Being “DIGITAL” doesn’t make the difference any more
Interview with our CEO Alberto Zunzunegui at IPMARK
When we created Genetsis, the designation "digital" was a strong qualifier for agencies, consultancies and any other service provider. Digital was so new that it was considered a specialisation. Obviously, that hasn’t been the case for some time...
Alberto Zunzunegui.
CEO of Genetsis
A few years ago, the IPMARK team interviewed our CEO Alberto Zunzunegui to talk about the digital world and our past, present and future.
And, despite the variability in this environment, many of the key points he outlined then about the digital ecosystem and our role in it are more relevant than ever. We invite you to learn more by reading the full interview below.
Más de 25 años dibujando estrategias,
también en el ecosistema digital
IPMARK interview
25 years creating and managing companies related to marketing and technology. From his beginnings in the world of advertising, first outdoor and then in-store, to his various adventures in the digital world, a sector in which he started more than 20 years ago. Alberto Zunzunegui, however, does not like to be called an entrepreneur (despite the fact that all his companies are still active and “enjoying reasonable health”). He says he needs to channel his restlessness and be able to bring value to his clients.
Last year, Genetsis celebrated its 20th anniversary. How has the digital world evolved during this time and how has this evolution affected you?
It has evolved so much that it no longer makes sense to talk about the digital world but about the world, pure and simple. When we created Genetsis, the designation “digital” was a strong qualifier for agencies, consultancies and any other service provider. Digital was so new that it was considered a specialisation. Obviously, that hasn’t been the case for some time.
This has forced most of the companies that have been in this business for years to make decisions about which part of their offering was the most differential, in order to strengthen it, and which part it made sense to do without.
And this was also the case for us.
Can you explain what you abandoned and what you have strengthened?
Well, to give you some examples, we no longer provide media-related services (in the late 1990s we were doing display and digital media planning), we have “optimised” our creative resources (from 2000 to 2005 we were doing a lot of tactical action and digital campaign work that we no longer do) and, from a technology point of view, we have “focused the shot” (mobilising our development capacity and boosting our data marketing area).
When you look back, you realise how different the environment in which we work now is. If we had not evolved, we would no longer exist.
And how do you see the near future of the sector?
First of all, we should ask ourselves which sector we are talking about. Without wishing to be politically incorrect, I find it increasingly difficult to explain what a digital agency is (I don’t think I’ve ever been able to explain it well).
If we are talking about marketing and communication service providers with an up-to-date and competitive offer, I believe that we are living through a moment of convergence of positioning, of constant emergence of new high-added-value players and of revolution in the structures of the buyers of our services.
All good fun. And furthermore, in my opinion, this is not cyclical. The rules have changed forever. Just a few years ago, for many of these marketing and communication service providers, Google was an “enabler” and Salesforce was “software”, to give just two examples. Today, it turns out that they have taken over a large part of the business and many businesses have not yet realised it.
You’ve talked about a revolution in the structures of the buyers of marketing services (the big brands). Can you be more specific?
I’ll try. What a few years ago were seen as emerging positions that were yet to prove their revenue-generating capacity are today displacing, stealing share and, in some cases, driving many medium and large companies – which, by the way, invest a lot of money in marketing and advertising – out of business. And the people in charge of these medium/large companies, who may have been late in seeing it coming but are not stupid, know that they have to react now.
That is the revolution I am talking about. To give three examples: being omnichannel, having one’s own intelligent and open platform, and integrating the commercial strategy with the marketing strategy. This is no longer aspirational – it is urgent. And to achieve this, major brands will make the necessary changes (to their internal and external structures).
Do you think Genetsis is ready for this scenario?
We have worked hard to be. In recent years, as I mentioned earlier, we have been committed to renewing our capabilities and seeking new challenges. The latter is not easy and often means saying “no” to a certain type of business.
We have strengthened our capabilities in strategy, integration and execution. We have aligned around our data marketing area so that it is not an isolated discipline within the company but permeates all our professional roles. And the truth is that we are happy. We are leading projects that have become benchmarks in sectors such as retail and distribution, which makes us look forward to the future.
There comes a time for a company like Genetsis when, in order to continue growing, it is interesting to consider partnerships or acquisitions. Do you consider this possibility?
We have always believed in organic growth as long as we have the possibility to do so. And I am convinced that we still have a lot of scope for growth.
In any case, we have not stood still in this respect in recent years. Last year, we created a new company, Genetsis Solutions, with which we intend to market our own cloud solutions and through which we have just launched DRUID, a multiplatform digital identity manager.
And we are taking our first steps into the Latin American market with our recently opened office in Mexico.
In addition, 4 years ago I participated, together with Hugo Giralt and Sid Vanchinathan, in the founding of Propelland, a strategic design studio based in San Francisco that has already opened offices in Madrid and Mexico City, which reinforces the strategic capabilities of Genetsis, with which it collaborates closely.
You can see the original interview, in Spanish, in PDF format
Genetsis Group
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