At Bitopi Leo Burnett, Managing Director Sarah Ali looks at how to make the most out of opportunities
By Natasha Rahman
Paperwork, deadlines, clients; this may sound like just another day at an agency. But if you look beyond the endless work hours, the place is a treasure trove of ideas
Agencies are all about building a relationship with clients. “Trust and confidence are two of the most essential ingredients. It is no different in the partnership between clients and agencies. The key to building trust with clients, according to me is honesty,” stresses Sarah. She also says that it is necessary to be truthful in the face of all odds and accept that mistakes can happen.
As their work is based on creative content, Sarah is willing to take risks and find solutions for her clients that is both unique and out of the box. “Some clients are willing to take risks and move out of the comfort zone. As the client’s partner, it is our job to find the most creative way to solve the client’s problem. If the agency is capable of giving a valid reason to go ahead with the idea, the clients usually are willing to listen and try it out,” shares Sarah.
A large part of advertising deals with ideas and strategic execution. Balancing the creative process and managing to meet the needs of your clients on time is of utmost importance. “The job of an advertising agency is to solve a client’s or a brand’s problem. The ideas that we come up with are connected to solving a client’s problem.” Sarah feels there is no point in having a good idea, if it cannot be executed for whatever drawbacks there may be. “It needs a fine balancing process with a realistic discussion of timelines with the client. I think it is all about expectation management and discussion with the client. I have seen that ‘assumption’ is the root of all kinds of difficulties in my line of work. There is ownership from the client and a much greater change of creative executions happening.”
On a final note, Sarah’s motto is to always communicate and involve the client in the entire thinking process and generate ideas together.