GLOBAL – OCTOBER 10, 2011: Rémi Babinet, Chairman of BETC Euro RSCG, Paris and Global Chief Creative Officer of HAVAS, shares how the agency leads the network in innovation and creativity in this adobo exclusive.
As agents of culture
Ten years ago, BETC opened a 1,000-square-meter space, Passage du Désir (the passage of desire), dedicated to artists and cultural events, holding fashion shows and exhibitions.
The idea was to build strong links with those who influence pop culture. To be honest, it’s not directly linked to business, but it creates a different perception about the agency. People at BETC take advantage of this space to meet all sorts of international artists. It’s a less conventional way to get inspiration.
BETC clients get the most out of it–not only by being invited to events held there, but also by having their brands benefit from this edgy, fresh and unexpected cultural connection.
More than 20 exhibitions and over 40 fashion shows have been organized with designers such as Kris Van Assche, Viktor & Rolf, and Hussein Chalayan.
Based on the same philosophy, BETC launched Panik 10 years ago. It is both a music label and an event. It has been held in NYC, Tokyo, Bamako, Reykjavik during the last few years. Being a strong and active player in the music industry helps BETC to follow the latest trends.
Setting the standard
BETC is a creative leader within the network and our role is to show the other agencies the way and raise their standards. The "Closet" ad we made for Canal+ (premium pay TV channel) was the most awarded film in the Gunn Report 2010, with over 50 awards including 7 Grand Prix.
These awards are important for the agency-client relationship. They are also important to encourage in-house talent and growth. An agency can be considered as a premium brand and should be known for the quality of its work and its knowhow.
Being part of a network is working all together. This happens on pitches for example. Pitches are really strong moments: people from different agencies, and cultures, come together to figure out the brief, to share ideas and debate on the work.
And, last but not least, international meetings are organized regularly so that agencies can meet to create connections and to share their work and innovations. Knowing the work will be judged encourages agencies to make it better.
As a network we are sharing expertise and skills. Some of them are outsourced to Asia. Creativity is a keystone. Euro Thailand and Euro Sydney are doing really well, for instance. Digital is an important part of Euro RSCG skills in Asia, but it is not the only one. Being able to deliver integrated ideas is a must.
Ideas and craft
More and more people can make anything. There are many ideas and apps each day but not so many great ideas. Today it’s Instagram, tomorrow what will it be? We are experiencing such an exciting time: with new media, such as digital and mobile, ideas are popping up all the time.
And at the same time, shooting a film, taking a picture, talking to the world, producing a record is suddenly so easy thanks to the improvement in technology. These are two crazy advances.
Because of this double evolution, the probability of ending up with a crap idea has never been so high. We have to be careful.
Good idea with crap craft is not a good idea.
Crap idea with good craft is crap idea.
Crap idea with crap craft is just crap.
The big idea is only a good idea with amazing craft. Craft is an expertise, an art, a part of our know-how. Craft is the final guarantee of the agency’s work as a whole, whatever the media form.
The most important thing for me as a creative guy is to focus on the big idea, well crafted.
The way forward
The other thing is long-lasting relationship with people. There is no such thing as an effortless relationship. That would be too easy! It is part of our job to handle this. We make sure that people at BETC are talented but also that they are nice. It is key for agency culture, and is important for the way the agency is run. In general, people tend to stay when they’re working with nice people.
The path is about integration. The best agencies are integrated. BETC is totally integrated, digital and traditional. All the elements work together. That’s the key point for the client. The client doesn’t want to have to talk to digital people, print people, TV people. It’s impossible. Too many agencies are still in this model.
The issues have become more and more complex with new media and fragmentation. The job has changed a lot. But we have to be focused on one big idea.
