Communidad ’24: A hub of inspiration, collaboration, and community
Communidad ’24: A hub of inspiration, collaboration, and community
Earlier this month, Ann-Louise and Camilla joined 120 attendees from over 50 different partner agencies at the Communidad ’24 summit in Riviera Maya, Mexico.
The summit was one of Worldwide Partners’ bi-annual efforts to bring together members of the WPI community to collaborate, share expertise, and grow together as a network. “Worldwide Partners is a network owned by the agencies, meaning that we set the agenda for what we think is important,” says Ann-Louise. “These summits have become a cornerstone of our success, both as an agency and collectively as a network.”
When we caught up with Ann-Louise and Camilla upon their return from the summit, their enthusiasm was palpable. From gaining fresh perspectives by industry leaders to harnessing the overarching theme of community, here’s a few highlights from Communidad ’24.
Solving challenges together
While working together to solve client problems is something that partner agencies do every day, Ann-Louise and Camilla reflected on the value of coming together in-person to share ideas, speak openly about challenges and come up with solutions together.
“We regularly work with our partners to deliver the best possible work for our clients, but there is something special about seeing each other face-to-face at summits like these,” says Camilla. “It captures the spirit of the network and reminds us that we’re peers, not competitors, working towards the same goal.”
From left: John Harris, CEO at Worldwide Partners, Jean Freeman, CEO at Zambezi, USA, Steven Brown, CEO at Fuse Create, Canada, Dulany Porter, EVP at Spark, USA, Vitor Barros, CEO at Propeg, Brazil, Cairo Marsh, Founder of Relative, Japan, Gabriel Cohen, Chief Marketing Officer at Monigle, USA,Fletcher Whitwell, Partner & Chief Media and Publishing Officer at R&R Partners, USA
The Co-CEOs especially appreciated the opportunity to discuss challenges openly and honestly at Communidad ‘24. “We spent the first two hours of the summit doing a complete introduction round where everyone shared what’s on their mind these days. We quickly realised that, regardless of where we are based, many of the challenges we’re facing are the same,” says Ann-Louise. “Realising we’re all in the same boat is a great starting point for exchanging ideas and seeing how we can collectively solve challenges and strengthen our capabilities as a group.”
“Realising we’re all in the same boat is a great starting point for exchanging ideas and seeing how we can collectively solve challenges and strengthen our capabilities as a group.”
“It was very thought-provoking to hear how other agencies are tackling topics like AI and sustainability goals,” Camilla adds. “For example, Dulani Porter from SPARK agency shared how she’s encouraging her teams to take a practical approach to AI by thinking about it as a learning tool that they’re figuring out as they go. By understanding the development of AI as a continuous process, you make room for being playful and explorative, creating opportunities to utilize it in your own way.”
Andy Pearson, VP of Creative at Liquid Death, USA
Dare to ‘think wrong’
While the Communidad agenda was packed with noteworthy speakers giving insights on marketing, creativity, sustainability and more, Ann-Louise and Camilla felt particularly inspired after hearing Andy Pearson, Liquid Death VP of Creative, share how his team has continually harnessed creativity and a daringness to ‘think wrong’ to build one of the fastest-growing non-alcoholic beverage brands of all time.
“Andy’s approach to marketing is refreshingly to the point,” shares Camilla. “He reminded us that thinking about competitors too much can be restricting, because it limits your ideas of what might or might not work. Instead, look closely at the target audience and find ways to tap into their reality. Once you’ve got that idea, be brave instead of thinking about what’s right.”
“Thinking about competitors too much can be restricting, because it limits your ideas of what might or might not work. Instead, look closely at the target audience and find ways to tap into their reality.”
“Liquid Death appeals so well to a specific audience because they think of themselves as entertainment, not as a brand,” Ann-Louise adds. “It reminded us to continually ask ourselves: what is the ultimate value that we can bring better than anyone else? Once you get that right and stick to it, it becomes the key to everything you do, and it will ultimately lead to success.”
Community is key
Ann-Louise and Camilla also reflected on the relevance of ‘communidad’ as the summit’s overarching theme. Besides acting as the ideal thread to a location renowned for its focus on family and community, it acted as a valuable starting point for considering the importance of collaboration to achieve the best possible results.
“Our time in Mexico reminded us that creative ideas can have a global impact,” says Ann-Louise, “but we were also reminded that collaboration is crucial to bringing these ideas to life.”
John Harris, CEO of the network, echoed our Co-CEO’s thoughts on the importance of community: “As a network of independent agencies, community is our biggest differentiator. We are a multifaceted group of 90 agencies from 50 countries, and we are committed to each other not because we have to be, but because we choose to be, so that we can collaborate for the growth of our network, our agencies, and our clients.”
“As a network of independent agencies, community is our biggest differentiator. We are a multifaceted group of 90 agencies from 50 countries, and we are committed to each other not because we have to be, but because we choose to be.”
Having returned from Mexico with plenty of fresh inspiration, Ann-Louise and Camilla look forward to turning their ideas into action. Camilla shares: “We will continue to work on introducing AI as a natural part of the Advance toolbox, and look forward to implementing new, creative approaches that will help us strengthen the way we service our clients.”
About WPI
Worldwide Partners is a global network of the top independent marketing services agencies in the world who share an independent spirit and entrepreneurial drive to build commerce through connectivity, creativity, and collaboration.
With 90 agencies in 50 countries, and experience in over 90 industry verticals, Worldwide Partners serves as a hub that harnesses the talent, expertise, and diversified capabilities of the agencies within our network to reimagine growth for both brands and agencies. Find out more about WPI here.