In the future, it is not enough to just be innovative or disruptive. Success in the future lies in non-definition.
With extensive experience in the communication and technology sector, he arrived just over a year and a half ago as CEO of Danilo Black, an advertising agency with 26 years of history—originally from Monterrey—initially focused on the publishing sector and over time transformed into a company specializing in strategy, creativity, and innovation.
Currently, Danilo Black is focused on expanding and transforming its service portfolio from a traditional advertising agency into a value marketing agency for its clients. In his view, the generation and continuous exploration of new ideas translate into new business platforms. According to his vision, companies must transcend and use creativity to face relevant problems every day, not just in times of crisis. Uruguayan, a global nomad, soccer fan, in his free time he enjoys his family, playing sports, cinema, painting, and traveling.
Danilo Black has been in the Mexican market for 26 years now; how was it born?
Danilo Black was born 26 years ago as a company dedicated to the publishing sector. Projects like the newspaper Reforma, Excélsior, or Índigo magazine are a small sample of that.
Over the years and in the face of constant changes in the communication sector, we integrated new services into our service portfolio, evolving from a publishing company into a digital, content generation, branding, and user experience (UX) development agency. Later, the company mutated into what it is today: a company that uses strategy, creativity, and innovation to solve problems of any kind—marketing, advertising, or sales—with a much broader portfolio of services and expertise. Danilo Black's goal is to always be at the forefront of the market.
From the beginning – especially at the start of the "digital era" – at Danilo Black you targeted "experiences," something brands are insisting on more than ever today. What was it like talking to clients about those concepts back then?
The first brands that trusted us were looking for novelties and experimenting with new communication options in specific markets. Investing in this new type of solution at a time when people didn't really understand what the Internet was was no easy task. Today we all know what the Internet is, as well as the reach and leveraging that can be achieved through this medium, but back at the start, when meeting with clients, we had to explain basic concepts like what a domain was or what could be done. That is how the transformation began—for the market and for us.
We have always been a storydoing company, not storytelling. Everything we have done has been based on our own effort, development, and investment, and the only thing that made us grow was doing.
Our calling card has always been our work and the quality of execution. This has been based on our effort and work during times when uncertainty and even ignorance about the industry were absolute.
Why the decision to renew the project?
The market demands it of you, more and more every day. Failing to renew yourself can mean being at the top today and on the floor tomorrow. You have to be prepared for changes; otherwise, you get left behind and start competing in a niche market governed solely by price, where creativity, experience, business value, and service quality won't be valued. That is not where Danilo Black wants to be. We bet on going all in, finding partners and people who stand with us in this same vision. It's about understanding that if we want to achieve something, we have to take charge ourselves to get it. This is the way, and as an example at Danilo Black, I can tell you we are in a process of questioning everything: strategy, processes, people, service portfolios, and why not even the company name itself, because changes must happen in a structured and profound way, not as a simple cosmetic makeover.
And where is the future heading? What is coming for this industry?
Without a doubt, we are heading straight toward personalization, process automation, artificial intelligence, and big data. To put it more clearly: technology at the service of human beings to make them more efficient, effective, and thereby give them better options for decision-making and more time to do other things. Personally, I conceive a future fully intertwined with machines; perhaps this is a view influenced by having been involved for years in the Information Technology sector, but that is how I visualize it, and we are seeing how technology is already within reach. That is the future today, and crazy as it may seem, we must act accordingly. How? By taking responsibility for our part and not simply adapting to whatever we are given. We must be the protagonists of change. That sense of belonging to the future is what must move us always, every day. Nothing is written, but we will be writing our own history.
How is Danilo Black structured as an organization?
It started as an organizationally traditional company, almost replicating the structure of other advertising agencies, and gradually became increasingly flexible. Danilo Black's culture has to be flexibility, not labels or a strictly defined identity. Today we have people from different backgrounds, with extensive experience acquired in different projects and market sectors, but whom we also expect to gain new knowledge in other disciplines. I love thinking that we can rely on a greater diversity of profiles.
Do you have plans to expand to other countries?
Today our priority is the Mexican market, where we have offices to serve clients in Monterrey and a base in Mexico City, but we are aiming for more.
The expansion plan to other countries—such as the southern tier of the United States—is being considered, but it will have to adapt to needs as they arise. In other words, in one market we might enter with part of the service portfolio, and then cross-sell and offer everything. That is part of Danilo Black's DNA: being whatever we need to be. Defining a fixed territory of action belongs to the past; today the future lies in non-definition.
Beyond the transformation the company preaches, what are you currently working on?
