João Santos, our COO, brings to light his vision of synergies at WYgroup that produce more energy. Read the full interview.

[Briefing] You were at Grupo Tempus for 16 years. What led you to take up this new position?

If there is one thing I appreciate in life, it is a good challenge, which fortunately has always appeared to me throughout my career. I was fortunate to be challenged for this project, where I share many visions of business and the future, and where the purpose of dedication and work with marketing and brands intersect. Although I come from the “client side”, as they say, in WYgroup’s DNA the partnership work is very marked, side by side with each one of the clients, where genuine interdisciplinary and complementary teams are generated. Therefore, I think that the step of coming to the “agency side” turned out to be natural, which brings even the “customer view” more to the group, at the center of the business strategy.

What do you intend to achieve as COO of WYgroup in 2021?

I think that firstly, it is essential to support each of the agencies that I coordinate in the Group – By, Performance Sales, Fever, WHITE, NERVO, and Bloomcast – to achieve their goals, always preserving what distinguishes them, its intrinsic characteristics. Also, within the purpose of aligning the branches, there is the identification and amplification of synergies of performance within the group, which generates value for our clients. There is a lot of potential in the various combinations that can be made in the context of the Consumer Experience and Integrated Communication, and plenty of skills and talent in-house. The simplest example is the digital communication models: our capabilities cover all aspects, from the creation and development of websites, and creative content to the e-commerce model, including digital media, data, SEO, branding, and design, etc. The truth is that these agencies deliver amazing creative work every day, and even more so when they complement each other in their skills. There, what we can deliver is much greater than the sum of the parts that comprise it, and it is this field that is also a priority for me to share with the market.

How do you intend to take advantage of the synergies between six agencies within the group?

Increasingly, the differentiation is made by the ability to understand the needs that the customer identifies – be it a matter of branding, notoriety, or business – and the real value is in being able to put at the clients’ service the strengths of each of our agencies, making it possible to resolve their needs in time. Synergies will be achieved by “looking outside”, for our customers and their customers, and in this way, we can help boost their business more efficiently. This will be our best synergy and one of my focuses.

Where does the greatest growth potential lie within the group?

WYgroup is a group of a creative and technological matrix, which essentially has a digital communication model based on a very strong data and technology base. These will be the engines of growth for the group. The digitalization of business models is not just about having a beautiful website, it means a whole new world for many companies, with effective impacts on all business variables. I believe that here, with the capacity and know-how that we have to add internal capabilities and skills in a dynamic, agile, and synergistic way, we can offer integrated business solutions that intersect technology, innovation, creativity, and data in digital services, which consequently generate more value, with real impact, for our customers.

How does the group respond to a context in which digital has accelerated its importance?

The 20% YoY growth of 2020 answers this question perfectly. Our commitment, since the beginning of the year, to the recruitment of more than 30 people who fit our human capital values, answers the rest of the question.

Throughout 2020, WYgroup and its agencies were able to provide an effective and very positive response to the various requests for transition and digital acceleration that many companies were forced to make, to adapt to a new reality and be able to reach their consumers. This technological leap is a very significant transformation for our clients’ business, and an example of how our work can provide valuable support to the brands’ business and communication strategies, which we see as partners. I say it with pride and recognition of the work done, and since nothing has to do with me, it still puts me under more positive pressure to do even more and better, in the future.

What are the biggest challenges for the group in a pandemic season?

I believe that remote work is the greatest challenge shared by many Portuguese companies nowadays, in this new reality. Not only for the isolation it brings but for the lack of human connections, so essential in the relationships between teams. Companies are not only the services they offer but the people they have, the relationships they create, the empathies, the proximity, and the culture created over the years. Creative work processes and fluidity are fed by it, on a process that has been shared since its genesis.

We have many fantastic people with us, and thanks to their professionalism spirit of help, and solidarity, we have successfully overcome this period.

We also have the most beautiful offices where I have ever worked, and which are yet to open. Our beach house in front of Santo Amaro de Oeiras beach, an open space of 3000 m2 with unbeatable views and striking facilities, is already ready to receive all our teams, and we dream of the day of being able to get together there. As soon as possible, the invitation to visit us in our new home will be made, of course!

Did 2020 bring you lessons?

For me, the year 2020 provided me with profound teachings. I think for all of us. It was a year that allowed us to see the best and the worst that we have in the world, solidarity and selfishness, surrender and refusal. First, it taught me to never take anything for granted. Something we couldn’t even imagine changed our lives and our priorities completely. The second teaching was the need to remain completely faithful to my principles. We must be flexible and adaptable, but above all, never leave anyone behind. People are the most important thing in the world!

Originally published on February 3rd, at Briefing.