MANILA, PHILIPPINES— As part our International Women’s Month tribute in adobo magazine, we talked to ad agency leaders, of which many are women, to tell us how they view the future of the ad industry: what’s the most exciting emerging area, the risk and threats to the industry, and their fearless predictions.
A barometer and dip stick into the ad business as seen from remarkable women leaders, after traversing their business through a full year in lockdown due to the pandemic. Let us hear what they have to say. #adoboSheCreativeNetwork
What is the most exciting emerging area or skill that agency leaders are looking for today?
It’s now more apparent that there is a premium on the ability of all practitioners to adapt to an all-together new way of life, a new way of working. We’ve seen how our seasoned agency people are addressing the fast-changing situation. Less drama, more work. No time to waste. Consumers are eager to hear from the brands they trust. Communicators need to act almost like “news networks”. Everything is urgent! The usual timetable is pushed aside. The agencies that will adjust to this kind of milieu will most likely succeed.
What are the pivots that agencies need to make it in the next few years?
In a way, this is really the best time to try out new things. The agency has been able to quickly launch business ideas and decisions with minimal resources and focus on the results as we learn and improve.
We’re moving from a 1,000 sqm. office to a 200 sqm space. If the cases go down and the vaccines become available to all, people might start wanting to go back to the office. And we will resume activating our plans of getting two satellite offices when this happens.
What is the biggest risk or threat that the industry and ad people are facing?
The WFH set-up is both a blessing and a curse. People are relieved of not having to suffer long hours in traffic just to get to work on time. But staying home all day and all week-long can potentially ignore the necessity for the body to recharge after a long day or to loosen up and relax over a bottle or two… The notion that people are perpetually available to talk business online can drive our millennial and Gen Z staff crazy. We rob them of their “me-time.”
In our agency, we’ve been trying to practice the philosophy of “Humanity Over Commerce.” Yes, the business needs to be served for us to stay afloat during these difficult times. But, hopefully not at the expense of our people’s emotional and mental health.
What is your fearless prediction about the ad industry’s future an evolution in the next 10 years?
The whole landscape continues to change… media channels, business models, execution modalities, etc. The dust has not quite settled just yet… I see the change will continue as technology and habits evolve. I would rather not attempt to even predict what’s going to be the outcome. But I know 10 years, or even 5 years from now the industry will not “look and feel the same”… things will be different. But so will our agency be. We will definitely ride out the change.
Do you have any advice for students who want to enter the field?
This has always been an industry driven by passion. Passion for ideas… passion for executions… It will always be worthwhile to those who share the same mindset.
Despite the threats and risks, I will still encourage students to enter the only industry that I know and love. There intuitiveness if used well can help them be better in this field.
About Portia Catuira
Portia is currently the Managing Director of TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO—in charge of overall operations of the agency. She has a direct hand in managing the Client Service Group, the Human Resource Department, and Tequila, the Activation brand.
She represents TBWA\SMP in major Regional and Global TBWA Training sessions and Management Conferences, including regional and global CEO Conferences.
She recently took the pivotal role of being the accounts lead for INGAT ANGAT TAYONG LAHAT, a national campaign launched at the height of the current pandemic, aimed to boost consumer confidence and to stimulate and re-open the economy safely. This campaign gave her the opportunity to take lead and be the point person in orchestrating sponsorships and contributions from 32 international and national brands and clients.
At one point in her career, Portia was also the Founder and Managing Director of NOW MEDIA, a startup agency she founded in 1998.
