine through rigorous iterative testing. With data as our driver, we continue to learn virtuously through an ever-evolving approach where performance metrics inform future creative briefs. Because we have the data, we understand what messaging and visuals perform best with our audience. And, in turn, we can more-confidently invest in larger creative production efforts.

Produce at scale to extend campaign lifespans.

To fuel experimentation and maximize the lifespan of any campaign, it's important to capture as much raw content as possible when investing the time, energy and capital in live production. This yields a healthy reservoir of raw content that you can continually draw from in post-production to craft an ecosystem of deliverables that are channel-specific in terms of best practice and intended audience consumptive behavior. And, past 2-3 weeks of placement, we can continue to adjust iteratively based on performance data indicators.

Here's how it worked for Hatch, a brand whose devices help people achieve better sleep. We used an out-of-the-box creative approach combining feedback data and content production to iterate fresh content at speed. We identified top-performing creative placements based on key metrics and began our efforts by iterating messaging and intro visuals as our baseline to quickly improve rising CPAs. Initial learnings led to wider, net-new messages and visual testing utilizing post-production only, and also instilled confidence in briefing live production efforts. Following this plan, Hatch was able to meet larger audiences more effectively, all with a greater variety of data-driven creativity.

Meet people where they are.

An insights-based approach to production also helps teams focus on which creatives best appeal to audiences on different platforms. Think about it: people turn to YouTube to lean back and relax, Pinterest for shopping inspiration, or TikTok for user-generated content and snackable reels—and content that performs best on these channels is designed to meet those expectations. We must, therefore, always begin all efforts with our audience in mind.

It’s important to be purposeful in how you show up across channels and play by the best practices to reflect the content each audience seeks. A look that fits the feed means all the difference between a viewer who’s engaged versus one who’s pining to hit the “skip” button as soon as five seconds are up. And be aware of what you’re up against: on social media, for example, your content competes with the personal relationships and connections that people care most about. Making a strong opening hook is crucial to capture attention, stopping audience thumbs and eyes and driving them to engage.

Also consider creative’s place in the funnel. Awareness content is most powerful when it’s educational and informative, while consideration content lends itself well when focused on a product’s single-minded, USP-specific message. Conversion content should be quick to incentivize the viewer.

Turning fear of failure into data-driven success.

If you don’t see improved metrics out of the gate, you must go back and keep trying. A lack of performance doesn’t necessitate a lack of learnings to inform future creative efforts. Even when a creative placement “fails,” we’re able to glean data on what does not work and devise new approaches. Follow the mantra: “Always be testing.”

Once you have built an ecosystem of deliverables that enable creative testing at scale, you’ll be able to iterate content at scale with data as your guide. So don’t be afraid to fail. It takes the best scientists time to synthesize the purest fuels and ignite transformative, new compounds. Likewise, performance creative begins by making a commitment to being data-driven, producing at scale and being willing to test, iterate and learn to meet audiences meaningfully where they are. We must be creative scientists in the endless pursuit to synthesize better and better assets to fuel media efforts.

The goal of the report is to help marketers “looking to produce imaginative, growth-oriented, and efficient marketing” assess the most significant service providers in the market. We are ranked among 12 other providers based on 17 criteria, including current offering, strategy and market presence. We believe these rankings paint a portrait of growing concerns in the transformation of digital and a new frontier for growth, and insight into how well-equipped partners are to help brands adapt.

Demand for growth fuels new priorities in marketing.

Forrester’s evaluation of marketing creative and content services in a single Forrester Wave™ is new this year, and reflects brands’ need for a partner who can combine a portfolio of services to build impact across the full customer journey. In the report, author Forrester Principal Analyst Jay Pattisall notes, “…As C-suite demands for growth and cost effectiveness increase, some enterprise buyers are seeking integrated and orchestrated solutions to unlock value across marketing campaigns, customer experience, and commerce.”

In particular, the report recognizes the “providers that matter most and how they stack up,” and we’ve noticed that those with strong abilities to integrate strategy and creativity to resonate with audiences scored highest. Our view is that those who can iteratively build, test and tweak content—and drive impact with highly efficient media spend—in this way are best able to fuel brands’ desire to achieve greater ROI, especially as hyper adoption of new channels and behavior accelerates.

