The 4A’s, Fig and Benjamin Moore muse on the power of technology and creativity
In partnership with The Drum, the 4A’s has created a content series titled ‘Convene. Challenge. Change.’ As part of the series, 4A’s president and chief executive officer Marla Kaplowitz will lead a discussion with an agency leader and one of their marketing partners to discuss challenges, opportunities and new ways of working in a post-Covid-19 environment. The series will also challenge norms, identify learnings and inspire actions that will create new standards to help drive the industry forward.
In the next episode in the series, Kaplowitz sits down with Meredith Kinsman, vice-president of brand and digital marketing at Benjamin Moore, and Judith Carr-Rodriguez, partner and chief executive officer of Fig, to highlight the journey of digital transformation for 140-year-old brand Benjamin Moore and explore how creativity and technology can co-exist in the work and within the agency and client partnership.
Kaplowitz opens by asking Kinsman how technology is transforming Benjamin Moore.
“It’s pushing us to get faster and more creative,” says Kinsman. “The bar is really high right now because we’re constantly breaking new ground, both to find our audience and to connect with our customers.”
Kaplowitz tees up the next question by asking about Benjamin Moore’s ‘See the Love’ campaign, created to shine a light on the transformation that occurs through the combination of craft from contractors and the premium paints that Benjamin Moore uniquely makes.
Carr-Rodriguez speaks to the campaign and evolution of the work: “It has been a privilege to find insight that can connect all of the constituents and can allow for incredible storytelling. Every single one of the constituents – they’re all driven by the idea of transformation – that, as simple as paint can be, can transform a community, a business, a home or an individual’s life.”
Kaplowitz asks how agencies and brands should balance the need for blending creativity and technology when considering new projects.
Kinsman remarks first: “I think the two co-exist very well. Historically, the challenge has been that creative has been a separate practice from technology, but that’s no longer the case.” Carr-Rodriguez complements Kinsman’s comment by adding: “I don’t think there’s a balance between creativity and technology. A highly fragmented media landscape means you need consistency in storytelling, but it needs to be across all of the different ways an audience might experience your brand.”
Kaplowitz asks what advice they would give agencies looking to expand their views on how to support clients through creativity and technology.
Kinsman says: “It starts with hiring and retaining the best people, which is a major challenge right now. Brands and corporate America have never needed agencies more.”