Be like Mr. McCready

Hold your horses, I mean I’m not saying that you need to be an advertising rockstar to be successful in this business. I’ll get into it.

I love rock and roll. One of my hobbies is to follow brands that I like on tour; Metallica, Pearl Jam, U2, to name a few. I saw them several times in several countries (It’s always an excellent excuse to travel and visit different places, right?).

A couple of years ago, I flew to Argentina only to see a Pearl Jam concert. The gig happened in Ciudad de La Plata, one hour by car from Buenos Aires (Argentina’s capital). The stadium was fully crowded. Pearl Jam fans singing along with each and every lyric. A typical rock concert freesia. I was one of those guys having so much fun, but not as much as Mike McCready, PJ ‘s lead guitarist. He was jumping, smiling, and running all over the stage. Note: those guys have been on the road for 25 years.

In one particular moment., Mr McCready picked up the mic and said out loud; “La Plata is way, way too far from our hometown, and you guys came here to see us play. We’re honoured. The least we can do is to give you guys everything that we have,” and they did. It was a night to remember. For all of us.

Mike McCready was genuine when he said that. They were really there. Playing. Having fun. Delivering much more than expected. Not just being paid to do so. It was more than just a job. And the people over there notice that.

What does this have to do with advertising? Everything. We have the power to build brands and increase client’s revenue. But we have to be committed to finding the best solution which fits each client’s specific needs. How? We have to be really there. We have to really care about the client. And they will follow us. They will applaud our creativity.

Álvaro Rodrigues, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer, Fullpack, Brazil