No GUT no glory; from startup to Cannes Lions agency of the year in 5 years - Anselmo Ramos
Dec 6, 2023
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Anselmo Ramos, Co-founder and Creative Chairman of GUT, a global independent creative agency, discusses his journey, starting independent agencies, winning business, what makes a great CMO, and stand out Grand Prix winners.
Following your gut instinct and believing in oneself is crucial for success.
Prioritizing people over work and building strong relationships leads to great work and satisfied clients.
GUT agency emphasizes love and passion, driving their success and fostering a supportive team culture.
Deep dives
Creating a Brave Culture and Maintaining Gut's Identity
GUT is an agency built on the values of courage, transparency, and intuition. They have intentionally designed their culture, focusing on establishing a strong brand identity and principles. The agency nurtures their culture through regular communication, shared values, and language, ensuring that everyone understands the brand personality and positioning. GUT aims to stay true to its values as it scales by providing tools and resources that empower employees to keep the culture alive. The agency's emphasis on bravery and passion fosters a strong sense of dedication and commitment to delivering exceptional creative work.
Proactive Ideas and One-Line Briefs
GUT encourages its team to think proactively and come up with creative ideas that align with brand identities. They believe that anyone can answer a brief at any time, as long as they deeply understand the brand and its positioning. By cultivating a culture of creative thinking and sharing, GUT empowers its employees to generate innovative ideas tailored to their clients' needs. The agency often uses one-line briefs, such as a play with fire for Burger King, to provide a clear direction that guides the creative process and ensures work is on brand.
Cultivating Love and Passion for Advertising
GUT believes that love is the engine that drives their success. Their deep passion for advertising, ideas, and the industry shines through in the work they produce. The agency prioritizes building strong relationships with clients and brands, as well as fostering a supportive and loving team culture. GUT's commitment to love and passion comes across in their work, resonating with clients who appreciate the agency's genuine care and dedication to delivering exceptional results.
Importance of Following Your Gut
One main insight from the podcast episode is the importance of following your gut instinct when making decisions. The speaker emphasizes that if you have a strong feeling or desire to pursue something, you should trust and follow that feeling. They highlight that often we talk ourselves out of taking risks or pursuing our dreams due to fear or uncertainty. However, they argue that timing is never perfect and that believing in oneself is crucial for success. To support this idea, the speaker shares an anecdote about receiving advice from experienced individuals who encouraged them to follow their instincts and take action.
The Value of Prioritizing People in Advertising
Another key point discussed in the podcast is the significance of prioritizing people over work and clients in the advertising industry. The speaker suggests that by placing people first, ensuring their happiness, inspiration, and nurturing, great work can be achieved. They believe that when employees are motivated and passionate, they will produce outstanding results, leading to satisfied clients. The speaker emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships and partnerships with clients based on a shared ambition, where both the agency and the client work together towards creating memorable and impactful campaigns. They assert that a great client is one who treats the agency as a partner, not just a vendor, and is open to proactive ideas and the agency's passion.
Anselmo Ramos is the co-founder and Creative Chairman of GUT, a global independent creative agency with offices worldwide. He, along with his co-founder Gaston Bigio, opened GUT in 2018 with the goal of being the go-to agency for the world’s biggest brands, including Popeyes, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Tim Hortons, among others, who are looking to do brave work and long-term bold brand building. Prior to co-founding GUT, Anselmo was the co-founder of award-winning global creative agency DAVID, and he was also previously the Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Brazil.
Timestamps
00:00:00 - Start 00:01:04 - Why Anselmo is an ad nerd 00:03:12 - Favourite Ogilvy quotes 00:07:38 - Most proud of from time at Ogilvy 00:17:20 - Founding the DAVID agency 00:18:43 - Founding the GUT agency 00:20:55 - Being an independent agency 00:25:35 - Winning business in the early days 00:30:30 - What makes a great CMO? 00:33:00 - How to find good clients 00:37:30 - Agency of the year 00:40:59 - Stand out Grand Prix winners 00:45:29 - The one line brief 00:47:05 - Who else is doing great work? 00:48:46 - Scaling while staying true to your values 01:02:06 - Expansion
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