Taking a pause , he said to begin with it is important that one is alive to the fact that change is a constant and to survive we must adjust our sails accordingly . ‘ Obviously I have witnessed all kinds of changes in the advertising and the wider marketing arena , but there is one that stands out above the rest . As I witnessed this change unfold , I made a decision that propelled the agency to greater heights . Let me rewind the clock to provide the necessary context ’.
He told me in the early years he got clients largely by leveraging personal relationships ; through networking and from positive word of mouth . This worked well as things were much simpler and straight forward then . Varying his tone he continued , ‘ after twenty years of slow and steady growth I realised that we needed to fast track our growth by adding to our few global clients . However , there was a shift in the way these clients selected their agencies , starting with a vetting process and calling a few to pitch . Being multinational , they naturally and understandably , preferred to work with global agencies or local ones affiliated to one . This left Access out in the cold and our only option was to seek a global affiliation . In short that is how we came to partner with Leo Burnett , one of the agencies under the Publicis umbrella .
Today our relationship with Publicis goes beyond being just an affiliate . ‘ More than getting a seat at the pitching table we have benefitted from training on international best practices , staff exchange programmes and use of proprietary advertising tools . This has significantly contributed to making ALB a much better agency , benefitting all our clients ’, he said with a pleased grin .
Take Three : Know when to leave the dance floor even if the music has not stopped
How did Annette , your daughter , come to join you and when did you decide it was time to pass the baton to her ? I inquired . He said he had not planned it that way but thankfully things naturally fell into place , fate as it were . ‘ Annette was drawn into advertising from a young age . And I am not sure when the seed was planted . It could be when she was cast as a model for Tree Top and Bata Shoe Company commercials , while I was still at Ogilvy . She earned some pocket money and probably figured out that advertising pays ,’ he joked . Or it could be during her frequent sojourn to our offices and naturally gravitating to the creative side , the studio . What is clear is that she is creative and artistic , which probably influenced her choice to study advertising for her undergraduate studies in the UK and then join Access upon completion . Later she secured a USAID scholarship and went to Syracuse in the USA , for her Master ’ s Degree in Creative Advertising Communication . As you can see her education and experience was laying the ground work , providing her with a solid foundation for the world she was to face , even though it may not have been clear to any of us at that time ’ Raul said reflectively .
Annette learnt the ropes quickly and became the Managing Director in 2007 . With a twinkle in his eye he went on , ‘ since taking on the leadership baton , Annette has grown the agency with new clients and a bigger office on Lenana Road , a far cry from my small start-up on Kimathi Street .
Take Four : Your moves need not change with every new song
To end on a high note I asked , ‘ What did it take for you to build such as successful agency ?
Straight off the bat he said ; ‘ obviously there is no magic wand or silver bullet , as it takes a mixture in the pot , including having the right people and constantly investing in their development ’. However , in my sixty years I think there are two critical and constant pillars , cast in stone if you will . These have remained true even with the passage of time and guided the agency through the rapidly evolving and often confusing terrain ’. He continued thoughtfully , ‘ the first is that advertising at its core is about people , how they interface and relate , for we are all but human despite changing hats to suit different occasions . Therefore , the agency must be intentional and cultivate meaningful personal relationships with clients and other business partners .
After a hiatus and a sip of water he went on “ secondly for the agency to deliver its core mandate of creating relevant communication , it must have an intimate understanding of the market place , especially the consumer , for that ’ s what we bring to the party . To this end we must not solely rely on formal research or the client ’ s brief . We need to go out there and feel the pulse by observing and talking to customers as they interact with the brands . From my experience , some of most powerful ideas are hatched in the market place , as one connects the dots from watching and listening . The insights so gathered enable the agency deliver ideas that result in measurable business earning the client ’ s respect ’ he emphasised .
‘ Both pillars rely on face-to-face interactions and so even with the advent of information technology nothing beats the personal touch as it were . Moreover , from experience , relevant ideas and meaningful relationships go a long way in client retention . I want to end by saying that professionalism and integrity must be part of the agency ’ s DNA and we work to ensure practice this at ALB ’ he said with the confidence borne of experience .
With that our fire chats came to an end . I cannot thank Raul enough for taking his time and being so sincere in sharing his story as opening the door to one ’ s life takes courage and a big heart , and that ’ s Raul for you .
Robert Wamai is a trainer and advertising consultant , a passionate consumer advocate and believer in the power of brands . You can engage him on this or related matters via email at : Wamairobert51 @ gmail . com