Brand Development
Communication Strategy
Creative Direction
I work in the advertising industry for 20 years+ in Agency & Client-side (France & Asia)
During my career, I had the opportunity to work in agency & client-side.
While evolving in client-side, being at the core of the reactor, brings focus, rigor and insights on what drive the business.
The agency is definitively the creative environment in which you try new things, push boundaries, and expand horizons.
On a mission to develop brands. Defining a strategic vision for a brand, implementing its development strategically (according to its stage in the branding process & journey, and in order to make the vision a reality) thru creative strategies • Crafting and maintaining its identity over time (to adapt, and to stay relevant to its audiences and to market shifts) • Being a gatekeeper to ensure brand identity cohesiveness across all touch points • Coming up with the relevant messaging and its storytelling, that resonate with the target audiences • Using newest trends and tech, to translate the marketing strategy into emotional connections with the audiences.
Understanding of customer segmentations & Stakeholders stakes, to support their product development for market fit and G2M • Understanding of X-function dynamics for X-sell • Presentation and articulation of the conceptual thinking to convince Brand & Marketing team, C-level Executives (using active listening, diplomacy and ei) • Incorporation of feedback • Build relationship based on trust.
Defining a Creative team structure in relation to the company’s needs, hiring accordingly, onboarding the Creative team members and welcoming them in a culture of excellence, teamwork environment and innovation • Providing best practices operation guidelines, creative process protocols guidance and trainings to develop their craft, and to elevate their strategic thinking • Monitoring the progress • Encouraging them to become the best version of themselves • Set creative direction for the campaigns, ensuring alignment with the brief’s objectives and brand guidelines • Review creative work.
Establishing a project management platform to drive efficiency (when working with X-functions). A clear workflow supports the workload • Allocation of the right Creative team members to meet project efficiency (optimization) • Use of MVP agile methodology.
Overseeing the execution and the production, to ensure quality of the outcomes (communication materials & marketing collaterals), and making sure that it’s delivered on schedule, while managing simultaneous live projects to meet communication & business objectives • Being on site for photo (KV) or video (TVC) shooting in order to ensure that it’s on brand, and not only in term of brand visual identity, but it term of brand identity (personality, positioning, core values, messaging).
For growth.
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CV
For most of positions, a CV is enough. However, for some others, a CV with a bunch of bullet points imo is not enough. And since, part of the job of a Creative Director is to develop proposals (decks) that consolidates the offer to present it to clients, I approach my CV like I would if I had to create a proposal.
When I hire Creative team members, when it comes to a CV or portfolio, what I actually pay attention first, is not about the content but how it’s presented. Part of our job is to present clients’ brand or products to the world in the best way as possible. So only delivering a basic CV, with a minimum effort, doing what everyone else is doing, is not enough. Also, I believe how a candidate presents his/her works, says a lot about if it’s just a 9 to 5 job, or a passion.
J O U R N E Y
I was working in France in some agencies as creative. But I felt that I couldn’t make significant progress. Then I could not resist to the call to adventure. So more than 10 years ago, I decided to move in Asia in order to gain international experience. Turns out that, what I discovered exceeded my expectations. I discovered new cultures, new way of thinking, new way of working.
It allowed to transcend my worldview, discovering new ones. Along the way, working in both Agency & Client-side, allowed me to see the bigger picture when it comes to branding & communication strategy.
People use to say “we only have one life”. It doesn’t have to be that way. I believe that if we live life to the fullest, we can have several lives in one life. Today, I’m back in France, and feel excited to write the 2nd part of the adventure.