The agency and advertising landscape is in flux – but where some see disruption, others see opportunity. These are the game changers, industry shapers and trailblazers. Welcome to ‘Out Of Office’, a series in which we interview agency leaders about what’s next.
In this episode, Josh Krichefski, CEO of MediaCom EMEA, joins Google’s Managing Director of Agencies & Partners Matt Bush at the 3 Tribes fitness studio in London.
Watch to see how one of advertising’s most respected leaders is adapting to new demands from clients, championing mental health in the workplace and getting the best out of tech.
3 key take-aways from Josh:
- Challenges are coming from places they never came from before
You have a choice – you can treat these challenges as a threat, or as an opportunity. At MediaCom it’s the latter; they encourage us to change and develop our business. As long as the freedom and autonomy are there, you can pivot, no matter the size of the organisation. - People first, better results
That’s been our philosophy for 15 years. One way we’ve done this is with ‘mental health stories’. It started with five people sharing their mental health experiences in company-wide emails. It was pretty brave, but everyone read them and people responded very positively. What it did overnight was breaking down barriers and created a vibe that it was okay to talk. And a happy, healthy team is good for business. - We should rethink the traditional working day
I wanted to take the pressure off people, so I said: “You can work the hours you want to work, you can work where you want to work, as long as you deliver your KPIs.” I also told people not to email colleagues after 7pm. No matter how busy I am in the day, I sleep better if I don’t read emails after 7pm. It’s healthier.
Check in next Wednesday to watch the next episode of Out Of Office. To see the full line-up of industry leaders and the topics they’ll be covering, visit here.
