Interview
Dina Akhmetova
Cognito Media, Netherlands
Spearheading the way to bridge corporations together to build a beneficial ecosystem is Richard Neve behind the Stater InMotion campaign!
1 Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your background.
Richard Neve started his career as a journalist and moved to PR when he joined the American broadcaster NBC as PR Manager Europe. After which he worked in various agencies serving clients in the financial services space.
2 What led you to become a marketing communications professional?
Loved journalism, but had a keen interest in business and strategy so made the ‘natural’ move to marketing, PR.
3 What is your role in the agency, and what traits should a marketing communications professional possess to be successful in their role?
I manage the Amsterdam office of Cognito Media Group, essential to be successful is to be able to talk in the language of the boardroom, dare to discuss numbers!
4 Tell us more about your agency/company.
Cognito Media is an agency for PR, marketing and communication with a 100% focus on companies in financial services. We have seven offices in three continents (US, Europe, APAC) and the total team is about 90 professionals.
5 What is your own definition of marketing communications?
Engage in a dialogue so the for your business relevant audience behaves in a fashion that fits your strategy; make people do what you want them to do.
6 Describe your marketing communications style and its main characteristics.
Bold. In this day and age you need to make a difference, stand out. Do the stuff that people expect you to do is not enough. Make a mark, flip the frame.
7 Tell us about your ideation process.
Listen, observe, think. Discuss with the team where the client actually provides value, look at problems and frustrations in the business of your client as barriers that need to be overcome. Dare to throw out all and eventually pick up the pieces and glue back together. Perhaps that first idea was not half as bad.
8 Congratulations! As the winner of the NYX Marcom Awards, what does it mean for you and your team to receive this distinction?
The award gave the team the confidence that we actually do the right thing, provide value without losing our focus on creativity.
9 How has winning an international award help to promote your agency and works?
We only just started to let our audience know we won. But I am sure it will.
10 What are the challenges of your winning entry(s)?
The challenges were how to keep the right pace in the project as obvious a large campagne has many internal and external stakeholders. In the end all have the same objective but tempo and route how the get there is not the same for all involved.
11 How has the country you are based in helped during your ideation process?
We are based in Amsterdam, a very liberal city and that gives us a free thinking perspective. We’re born to speak our mind and embrace bold ideas.
12 What are the current trends in the marketing communications industry that you are most excited about?
Marketing automation with offer creatives more time to focus on listening to clients and come up with amazing solutions for complex business situations. On top I think that with the ESG drive in many companies ‘how to handle waste, the actual stuff’ will be a USP factor for many brands. What do you throw away? How do you optimize your supply chain to prevent loss of value and damage to the environment?
13 What are the top three (3) favorite things about the marketing communications industry?
Inspiring clients Smart editors The narrative never stops
14 What resources would you recommend to someone who is searching to improve their marketing communications ideas and concepts?
The nearest museum for modern art. That old advertising geezer that saw it all and is not retired. Smart, small retailers as they will teach you the importance of ‘customer experience’.
15 Where do you see the evolution of the marketing industry in the next 5-10 years?
More data, more analytics, more noise, more useless conversations. But also amazing work that cuts through all the bullshit and make a difference. Essential will be the fact that all campaigns will be omni-channel!
16 Who inspired you in your life, and why?
Andy Warhol, showed that art is business and business is art. Joop Gosliga (former marketeer at tabacco firm), he showed me big ideas often are not big enough. Go bold. Ron Kaal, editor-in-chief of various magazines. He learned me to read, truly read and watch. To look for the details.
17 What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Just keen on going. When others threw in the towel, I doubled down.
18 Do you have anything else you would like to add for the interview?
The client is always right, agencies know more than their clients. The winner is the one who really listens.