Insight into evolving consumer behavior is key to transformational success.

The digital transformation marketplace is estimated to be worth $600 billion, growing at a compounded rate of 20% over the next 10 years. 80% of that growth comes from lifestyle mobility, social innovation and other virtualization adoption. Add in the cultural revolution enabling a complete reinvention of the internet, estimated to add over $1.5 trillion to the global economy by 2030, and the largest growth opportunity for brands in the history of digital is up for grabs: virtualization.

Contrary to the pipes, plumbing and integration that defined the digital transformation era, virtualization is defined by a set of new audience behaviors, cultural norms and technology paradigms resulting from 30 years of digital transformation, hyper-accelerated over the past five years. We believe this focus on behavior will define the winners of the new era.

In the Forrester Wave™, Pattisall affirms the importance of consumer insights for CMOs today. “Converting consumer insights into compelling content is paramount to persuading consumers to buy. Thirty-four percent of US online adults agree that they are more likely to purchase from brands that share content that interests them, according to Forrester’s Media And Marketing Benchmark Recontact Survey, 2022.”

From our perspective, offering this high level of relevance across the customer journey will demand brands and their partners to break free from the silos that often inhibit broad business transformation. This in turn calls for a new kind of model built from the ground up to enable collaboration between teams and different expertise.

Brands need a new approach for a new digital era.

In our own vendor profile, Pattisall notes that our “ambitious vision to ‘own the decade’ by preparing clients for the coming era of virtualization is backed by diverse digital talent, digital production strength, and a ‘can-do’ attitude that enthralls clients.” That can-do attitude is thanks in part to how we’re built differently, organized around an API-inspired model designed for seamless collaboration across disciplines and time zones.

We’re proud of what our teams have been able to accomplish under this model, like aligning broadcast and experiential expertise to earn the #1 spot on the Eventex 500 list of top event organizers at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fast forward to a year later, and we’ve similarly brought together the brightest minds in digital to launch Making the Metaverse, a report that aims to demystify one of the industry’s biggest buzzwords and help brands find their footing in the immersive internet. Subject matter experts across the business built a foundational perspective on the metaverse when others were just waking up to the space. Our leadership in the space continues with Meet Me in the Metaverse, an ongoing video series exploring a variety of metaverse concepts, which recently featured Forrester VP and Research Director Mike Proulx.

The API model also enables the “land and expand” strategy, in which client relationships organically grow and evolve by quickly aligning emerging needs with new services and offerings. "It's a second-by-second appraisal of what you're doing and is a far stronger way of building the relationship," S4Capital Founder and Executive Chairman Sir Martin Sorrell told Marketing Interactive.

Unlocking growth at speed calls for a foundationally different partner.

As we enter a new era in digital, marketing priorities are evolving with consumer behavior. This is prompting CMOs to seek out meaningful transformation and growth at incredible speed. While others are named as leaders in the Forrester Wave™, our perspective is that virtualization will further challenge strategies built around big ideas preferred by some, and that the traditional holding company model that others find themselves within will impede the broad transformations brands will seek to remain competitive.

Alternatively, a digital-native team integrated from start is ideally suited to move the needle. “Often a brand will ask, ‘What’s the best way to help us grow?’” says Joe Olsen, Chief Growth Officer. “By gathering subject matter expertise across creative, media, data and technology services in a single P&L, we can quickly identify opportunities for the quickest path to value.” In other words, we’re built to help brands ride the wave of a new era.

Just in time for putting the finishing touches on strategic marketing plans for the new year, Forrester has recently released three reports, authored by Principal Analyst Jay Pattisall, identifying key goals for modern marketers and the partners who can best help achieve them: the Q4 2021 reports “Now Tech: Media Management Services,” “Now Tech: Global Marketing Services” and “Now Tech: Marketing Creative and Content Services.”

