Ibiza, Mel C and hacking agencies

Agency Hackers Super Summit

“She’s just a person,” Nicole said to me as Mel C headed to the bar flanked by two guys. “Go and say hello!”

Typically quite a shy and reserved person, a few drinks and over an hour of leaping up and down in front of Mel’s DJ set at Pacha had given me newfound confidence.

So, go say hello I did. I wish I could remember what I said, and what she said to me, but I recall it being a pleasant experience and the sky didn’t fall down. Lesson learned (thanks Nicole).

The moral of my Mel C encounter is this. Be brave. Andrea and I spent a week in Ibiza for the Agency Hackers Super Summit not quite knowing what to expect or what the outcomes would be. Given the investment, that in itself is a risk that many of us aren’t prepared to take.

So that we showed up at all was quite a feat. Honestly, I think taking that first step is what opened our minds to new possibilities; we learned as much if not more from our discussions outside of the conference as we did from the sessions themselves.

Rory Sutherland helpfully reminded me that marketing (and advertising) isn’t purely capturing latent demand. No. It’s about creating demand out of thin air, and that’s the Marketing Director’s job (sorry Katie, have fun with that).

And sessions on use of humour within a brand and business development for agencies proved thought-provoking and useful.

Reflecting now, Andrea and I have a long list of ideas ready to discuss with the team here. Who knows what directions that will take us in, but we’re going to carry that newfound bravery with us and dare to explore new ideas that we might have discounted before.

Hai, sí, ja! Hold tight!

Image credit - Neil Stoddart