What Type Of Person Thrives In The Marketing Agency Industry, According To A CEO And Co-Founder At Nuñez, The People's Agency
Ray describes individuals who thrive in the marketing industry, especially within smaller agencies, as those who are "innovative" and "bold enough to call it out" when old-school practices are no longer effective, specifically pointing to a situation where Nuñez, The People's Agency challenged a competitor's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by highlighting the lack of representation within their organization. Ultimately, the career professional believes a willingness to challenge the status quo and offer innovative solutions is essential for success.
Innovation, Boldness, Ethical Awareness, Industry Knowledge, Communication
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ray Nuñez
CEO, Co-Founder
Nuñez, The People's Agency
Johnson & Wales University
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Business Strategy
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Innovation is key for small agencies to thrive against established players in the marketing industry.
2. Success comes from challenging outdated practices and calling out hypocrisy, especially regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion.
3. The marketing industry, despite its competitiveness, is interconnected, fostering a sibling-like dynamic where agencies playfully challenge each other.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in your industry?
That's a loaded question. This is an old school sector industry. Marketing has its big players who've been around forever, and they usually win. They have the credibility and name recognition.
What I'm seeing as a trend with small agencies like us who are thriving is that they are being innovative and trying something new. They are also calling out old school ways that don't work anymore.
We remember when we were first getting started, we were okay taking punches at different agencies, respectfully. We knew a lot of them, so they knew we weren't meaning harm. But there was something that came out around diversity, equity, and inclusion about five years ago.
One of our competitors said, "This is our value. This is who we are. We're always going to stand by this." I said, "Bet, let's look at your about us page. Let's look at every single person who is at this organization." To nobody's surprise, two people out of 50 were people of color.
Then you look at their clients, and they work with organizations that have historically marginalized communities of color. Come on now. We love calling you out because that's not in line with the value you just projected.
The ones who thrive are the ones who are bold enough to call it out and say, "This isn't how it should be." This is an innovative way to try something else. It's fun. It's a small industry, so everybody knows everybody. It's kind of like having siblings; you have to give them a hard time because that's the love language for each other.