Johan, you've worked in the advertising industry for 30 years. What made you decide to shift to an umbrella organisation?

"I was chairman at BBDO when around my 50th, my body sent me a clear signal that I needed to take it easier. I believed I could best do that by switching to a part-time job. When the then-CEO of ACC, who managed the job in about two days a week, retired, I didn’t hesitate to take over his role. At ACC, I could do what I love most: bring people together and ensure they collaborate to build something we all benefit from."

How did the need for an organisation like ACC rise?

"The need to come together and unite has always been there. In the early days, only advertising agencies were members of ACC. It focused on everything related to regulation and legalisation: drafting watertight contracts, making good pitch agreements... All initiatives were driven by self-preservation. Gradually, our vision shifted from the question 'How can we protect our profession?' to 'How can we improve it and strengthen our reputation?"

Would you care to elaborate?

"Advertisers are often portrayed as the guys who make people consume and don't care much about reality. By actively focusing on themes such as sustainability, diversity, and inclusion, we can change this perception. We create charters, distribute vision notes, and educate our members on these issues. It’s important that we always, even in harder times, continue to push and draw attention to these issues. This way, agencies can provide answers to their clients that are also socially relevant or sustainable. Through all of these efforts, we raise awareness around various current topics while demonstrating the societal importance of the creative sector."

In what way have you seen the sector evolve?

"In recent years, I have seen agencies evolve from idea factories to creative consultants. Many agencies realise that their added value must not solely depend on a loose concept. A creative idea must be based on a vision that is strategically supported, the added value lying in how the strategy is conceptually designed in all possible variations. In the past, creating a good TV commercial or poster sufficed. Today, as a client, you have so many touchpoints to manage, you can’t do without a partner who can oversee all of them and substantiate the strategic vision and personality of your brand. Agencies purely focusing on execution are falling behind and are being replaced by those capable of thinking strategically and translating that in an attractive manner."

What steps do you believe are still necessary to enhance collaboration between companies and creative agencies?

"One of the areas we are currently working on at ACC is client connection. As agencies, we need to listen even more to our clients, better understand what our clients are dealing with, and formulate the right answers. So, we need to move towards a more strategic approach that is well translated and where we must master all touchpoints and technologies. As an agency, we need to know how to reach each target audience, and with which technologies and tools. There's still a lot of room for improvement in this respect."

Which moments in your career have changed your view on branding, so far?

"A few years back, banks and temp agencies began to merge extensively. As an agency manager, I was forced to think about how to communicate such mergers. At the beginning of my career, I hadn't put much thought into that. But over time, I realised the importance of branding. As a person, you have a face, which you’re pretty much stuck with. However, you do have a personality that you can shape. The same goes for brands. And so I began to see how branding specialists can create a face for a brand and generate as much potential as possible, starting from a vision and shaping the brand’s personality along the way."

As the CEO of ACC, what keeps you awake at night?

"What concerns me is the perfect storm we are currently facing in our sector. We’re experiencing consecutive crises: the coronavirus, wars, inflation... The indexing seriously impacts the margins of agencies, while the resources of the client remain the same and the specialists needed to shape the ever-increasing number of touchpoints become more expensive. This puts pressure on resources, talents, and management. The resilience we show will ensure that we emerge from this as a united whole. Today, we are actively working on providing an answer to this."

Finally, what advice would you give to entrepreneurs and marketers when choosing a creative agency?

"Look for a partner you have chemistry with. This is determined by the culture and the people. Ask the agency about their culture as it’s their duty to tell you what they stand for. If your cultures match well, it's about finding the right people, who fit your vibe and will stay on board for a long time. This particularly concerns people in management, whom you can easily call to discuss matters. What the agency will ultimately deliver for you can actually be assessed based on the work they have done for other clients. It's not useful to ask an agency to quickly do the work in the sales phase. An agency must be able to familiarise itself with your company and its issues, which requires dialogue. If it were that easy, every agency would quickly come up with a perfect solution. So, the most important thing is to find an agency with a similar company culture – or not, if you want to adapt your culture and need a shock effect – and with the right people."

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