The word “transformation” has been overwhelmed to oversize. It is not the only one. “New”, “Sustainable”, “Wow Effect” … are terms that have been repeated so much their original meaning. We have reached a point where it seems that everything changes all the time, and yet, the essential remains motionless. It seems to me that we have already clear at this point that it is not the technology that transforms, but what we do with it. It is not the AI, nor the Big Data, nor the last automation tool that makes the difference when it comes to connecting brands with people through ideas. It is the way in which people adapt, understand and evolve with these changes. It’s how they learn. Because The true revolution, the only one that endures, is the human. This is the true transformation, that of ideas.
In the last 100 years, studies in neuroscience, evolutionary psychology and sociology have shown how learning not only mold our understanding of the world, but literally reconfigures our brain. Thanks to neuroplasticity, we know that brain structure can change even in adulthood. MIT research and Harvard University have confirmed that Continuous exposure to new stimuli and learning environments strengthens neuronal connections in areas associated with decision -making, empathy and creativity. At the same time, studies such as Sherry Turkle or Nicholas Carr warn us of the effects of digital overexposure: lower sustained attention, reduction of critical thinking, dependence on short stimuli. That is, not only does it change what we do, change how we perceive it, how we feel it and how we think about it.
In the field of marketing, this idea takes on an especially relevant sense. We are part of an industry that lives in a state of update and constant acceleration. New tools, new metrics, new platforms, new consumption habits. Tags that with slight nuances arise and fader when, deep down, they try to explain a reality that is not so changing. That seductive need for novelty, refreshing and fascination with the new, which we know that it is part of the psychology of the consumer, we also apply it to our own sector generating an aura of sophistication that sometimes is nothing more than an empty acceleration of value and that can become a constant anxiety in the face Trends, sometimes incongruous with each other, which we must master in the shortest possible time. Other times, let’s not fool ourselves, the changes are brutally real and understand them, assume them and apply them is a nuclear part of our profession. The speed of our sector is such that it barely gives time to integrate a change, assumption or real, of value or useless, when the following is already coming.
In this context, The ability to learn has become a competitive advantage. But we do not talk just to update technical knowledge to the state of the current art. We talk about developing a different sensitivity, an active curiosity, an explorer attitude that allows learning to be inseparable from everyday work. For years there has been talk of the Learning By Doing, of learning doing. And it is true that practice, error, repetition or imitation are very powerful ways to set learning. But perhaps the time has come to invest that logic: to also start doing from learning. Also add the Doing By Learning: introduce a constant intention to teach and learn in everything we do. It is about assuming that each project, each campaign, each interaction with the client is also an opportunity to grow, to teach, to generate culture. And this does not come into competition with masters, executive programs or structured learning forms. As an associated university professor, I absolutely defend the integration of different modes of knowledge. True learning occurs in transfer: between the company and the university, between theory and practice, between the individual and the collective. What we need is more porosity. Less stagnant compartments. More radical collaboration between those who think, do and teach. The creative agencies, especially those that work side by side with the internal teams of our clients, are in a privileged position to facilitate that growth. We know the context of the business, we live in our own meat challenges, and in addition, we accumulate an incomparable transverse experience: each sector, each category, each problem solved feeds a network of knowledge that can (and must (and must) put at the service of others. It is a formidable network effect.
Naturally, many agencies are becoming schools. Not in the formal sense of the term, which there are also many cases, but We are beginning to understand creative agency services also as living spaces for transfer of knowledge, inspiration and update. It is easy to check it in practice. The strongest brands usually have agencies that not only execute efficiently, but also provide method. That we challenge. That we ask uncomfortable questions and help our clients see beyond the immediate KPI. And, above all, that we actively share our learning. On many occasions, we are the creative agencies who explain how to interpret a dashboard of indicators, how to align the brand narrative with those new formats that have just emerged, how to build memorable experiences for channels or segments unknown to our clients. Or how to use this or that tool or even better manage time. This pedagogical role is more necessary than ever for our clients. Because the saturation of information and the abundance of tools have generated a new type of anxiety: that of the professional who does not know where to start. Current CMOS should not only lead equipment and results; They must also act as cultural translators, world connectors, change ambassadors. And in that exercise, having by his side an agency he teaches can make the difference between adapting and transforming.
Here I am in a talk about the importance of creativity and proper use of school technology
Wieden+Kennedy, for example, relaunched in 2023 his “School of Though” program to train his internal talent, but also to his clients’ teams such as Nike or Airbnb. Instead of limiting ourselves to campaigning, agencies are creating shared thinking spaces and creative exploration. The idea is simple: if a brand grows with its agency, the relationship is strengthened. On another plane, R/GA has been working on hybrid consulting and training models for years. In its innovation projects it includes co-creation sessions with clients in which solutions are designed while learning to structure them. As one of its global creative directors affirms, “we do not seek to sell an idea, but to build a process that helps them generate better ideas in the future.” This way of working breaks the classic supplier and client model, and replaces it with a more symmetrical, more human, more enriching collaboration. And also more humble and balanced, which I have lived in my own experience in multiple projects. The interesting thing is that this educational dimension does not need to be complex or structured to be effective. In fact, the more organic and integrated in the natural experience of our clients, the more impact it has. Sometimes a well -raised conversation is enough, a monthly inspiration session, a document that synthesizes key learning, inviting them to our own internal sessions or demos of project progress. Other times, you can adopt the form of punctual formation, a dynamic of lateral thought, a shared reading. The key is that learning is integrated into the agency-client relationship. That is not seen as an extra, but as part of the value delivered. This approach generates multiple benefits.
On the one hand, it allows brands to evolve with greater autonomy. On the other, it increases trust between the parties. But perhaps the most relevant is that it opens the door to a new form of work, based on shared intelligence. Where The agency is not only a problem solving, but an activator of capacities and generating creative leadership. For those who lead marketing equipment, this is a clear opportunity. Incorporating learning spaces on a day -to -day basis may seem a loss of time in the midst of pressure for the results, but in the medium term it is one of the best investments. A half -hour session every two weeks, led by the agency, where cases, tendencies or learning are shared, you can completely change the culture of the team. You can sow questions. And when there are questions, there is future, value, business. The key is to understand what learning is not to consume more clickbait content than our Fear of Missing Out, nor to attend more events, nor accumulate certificates. Learning, in this context, is to cultivate a different way of looking. It is becoming a better professional While working. It is incorporating the habit of the doubt and pleasure of discovery. And it is, above all, to give others to learn with you. It was precisely collaborating hand with a client how that idea arose that the experience of working together is similar to visiting a “school farm” of ideas: participatory, real, human, playful and from which results, learning and impact experiences are extracted. Since then we understand and defend our work as creative agencies from the creative reference framework that we call “school agency.”
Of course, not all customers are aligned with this type of relationship. There are those who exclusively demand rapid results. Volume production. Agility without context. That do not need to activate their innate curiosity or are not worried about growing daily. Alright. Not everyone needs a partner to retale or not in all projects. But those who aspire to really transform, those that understand that innovation is not a sprint but a journey, will find immense value in a creative agency that not only executes, but also forms. It is, ultimately, a new responsibility. In a world where technology does more and more things for us, what remains is the ability to teach, inspire, connect ideas. It is impossible to overcome technology in terms of executing processes and continue to regulate. People, however, are irreplaceable breaking these rules. And you can only break what is known and about what is applied critical spirit from curiosity and learning. Agencies that hug this educational dimension will be better positioned to survive change. Because they will be helping their customers not only sell more, but to think better. And that, in the era of ideas, is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
