Page 38 - Internationalist Magazine 2015 75

Millennials- a digital- rst audience that over-indexes on digital local relevance and the importance of traditional customs and

video. “We looked for and relied on innovation to help us ll a cultural nuances. But I also learned that powerful ideas can

content void and reach this audience. Our campaign garnered transcend borders and travel quite well, and that many emo-

almost 10MM views, and yielded over 100MM social impres- tions, and their related experiences, are universal. Little did

sions, most of which were driven by sharing. Because of this I know that I would today be working for Dentsu, one of the
success, we are looking at more ways to innovate in the Peer- world’s largest and most respected Japanese businesses!”

to-Peer space.”
Mary Redondo,
Shannon confesses that she is “obsessed with pop cul-
Managing Director—
ture and the consumer trends that are changing the way we
Havas Sports &
Entertainment
buy, what and how we watch, and ultimately which content we
spend time with.” She and her team are constantly scanning

Mary Redondo is Managing
the landscape both in the US and markets around the world

Director for Havas Sports and
to understand what is going to make the next big impact for

Entertainment, an engagement
their clients. She adds, “While the ‘content’ space was once

agency that focuses on brand
anchored in linear television, today the democratization of
content has created a more diverse and ultimately richer expe-
strategy, branded content, social
rience for consumers. Time and time again, we’ve seen that
media, experiential and sports marketing. Her clients range
from luxury to consumer goods to telecommunications. She if the content is good, people will seek it out, whether it’s cre-

juggles these varied categories with a simple credo which
ated by a brand, a studio, a teenager or a computer. Brands

she describes as “Going beyond what has been done, exper- have a unique opportunity to join this environment with the

imenting with unrelated ideas without fear of failure.’ Mary right level of creativity, ingenuity and utility.”
Since launching their Content Compass approach in 2014,
Redondo is not necessarily concerned creating the new; she’d
rather connect the dots on seemingly unrelated elements of a Shannon and team have helped notable blue chip clients,

program to make something that already exists even better.
ranging from GM to MasterCard, map out their content strat-

egies, with a clear view of both their consumers’ preferences Havas management relies on her to think differently. Ac-

as well as how content can help amplify the brand’s overall cording to Jerome de Chaunac, Global Chief Operations Of cer
marketing messages across properties, screens and out-
of Havas Sports & Entertainment, “Be it for client or new busi-
lets. The Story Lab Content Compass is a proprietary method ness pitches, Mary brings each time a new way to look at briefs

for architecting branded content platforms from inception
and answer them. She is an ‘intrapreneur’ who sees media and

to execution. Shannon’s hallmark of marrying consumer
communication as a landscape that is constantly evolving, and

data with popular cultural touchstones is at the heart of the winners will be the ones who dare to test and take risks. She is
project. The Content Compass helps brands create a content
a strong believer in bringing technology into media, and experi-
roadmap at the very beginning of their creative process - be- ences and pushing clients to keep a portion of their investment

fore they begin the content creation phase, then helps identify for innovation and out of the box ideas. Her curiosity for what

the right consumers, the right content, the right time and the will happen next applied to what is now and new, makes every-

right format-- becoming the foundation for a brand’s content thing she touches special and successful.”
mapping, investment and creation plans.
Mary herself admits to being proud of a project called
“Additionally,” she says, “our experience shows us that to be
the “Agency of the Future.” Its main objective is to transform
the current agency model. She says, “The world we live in is effective, branded content must be relevant and focused to

being disrupted by many technological advances that have both the brand and their consumers; unfortunately, even the

given people greater access to information and ultimately to best-intentioned creative companies can easily fall into the

more power. With this in mind, we’ve turned to technology to trap of creating or sponsoring content that matters to one but
not the other.”
solve and enhance our offering to clients. How do we leverage
facial recognition to measure OOH? Or how do we track con- Shannon Pruitt lived in Japan for two years after college in

sumer behavior in real life using wearables or beacons? Those order to teach English to elementary and middle school stu-

are the dots we are aiming to connect in order to create the dents as part of the country’s highly prestigious JET Program

agency of the future.”
(Japan Exchange Teaching Program). “Living in Japan and
teaching my students taught me invaluable lessons about

36 the internationalist