«The best things are born from scarcity. Managing abundance is very easy.»

We are sharing this interview conducted by IP Mark to the director MIG Prisma Madrid, Vanesa Landa, in which he discusses the situation of marketing and advertising agencies following the impact of the pandemic and what the future prospects are.

QUESTION: How would you summarise what 2020 has represented for independent agencies? And for your agency in particular? Is the sustainable business model – one of the stated objectives of independent agencies – drifting further away on the horizon?

Our particular case has not been dramatically affected by the pandemic or its side effects, nor even severely. However, we believe the real test comes this year. The most damaged agencies will go to market very aggressively, clients will know how to take advantage of this weakness, and we already know the consequence from previous periods. In any case, our strategic roadmap has not changed; we are committed to specialised integration, where the combination of creativity, customer experience, technology, and data is the only possible instrument for sustainability.

The de-capitalisation of talent and dramatic cuts in advertising investment are among the most serious consequences of the crisis. What effect are these factors having on the quality of the creative product, strategy, etc. that agencies are offering their clients? Is it possible to maintain quality standards in this situation?

R: There's no other way. Managing scarce resources should be a display of an agency's competitive intelligence. Perhaps we are too Spartan in our conception of creative work and our relationship with our clients, but excusing a drop in quality due to more contained budgets, especially in the current socio-economic situation, seems almost obscene to us. The best is born out of scarcity. Managing abundance is very easy.

What is the behaviour of new business activity like?

In our case, we try to be selective, building upon our existing clients. Our focus is to grow and consolidate within the clients we serve and in our strategic alliances. New business is an enormous drain on resources, which must be properly assessed to avoid compromising our service to clients and the performance of our teams.  

A: A lot has changed forever in the last few months. In your opinion, what will be the hardest for your sector to give up? Do you think this crisis can bring anything positive to the advertising industry in the near future?

R: Renounce? What are society and most of the country's economic sectors going to renounce? This profound change is one of many to come; it's not about thinking what you're giving up, but what new triumphs you must achieve. Our agency, our group as a whole, thrives on change. We dislike thinking we operate in a complaining sector, always dwelling on the past, believing that yesteryear was better. I know that today we are different people, professionals, and an organisation than we were a year ago, and that next year we will be even more different. And yes, I know we are better, because we are more resilient, with a greater capacity to respond to any changing environment, more aware of the implication our work has on our clients' progress. And, surely, more creative, in the broadest sense of the term.