We Are Amnet’s Stef Sokolowski on Saving the Day for Clients
Stef Sokolowki, the managing director for the Americas at We Are Amnet, is no stranger to the industry. Just before joining as MD, she was at Craft Worldwide, with roles at VaynerMedia and Spotify also under her belt. This breadth of experience has given Stef a 360-view of the industry and the challenges facing both agencies and clients. She’s adamant that the grass isn’t always greener on the client side, citing common issues like budget and time constraints.
At We Are Amnet, Stef’s role spans strategy, production, cultural consultations, and building teams of remote staff.
On the subject of whether offshoring is here to stay, Stef cites that one in three US and EU teams now have a mature offshore strategy in place. She points out that there’s still a prevailing idea that offshore teams can’t deliver the same standards of creative work as onshore ones, an issue that hinges on good onboarding practices and transparent expectations.
Below, we speak to Stef about her career, how she sees We Are Amnet’s capabilities as “saving the day for clients”, and why the company’s USP - Smartshoring® - is here to dispel myths about offshore production.
LBB> Tell us a little bit about yourself - how did you start on the career path you’re on right now?
Stef> I always loved making things, both in the physical and digital form and understanding how people operate – how they make decisions, what drives them – and marketing was a natural industry to jump into.
After years of integrated production and product development, I had the opportunity to combine my experience with my love of cultural exploration. I had an opportunity to develop studios around the globe to provide more efficient production solutions to our clients, while developing bespoke solutions and workflows tailored to each region’s culture.
I now enjoy working with in-house agencies – both large and startup – on developing strategic production and operating models that fit their unique needs.
LBB> Prior to your role as the MD for the Americas at We Are Amnet, you worked for the likes of Spotify, VaynerMedia, and Craft Worldwide, leading campaigns for brands like Mastercard, L’Oréal Paris, and MGM. Did you spot any common themes or challenges across this work?
Stef> Every company – no matter its size, region, or offering – has budget and time constraints. The need to find strategic ways to deliver more content in both a commercial and time efficient manner is a major driver for key external partnerships.
LBB> Has working on the client and agency side given you a different perspective on the industry than either one would have in isolation?
Stef> Yes! There is an impression that working on the client side is ‘so easy’ since you’re the client. But the reality is that the same challenges exist – reduced headcount, faster timelines, multiple stakeholders, and partners – and usually with tighter or no internal budgets.
LBB> What does the MD for the Americas role entail on a day-to-day and long-term basis?
Stef> I’m responsible for developing strategic solutions to my customers’ creative production opportunities. This can include producing 600+ assets in a week, providing a cultural consultation for a new product or branding roll-out, or building out a team of remote staff around the globe to work with their in-house team.
LBB> How widespread is the use of offshoring in the Americas region, and how does it compare to markets like EMEA?
Stef> Almost one in three European and US marketing teams and in-house studios now have a mature or very mature offshore strategy per the The Global Content Production Report by the World Federation of Advertisers & TKM. The US in particular can be treated as one market, but Europe is more regionalized. The Americas’ use of offshoring is very mature. About a decade ago when ‘decoupling’ became popular, the further dissection of lower tier production at cost-efficient offshore locations provided deeper production savings.
LBB> What do you think people still misunderstand about offshoring? Are there any myths you’d like to dispel? How does Smartshoring® work to address any misgivings the industry might still have?
Stef> There used to be (and we still sometimes come across) the idea that offshore teams can’t deliver the same quality or expertise as onshore teams would. With any new resource (internal or external), proper onboarding is required to set expectations and provide transparency on both ends. Nowadays, quality, cost, and time efficiencies are a hygiene factor when choosing an offshore partner, the differentiators between offshore companies are culture, fit, and technology offerings.
Smartshoring® brings onshore and offshore teams closer together and provides in-country client service and sales support.
LBB> With the rapid development in AI, how - if at all - do you foresee it being used in content creation or an aspect of it, like versioning?
Stef> Programmatic as a platform is ripe for AI versioning. Today, programmatic relies on data and strategic feeds to deliver customised content, but how cool will it be when content is developed on the fly, pulling from multiple content sources and not just one brand or designated data stream?
LBB> There’s a lot of talk about an ongoing talent crisis in our industry. What’s your view on this?
Stef> Our industry is ever evolving – and it does so quickly. Specialised roles are not only difficult to staff for, but also difficult to pivot these folks when there are reorgs, often having them be the first ones cut. It’s important to not only ensure as an individual that you’re capable of wearing many hats, but look to build your team with that same skill set.
As the industry adopts more automation, there will be less manual design/development roles and more content managers with a technology and systems background.
LBB> What are some of your favourite client success stories at We Are Amnet, and why?
Stef> We love saving the day! My favorite partnerships are the ones that start ‘in a pinch’ where we help out on a project that’s due the next day, and then they quickly grow into deeper and longer relationships. We are lucky to have a portfolio of clients who foster a positive culture which includes collaboration, open dialogue, and true partnership.
LBB> What trends do you think will shape the industry in the next few years and what do clients need to watch out for now?
Stef> Automation – it makes the easy stuff even easier. AI – we don’t even know what we don’t know yet! We all need to reserve extra budgets for innovation and learning in order to stay ahead of the curb. We think things are changing fast now – technology will be evolving overnight at the current speed.
LBB> Finally, how do you see your role and the company evolving in the future?
Stef> We are investing in technology for our processes and delivery and we are upskilling our staff to support this shift. We will see less manual production in the future, and much more adoption of automation and emerging technologies.
