Content That Connects: Sergio Lopez on How Production Drives Business Growth
Any piece of content for a brand means little if it never manages to connect with its target audience, a statement to ponder in this new interview series from Comcast Technology Solutions and Little Black Book.
Over the course of this series, we’ll be speaking to some of advertising’s most respected production leaders to delve into how emerging themes in production, such as data-fuelled production, more lo-fi shooting technology, remote filming, and evolving feelings towards the value of production all feed into creating content that matters to customers and works for brands.
Today is the turn of Sergio Lopez, EVP, global head of production at Publicis Groupe, who speaks with LBB’s Addison Capper.
LBB> Sergio, in your opinion, what kind of role does production play in making a narrative / idea connect with its audience?
Sergio> Production is where creativity and media come together to bring ideas to life. With that in mind, production brings craftsmanship and relevance through our understanding of what people connect with and who is the right talent (directors, editors, photographers, designers, etc.) to make audiences want to engage with it.
Modern production also brings ways to ensure that this content is tailored and delivered to the right audience, in the right media at the right time.
LBB> In our constantly shifting media environment, how would you articulate the value of production to a brand?
Sergio> We bring together craftsmanship and scale.
Brands struggle with media fragmentation and global deployment. Delivery has become a big challenge. Large global brands that do not work with a production agency like Prodigious deal with over 100 production partners to get a campaign out the door.
Production now is not just about execution, it is about solving how brands can fulfil their marketing needs to drive growth. We are not just creative makers, we have evolved into growth makers.
LBB> From your point of view, what’s the key to crafting content that really connects with people?
Sergio> Get to know who we are talking to through insights. Data itself is just numbers but when interpreted in the right way it provides insights that help us talk to people in a way that resonates with them.
LBB> To what extent can data be leveraged to improve production and the impact of the content?
Sergio> On one side it helps us understand what performs better with specific audiences, so it helps us focus on producing assets that connect better. On the other side it gives us visibility on production spend, which helps us identify how to spend our budget smarter.
LBB> Do you have any examples of how Publicis Groupe's production departments are using data to better connect with audiences?
Sergio> Data is something that we have been doing for years through Epsilon, Spark, Zenith, Starcom, Razorfish and Digitas amongst others. What is new is how we are introducing data sets and insights to creative production and new areas such as connected television and social content.
That is why you see Boomerang expanding its footprint to places like the UK or the introduction of PXP in the US.
LBB> If the perfect CV lands on your desk for a producer, what does it have on it and why?
Sergio> The perfect CV is somebody who shows creative taste, who can think big picture production solutions and can bring people along.
Somebody who can think creativity and business. Extraordinary people have always had both: Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Tom Ford…
