Javier Suso, CEO of VCCP Spain, is interviewed by the magazine Anuncios in the nº 1580 - 10/09/2018.
Although satisfied, Javier Suso acknowledges the wear and tear as CEO of Grey's transformation project over the last three years, which has brought him back to VCCP Spain, the agency he co-founded in 2012 and to which he returns as CEO. He assures us that in this time he has not lost sight of VCCP, a company that must now focus on adapting the London office model and helping its clients to face the digital transformation, an objective for which, he tells us, the team is going to be strengthened. Javier Suso talks to Anuncios about this reunion between professional and agency, about their aims for this new stage, about what they have lived, and also about what they have learnt.
Journalist: Ana Venegas.
Javier Suso joined VCCP Spain as CEO this summer. Begins a second stage in the agency, of whose founding team he was part and of which he was the first general manager, a position he held from 2012 to 2015. For the next three years, Javier Suso has been CEO of Grey Spain. In his new position, he reports to Peter Polster, chie operating officer of VCCP Group, and works with the current management team of VCCP Spain which, after the recent departure of Nines Alcalde, who until now occupied the general management (this interwiew took place a month before the departure of this) is formed by Neto Serrano, director of strategic planning, who are part of the project of VCCP Spain since its launch in 2012.
Anuncios- Can we Know why she left Grey? Is it the result of not having been able to revive the agency?
Javier Suso.- Quite the opposite. When I arrived at Grey we defined and ambitious tranformation plan and, during these three years, we advanced in it with very satisfactory results, in fact I leave the agency objectively much better than I found it. I decided to leave Grey because managing a transformation project of this magnitude into an agency of this type and of this magnitude wears out a lot, especially someone who enjoys working as an advertiser. I wanted to enjoy my profession again.
A.- What is your assessmento of these three years at the helm of Grey? What difficulties have you encountered? What do you bring with you from this experience?
J.S.- The balance is very positive. I take with me a lot of learning, great friends and the satisfaction of having done the best we could. IIt´s true that there were difficulties, but in spite of that, thanks to the commitment of the team we obtained the best business results since 2011, the best customer satisfaction ratios and the best results in festivals during the 33 years of the agency´s life. In addition, we won competitions for important accounts suach as Banco Sabadell and Iberdrola in digital, Revlon Professional, Bizum or P&G, where we assumed responsibilities in Southern Europe, as well as in GSK Oral Care. Besides, we didn´t sign Mbappé, but with the same team that was already in Grey. My biggest success was to restructure the agency and put the means in place to bring out talent that was hidden and critical to taking steps in the right direction.
A.- They say that second parts were never good, but you go back to VCCP. Why?
J.S.- First of all, because I am very much aligned with VCCP´s culture and values, and I fully identify with its challenging spirit. Then, because as co-founder of VCCP Spain together with Beto Nahmad and Nuria Serrano, I have a very stroong emotional bond with this agency and its team, both in Madrid and London. Because here I enjoyed and learned a lot during more than three years and I am convinced that I will do it again because we have a great concentration of talent and the support of the most innovative agency in the world:VCCP London. And, above all, because we have an exciting project on our hands.
In only six years of life, VCCP Spain is in one of the most attractive agencies in the Spanish market, in fact it is the agency most recommended by 100% of its cliets according to Agency Scope, and is called to do great things in the coming years. I´m going to the vest possible place.
OBJECTIVES
A.- How does your responsibility fit into the new organisation?
J.S.- We will reinterpret the VCCP London model, but with the creative freshness and innovative character that is part of our identity in Spain. Today, VCCP London has not been affected by the threat of consulting firms because for years they have been helping their clients to face transformation strategies, putting the consumer at the centre and betting on optimising the consumer´s experience. It is an agency capable of closing the circle , offering all services in an integrated way: data, consulting, creativity, branded content, production, media, social, retail, and so on. In VCCP Spain we apply their methodology, integrating the offer of consulring, creativity and media, which siplifies the relationship with advertisers, makes us totally neutral and above all much more efficient, being able to generate better bussiness results.
PAST,EVOLUTION AND PRESENT
A.- From Paseo de la Castellana 53, the headquarters of Grey Madrid, have you followes the evolution of VCCP over the last three years? How do ou rate it?
J.S.- Of course! I have followed each step with a strange mixture of pride, affection,, admiration and, on many occasions, healthy envy. They have done extraordinarily well since my departure in 2015. You only have to look at the work that has been done, which is exceptional, to realise it.
A.- And once you are back, what differences do you find between the agency you left in 2015 and the one you find now? What do you bring with you from your experience at Grey over the years that can help you in your return to VCCP?
J.S.- The agency continues to have overglowing talent and energy, ir continues to bet on ideas, on strategic rigour and on having an impact on the bussiness of our clients. In addition, the agency continues to have a special ability to maje things happen. VCCP Spain has faced new experiences in this time and, as a consequence of this, today it is a more solid agency and is more aligned than ever with its purpose and foundational values. As far as I am concerned, at Grey I have faced very enriching new challenges and situations. I have grown as a professiona, gained perspective and learned things that will be very useful in this new stage.
A.- What is VCCP´s current mometno in the national market? Where do you expect to ve in the next few years?
J.S.- VCCP Spain is one of the most creative and innovative agencies on the market, which puts us in an excellent starting point. However, it´s time to vindicate our ability to help customers cope with digital transformation processes, to put the consumer experience at hte heart of their strategy and to design interconnected, relevant, different and consistent experiences throughout the consumer jpurney. To this end, in the coming weeks VCCP Spain will receive new strategic talent from the besto digital agencies and experience design in the world, as well as new creative talent from the best agencies in our country. We will also strengthen the campaign optimisation capabilities of our media unit, which is highly valued by clients who work with it by successfully pooling their own, earned and paid media. There is a lot to do, but the starting point is excellent.
THE NETWORK
A.- As for the network and, taking into account the events of recent months within WPP [sharehoer of Chime, owner group of VCCP], what do you think the role of VCCP could be in the new international scenario? Do you still see yourself within the group?
J.S.- It has been proven that it is not necessary to have hundreds of offices all over the world to manage brands on an international level.In fact, having thousands of employees and hundreds of offices makes it almost impossible to manage and coordinate and control teams, generates bureaucracy and makes talent more concerned with politics than ideas. VCCP defines itself as a micronetwork with several officesm in which all the professionals know each other and we can work really collaboratively regardless of geography or the P&L of each one, something that, although tried, is really complicated in an old-fashioned network.In addition, this way we can ensure that our local clients can take advantages of the excellence in various disciplines and the world-class talent of VCCP London, which is one of the best agencies in the world. Do I still see myself within the group? I have an exciting challenge at VCCP Spain and I want to enjoy it for many years to come.