As you rightly mention, we are working on a total transformation; not only of the portfolio but of the company culture itself. We are dedicated to transforming from a digital agency into a value agency with direct impact on our clients' sales—a deep change and not just a simple facelift. We are focusing on everything related to the digital transformation of business and the redefinition of our clients' businesses. Today there are more jobs or requirements related to our clients' digital transformation than to a specific product. Products and solutions are part of the diagnosis, but our key differentiator is that we consult, diagnose, and execute. This is part of what I enjoy doing most: delivering an advisory service, deeply understanding our clients, and as a result allowing us to work on projects that are not strictly about marketing, websites, or branding. It has more to do with the vision for the future of business. Clients are asking what will become of their business over the next two or five years, and we can help them identify that and prepare them so that when the time comes to catch the wave, they do so smoothly and agiley. Being an Intelligence Creative Studio implies that.
Given its origins, the company is linked to the advertising world. What is ahead in an industry where creativity has always been the spearhead?
Advertising is not the only place where the world's creatives are found. We have always thought that the best creative minds are in agencies, thinking of solutions, but the reality is they aren't. There are creative people all over the world, and as an agency we must realize that we are not the sole owners of talent. In companies there are other problems just as large and important as those in marketing that require creative people to solve them. Being an Intelligence Creative Studio means having the ability to solve both business problems and marketing problems. It seems to me that the future in this industry lies in understanding that advertising exists for things much deeper than simply marketing.
What is a good idea to you?
For me, a good idea is one based on innovation and breaking paradigms. For many years, we have seen good ideas associated with product sales, but today ideas are platforms, business models; they are total disruption, something new that creates or redefines an industry.
We live with traditional business models that today more than ever are being questioned; everything is subject to change, nothing is fixed once and for all.
We are living through a new revolution—technology at the service of business revolution.
All business models are being questioned, and what we do at Danilo Black is not only think about those businesses, but question them and redefine them, while simultaneously producing the solution.
What do you think you have done right to achieve that result? How would you deal with failure?
That is an excellent question, but the point is I cannot measure success nor failure. There are daily problems that I cannot view as the end of the world, and there are daily successes that aren't the greatest thing in the world either. Many people measure success by financial results; I see it in the reach of clients or people we reach, how many more people are working with us, and having the opportunity to work on what we are most passionate about.
Does Danilo Black focus on nurturing talent? What kind of profiles are you looking for?
We look for curious, passionate people who want to do things differently. But if we were to talk about profiles—without truly labeling them—they would be entrepreneurs, startups, experts in robotics, analytics, and artificial intelligence, not just creative people. There are many different disciplines, but they will make Danilo Black a much more vibrant platform, outside the standard system.
We look for good people, because skills can be acquired, but personal character and attitude cannot. Then, together, we all help move things forward.
Skills can be acquired, but is the education system preparing people for the future?
There is definitely a long way to go in the education system. I understand that as part of the transformation the industry is experiencing in Mexico, the new educational reform specifically seeks to accompany development and innovation. There are specific initiatives—such as in Nuevo León—which launched the Nuevo León 4.0 initiative a few months ago, oriented in that direction, seeking to promote a new business model connecting advanced manufacturing technology with information technology and education.
The foundations are being built, steps are being taken in that direction, but there is still much to be done.
Shifting a bit to the personal side, what do you enjoy most about working in this field?
I can give you 8 reasons to work in an advertising agency: 1. The social environment – as it allows you to build strong friendships with colleagues; 2. Work hard and play hard – but where there is always room to have fun; 3. Learning opportunities – agencies are a great place to learn many tricks; 4. Every "Jack" has its "Jill" – it's easy to find an agency that fits the personality of each client; 5. Focus – you can spend most of your time working on strategic and creative projects; 6. Growth opportunities – there is always potential for professional growth; 7. Dress code – most agencies allow the freedom to wear whatever you want; 8. Networking – relationships are part of the business and undoubtedly one of the most exciting areas.
How do you envision yourself in the future? Do you have any personal life project outside this industry?
Good question. While today I am fortunate enough to work in one of the most exciting, changing, and challenging professional activities in the business world, there is a world outside this industry that is equally interesting and challenging. There are other alternatives to continue bringing continuous exploration to life.
I have two projects strongly related to user experience, one in hospitality and another in food, that will require my experience and dedication in the coming years. It will undoubtedly be a challenge for me. Work occupies an important part of my life, and the only way to feel truly satisfied is to always do what I consider great work; and the only way to do it is by putting all my passion and dedication into what I do.