The Modern Chief Creative Officer Must Lead Through Inspiration and Communication

This is the second in a dedicated series of stories to analyze what being a modern agency C-suite member entails, talking with people holding those positions at agencies big and small, and those independent or operated by holding companies. The first piece in the series looks at the changing role of the modern CEO. Creativity doesn’t just happen. The “be creative now” command that many creatives have heard in their careers doesn’t exactly get the creative juices flowing. Creative must be coaxed, it must be informed, it must be inspired. Good chief creative officers are responsible for all those aspects of the creative process and more. Adweek talked with chief creative officers from a variety of agencies, from independents to network shops, finding out how they steer creative direction and create success. The Creative Process Is Changing. Here’s How to Keep Up What is the current role of the CCO? The modern chief creative officer tries to elevate the work and the craft to bring out the best in the creative team. “We're almost like a cruise director these days,” said Atit Shah, chief creative officer at Digitas, explaining that a CCO must give employees and clients a sense that they are seeking a destination—ultimately good work—and they are all traveling together in the right direction. The new chief creative officer must also lead through inspiration, and that goes beyond just the creative team and office spaces. Marketing does not happen in a vacuum—it happens within the context of cultureGeoffrey Goldberg, co-founder and CCO, Movers+Shakers “I want everyone to understand that they are creative, that they have creative answers, and to push to find their own way to voice it,” said Ali Alvarez, CCO at Los Angeles independent agency Omelet. “Our job is to facilitate creativity where it happens and it turns out it happens everywhere,” added Joe Staples, CCO and partner at Mother, stating that creativity can be inspired outside the office, from a walk in the park to a lunch date. Technology and the pandemic have altered human behavior and the media landscape, and agency partners need to help brands navigate these shifts. Ben Williams, global chief creative experience officer for TBWA\Worldwide, says that it’s the responsibility of the CCO to recognize and understand these shifts to be able to adapt and evolve the creative output to remain relevant for today’s world. The CCO must “set a creative vision and direction for the company in terms of a definition and approach to creativity that inspires and enables work to be created that sets it apart from others in the market,” said Williams. They should also have a deep understanding of the changing cultural landscape and rapidly evolving platforms to lead creative teams and help bring clients into new spaces. “Marketing does not happen in a vacuum—it happens within the context of culture,” stated Geoffrey Goldberg, co-founder and CCO of agency Movers+Shakers. “It’s not enough for a CCO to have a strong creative vision, they also need an expanding creative toolkit and a willingness to listen to and look for new approaches to creativity.” Moving away from the top-down CCO “Hierarchical leadership is dead,” declared Shah. He described the CCO of old as one who sat in an office as people came in and put their work up on a wall, then reviewed and judged with the wave of a hand and a stern direction, which isn’t at all how a modern lead creative should act. “The hierarchy thing that we're used to is not as rigid now,” added Jason Campbell, head of creative at independent creative agency Translation. “The first and foremost thing for me is making sure there is space for creativity, because creativity needs space…I don't lead by fear, I lead by permission. My mandate to every creative person is to go as far as you can. Be as recklessly creative as you can be.” Stay aware of the world. Stay in it and not endlessly at your desk.Ali Alvarez, CCO, Omelet Two of a modern CCO’s main functions are setting the tone and vision for what creativity looks like and nurturing the health and growth of their department by implementing and pushing for improvements in processes, skills and culture, according to Adrian Belina, CCO and founder of design and experience agency Jam3. A chief creative must be able to help champion the process by utilizing new tools, like social media, user-generated content, podcasting, the metaverse and more. “Creativity has not changed, but the tools have. Leaders must approach creativity with an egoless curiosity to learn new ways of storytelling and discover innovative tools and methodology,” said Goldberg. Nurturing talent—communication is key Creativity needs great talent to help it come to life and a good CCO inspires creativity within the agency to attract and nurture it. “Getting the best thinking and work out of people requires work. It needs an empathetic approach, a human approach and one that is open, inclusive and invites different perspectives to the table. If we don’t have a diverse mix of people in the creative process, the creative output suffers,” said Williams. Facilitating success for up-and-coming talent also requires a good deal of communication between the CCO and team. A good CCO is available to talk with creatives when they need help. Most of the creatives interviewed said their phones are on and they are reachable at all times. “I've tried to create that environment where even my junior people coming out of school can reach out to me,” said Campbell. New ways of working Keeping people inspired also involves the ability to adapt to new technologies and new ways of thinking and working. Keeping up with the speed of the emerging media landscape, and with what the makers of the world are doing, is essential for a CCO. Shah uses a program at Digitas called the Wormhole, which is a focus on emerging creative technologies and how they impact the ways brands create, the way companies are making things and how that moves the needle from a business standpoint. We have to really take more risks into hiring diverse candidates.Shayne Millington, co-CCO, McCann New York “It's a real survey of a given topic. It started as a small test kitchen thing, but we now get, across offices, around 300 people in attendance,” said Shah. Strategy is another key to helping creativity thrive, since a solid strategy can lead to more effective reach and penetration within the marketplace. “A focused strategy is the fastest way, no matter what you're doing, to stay on top,” said Rob Kottkamp, CCO at Partners + Napier, adding that the CCO must have some business knowledge to stay relevant. “You become equal parts creative, account executive, account manager, strategist, technologist and client whisperer—it's about the relationships.” Cultural know-how is another way to stay creatively nimble. “Stay aware of the world. Stay in it and not endlessly at your desk—you’re no use to culture there,” said Alvarez. Culture and diversity combined Agencies are constantly seeking a more diverse employee base, and that’s doubly important for creativity. Diversity of race, gender, orientation and thought are all vital to be able to compete in a consumer marketplace that demands inclusivity. “I don't think we should be finding diversity that fits the agency. If we're doing this thing right, we are adapting to the world. Creative departments should be looking to be like the world we're servicing,” said Campbell. Shayne Millington, co-CCO at McCann New York, sees the need for more diversity in the creative world. When she was coming up in the ’90s and early 2000s, she and other women and people of color did not get the opportunities as their male counterparts. But she sees a shift in the industry, one that now allows greater diversity to rise to the top. That, however, requires agencies to be bold. Listening to people's thoughts and ideas will only aid a CCO in maintaining relevance.Ben Williams, global chief creative experience officer, TBWA\Worldwide “We have to really take more risks into hiring diverse candidates, and we have to help with mentoring, we have to help with empathy,” said Millington. McCann offers open briefs, which allows everybody a chance at the same creative opportunities. She and co-CCO Pierre Lipton have also instituted “idea hours” where anybody can come to them with any idea and they will give feedback on the idea, “and a lot of times those ideas have gone to clients and some of them are actually going to be made.” Millington said that women and people of color who want to get ahead have to also believe that they can do it and see themselves in those roles. “I also say, ‘I want to hear different voices in meetings. I want to hear you speak up,’” said Millington. Keeping an agency in tune with culture also means being empathetic and paying attention to what people have to say. “Listening to people's thoughts and ideas will only aid a CCO in maintaining relevance as they form and evolve their vision of creativity and direct the agency today and into tomorrow,” said Williams. The CCO is a many-layered job, but one that ultimately comes down to the creativity of the people who work at the agency, and the chief creative can help be the architect. “If we help build a place where the most diverse and interesting people want to come and work together to make the best things in the world, we all win,” said Staples. As Burnout Plagues Creatives, Here’s How Agencies Are Keeping Them Inspired