How A&G Keeps Research Interesting and Exciting

In her role at A&G Monica Lorusso leads research, consumer insights, and brand strategy to uncover audience truths that shift behaviour and drive growth.

She and her team work across a variety categories, from higher ed to healthcare to grocery. That diverse category experience gives the A&G team a richer, more nuanced understanding of the psychological, social, and economic factors that drive consumer behavior, leading to more insightful, effective, and innovative market research and marketing strategies.

Prior to A&G, Monica ran global qualitative and quantitative studies at a research and technology firm. There she helped clients build programs to capture real-time consumer feedback, create systems to act on that feedback, and drive increased retention and business growth.

Over the years, Monica has led research and branding initiations for clients including, Comcast, Lincoln Financial Group, Philadelphia Flyers, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Dietz and Watson, Monistat, Bayer Environmental Science, Blue Cross Blue Shield MA, PA Department of Transportation, and many more.

Monica’s first entry into marketing and advertising was working as James Earl Jones’ contract manager during his time as Verizon’s spokesperson. She had the opportunity to travel the country with him and experience firsthand the positive and lasting impact one person can have.

LBB> What do you think is the difference between a strategist and a planner? Is there one?

Monica> As a midsize independent agency, we are designed to run at challenges with tight cross-functional teams. That means typically one person is accountable for the strategy and the high-level plan for how it is executed.

On clients like Meet Boston, where we are both the creative and media AOR (Agency of Record), we have specialists in analytics, media, PR, social, etc. who inform and execute plans. But the lead strategist is the orchestrator. That said, I do believe it takes a deliberate shift in mindset, different frameworks and different training to do that well.

LBB> And which description do you think suits the way you work best?

Monica> We call ourselves strategists and I believe that suits the way we work and how our clients think of us.

LBB> We’re used to hearing about the best creative advertising campaigns, but what’s your favourite historic campaign from a strategic perspective? One that you feel demonstrates great strategy?

Monica> Gosh – how do I not say Got Milk? More than anything, I love the research that was done to inform it – simply having cereal available and removing milk from the fridge to see how people reacted. The initial work itself was simple and unignorable.

LBB> When you’re turning a business brief into something that can inform an inspiring creative campaign, do you find the most useful resource to draw on?

Monica> A clear business problem is a gift and then having conversations with the people they want to attract or engage is essential to understanding the real problem underneath.

LBB> What part of your job and the strategic process do you enjoy the most?

Monica> Research in every form. Research is often so dry, boring, and obvious, but at A&G it’s not.

One of our agency’s core competencies is audience obsession, and a passion of mine is to make sure our research is interesting – from the way we design it, to how we execute it and even how we report on it.

Our mission is to provide clients with a deeper, more intimate understanding of their audience – that can mean building playlists to share the mood of their audience, creating relationship match profiles to show them who they should be dating more (their growth audiences) or using imagery to paint the true picture of how people see their brand.

We are constantly evolving how we do research to unlock opportunities for our clients and satisfy our own curiosities.

LBB> What strategic maxims, frameworks or principles do you find yourself going back to over and over again? Why are they so useful?

Monica> I find the from/to construct immensely useful and brilliantly simple. Being able to clearly articulate the current state and align on the future state helps clarify the pathway for everyone.

LBB> What sort of creatives do you like to work with? As a strategist, what do you want them to do with the information you give them?

Monica> I love working with creatives who want to roll up their sleeves and understand the context. The ones who want to not just create ads but find ways to create real impact. Our CCO, Jen Putnam, embodies that every day.

LBB> There’s a negative stereotype about strategy being used to validate creative ideas, rather than as a resource to inform them and make sure they’re effective. How do you make sure the agency gets this the right way round?

Monica> When this argument pops up, I think it is important to look at how the team is constructed and directed.

Is there even a team dynamic? Does everyone understand their own role and responsibilities and that of others on the team? Is the team able to have honest conversations about when people aren’t living up to those expectations?

Anytime I’ve seen or been part of high performing teams, this stereotype doesn’t exist. Agencies need to get better at constructing and managing high functioning cross-functional teams.

LBB> What have you found to be the most important consideration in recruiting and nurturing strategic talent?

Monica> To me, curiosity and the ability to find interesting little nuggets in unusual places have always been important. And at A&G, we prioritise looking in unexpected places for talent and creating flexible work schedules so we have a representative team.

Our team has had parents who took time off to raise kids and then work part-time for us, people who are trained therapists and social workers, people fresh out of school who never had any exposure to the agency world, and more.

LBB> In recent years it seems like effectiveness awards have grown in prestige and agencies have paid more attention to them. How do you think this has impacted on how strategists work and the way they are perceived?

Monica> I love seeing effectiveness awards gain traction. It gives strategists more opportunity to learn from each other, show off our work and collectively up our game. I’ve had the opportunity to be a judge for the ANA and 4As awards and I learn something new to apply to our work with each submission I read.

LBB> Do you have any frustrations with planning/strategy as a discipline?

Monica> As strategists, if we see a frustration or problem I find our inclination is to try to find a solution versus dwell on it. I do think we need to keep pushing ourselves to get creative with how we unlock insights and develop strategies that serve our clients and people well – that’s a problem we are actively trying to solve.

LBB> What advice would you give to anyone considering a career as a strategist/planner?

Monica> One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received… it is more important to be interested than interesting. To me, one of a strategist’s most important jobs is being interested in people.