When read together, they illustrate a marketing services industry in flux—a moment that puts the traditional advertising/marketing services model into question. Jay Pattisall writes in Now Tech: Global Marketing Services, Q4 2021: “CMOs and B2C marketing executives, if you, like so many we have spoken with, wrestle to deliver more growth and acquisition with fewer marketing resources, then it’s time for a new model. No longer will you find the effectiveness needed to elevate your marketing impact by piecing together multiple best-in-class providers from market to market.” We couldn't agree more.

It's Time for Agencies to Answer the Call

Pattisall's insight pre-empted a recent article by Jameson Fleming at Adweek that captures agencies and digital service partners wrestling with an existential question: what's their superpower? Exploring how agencies can better demonstrate their value—particularly toward marketers who are dealing with the very same urgent needs as raised by Pattisall's research—Fleming advises agencies “to show how different moving parts can function together to create more agile and responsive teams.”

Taking the opportunity to share our own perspective, S4Capital Founder and Executive Chairman Sir Martin Sorrell explained the strength that lies in our digital-first focus: “The great thing about digital is it’s about brainpower, not brawn,” he said. “When you’re buying media in a nanosecond, the need for brainpower rather than brawn becomes more and more important.” This inseparable relationship between strategy and agile execution is crucial to unlocking the flexibility and speed that brands require to adapt and prepare for another year of disruption.

This means partners who can offer creative problem-solving supported by a customer-centric perspective when it comes to content; who can deliver growth within the stop-and-go pandemic recovery in their global marketing; and deliver expertise in media management to respond to shifting privacy regulations imposed by both governments and big tech—not to mention consumers’ own evolving digital behaviors.

The Industry is Overdue for a New Model

Flip through the names listed in the reports linked above and you'll find that Media.Monks is the only name that shows up on each—because we've always understood the necessity of integrating and unifying each of these capabilities into a new model built for a new era. Even when specialist partners belong to the same holding company, foundational complexities inherent to the traditional model often stifle their ability to coordinate swiftly together to meet a client’s need. “The irony of networks is they do not have a network effect,” Media.Monks Co-Founder Wesley ter Haar told audiences at Advertising Week New York last fall, detailing how our API model is built to scale up and flex out across solutions and capabilities at speed.

The same idea translates to our merger model. Noting that many traditional holding companies rely on mergers and acquisitions to scale capabilities and delivery, in the Forrester report noted above, Pattisall advises marketers to “ensure all the operating companies share the same goals, the same incentive structure, and answer to the same leader—ideally the global account lead.” This is where true integration thrives in building alignment. 

“For traditional companies, the old trade was you retain your autonomy and independence and we’ll do the back office. Our trade is different: you merge your company into ours, and you become part of Media.Monks,” Sir Martin Sorrell told Erik Siekmann in a recent episode of the Marketing Transformation Podcast. This approach to mergers—not acquisitions—lays the groundwork for streamlined collaboration across clients’ integrated marketing needs, because everyone is on the same team united by the same values.

Toward Stronger, More Flexible Partnership

The need for greater flexibility has become only more urgent as global supply chain issues, inflation, pandemic uncertainties and other geopolitical disruptions continue. This has led to an urgent need for scalable solutions that fit brands’ changing needs as digital behaviors evolve. One way we’ve been able to build strong, collaborative relationships with brands is our “land and expand” strategy, in which we’re brought in to solve a key need, then work along with our clients to zero in on more opportunities to make a greater impact or deliver stronger results. 

In “Now Tech: Marketing Creative and Content Services, Q4 2021,” Pattisall recommends setting “an environment for co-innovation” between yourself and partners: “Increase your brand’s and your agencies’ chances to hit the creative mark with a co-innovation partnership, where internal marketing experts and external content and campaign experts work together.” With a shared desire with both parties to innovate, our “land and expand” relationships with brands grow along with their ambition. In addition, this frees brands from a continual cycle of navigating competitive pitches that slow innovation momentum.

Such an approach only works when a partner has broken down the silos and barriers that traditionally stifle collaboration, innovation and agility—for example, marrying strategy, data with production to boost creative effectiveness in real time. By collaborating with a partner whose unitary model provides seamless access to a diverse team of global talent, brands will be better supported in strengthening the effectiveness of their marketing across the digital ecosystem.