GUT is committed to being a fearless agency for courageous clients: Anselmo Ramos

Anselmo Ramos, the Co-Founder and the Creative Chairman at GUT, which won the Independent Network of the Year at Cannes 2023, is visiting India to meet his long-time friend, Raj Kamble, Founder & CCO at Famous Innovations who worked with him in the 2000s at Lowe New York.

Ramos who is an advertising legend with close to 30 years of experience in the ad business, started as a junior writer at Colucci Propaganda in 1994. In the year 1995, he moved on to Y&R Miami and served in various positions for more than eight years.

In 2003, Ramos shifted to Lowe New York as a Senior Writer where he met Kamble and they both instantly clicked. In 2006, he joined Diego + Kbar + Partners as Head of Creative. From 2007 to 2014, he worked at Ogilvy&Mather/São Paulo as the CCO. In 2012 while working at Ogilvy, he founded DAVID The Agency which was backed by Ogilvy as a legacy to David Ogilvy. In 2018, he sold his share to the company and separated from the WPP group. 

Ramos founded GUT in the year 2018 along with his partner Gaston Bigio. Since then, the two have been creating excellent creative work for brands across cohorts and expanding their business to seven different locations - Sao Paulo (Brazil), Miami (Florida), Mexico City (Mexico), Toronto (Canada), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Los Angeles (California) and, Amsterdam (The Netherlands). GUT started with a handful of people sharing WeWork spaces and has now grown to more than 450 strong across locations.  

After five years of running the business and churning out outstanding work, GUT has decided to merge with the tech giant Globant, a client for almost three years that has bought majority stakes in the company. Globant will be collaborating with the agency for tech requirements.

The association is driven by Ramos' belief that creative tech is indeed the future of advertising across the globe.

In an interview with e4m, Ramos speaks about his journey building GUT from scratch and now merging with a tech giant. 

Here are the edited excerpts from the conversation: 

When you launched GUT back in 2018, what was your thought process? Tell us about your journey.

I always wanted my own agency. It took a while. When we started David, my earlier agency, I was a founder, but David was part of Ogilvy and WPP. It was great to learn about how to open an agency because I had their support. I focused on clients, good work, and building culture, and they took care of everything else.

After five years with David, Gaston and I felt ready for our own independent agency. 

We both wanted it. As ad nerds, we said, "Now's the time." We knew what it took to start from scratch, and this time, we wanted 100% independence. It was a big step, leaving comfy jobs at Ogilvy, giving up perks, and taking personal risks like a second mortgage on my house. I didn't pay myself for two years.

There was a one-year rule against reaching out to clients or talent from David. We had to start fresh—new talent, new clients. But as our slogan says, "No GUT, no glory." We took a chance, trusted our gut, and faced challenges. It took five years, but now we're celebrating, whether it's winning at Cannes or joining a tech giant. 

The pandemic hit just two years after the launch of GUT and impacted businesses causing a huge budget crunch, especially in the ad business. How did the agency tide through the tough times?

In January 2020, we had this cool idea: our first-ever Beginning Of The Year (BOTY) event. We had a hundred people across three offices in Miami, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo. We brought everyone to Sao Paulo for a three-day get-together right before COVID hit in March. Luckily, we'd built strong bonds, and having a solid company culture turned out to be crucial during the pandemic. 

Gaston and I made a promise to end the year with everyone, not leaving anyone behind. And then in life, I think you need to be lucky. We were fortunate because our clients weren't hit hard by the pandemic—no airlines or cruise lines. Our clients were in burgers, beer, and other stuff people still bought during lockdowns. They kept advertising, and we kept making ads for them. It was a stroke of luck that helped us tackle the challenges while our clients stayed committed to advertising. 

What were some of the initial challenges that you faced when you started? And what kept you going to win the Independent Agency of the Year at Cannes 2023?

From the very start, GUT has stood as our primary client, and the essence of brand building has been integral to our mission. We uphold brand values, embody a distinctive personality, and adhere to a set of principles. Our emphasis on culture is unwavering. Establishing clarity about our identity, the type of work we aspire to undertake, the standards we aim to maintain in our timelines, and the kind of clients we seek have been pivotal. From the outset, our commitment has been to be a fearless agency for courageous clients. 

Though the initial phase posed challenges as we sought out brave clients, the subsequent years proved to be immensely rewarding. To address certain misconceptions surrounding bravery, particularly the notion that it is binary, we introduced the bravery scale. For us, bravery is not a dichotomy; there exists a scale from 0 to 10. Zero denotes a lack of bravery, 10 signifies complete boldness, and 5 represents a balance between bravery and caution. Clients below a rating of 5 prompt discussions on how we can guide them on their journey toward greater bravery.

Building the kind of agency we envisioned required unwavering conviction and the establishment of clear goals. Many agencies struggle with identifying their positioning, but our strength lies in our clarity regarding principles and the type of work we aim to undertake.

Talk to us about the merger with Globant. 

In the last couple of years, we got approached by a couple of holding companies. Sometimes it was just flirting, other times it was serious. But we come from the same world, we know what is food and not good for us. Globant was just like a very unique opportunity that appeared, as they have been our clients for three years. We have a lot in common. The merger with Globant was a strategic move to enhance capabilities and geographical reach. The decision was influenced by a longstanding partnership, shared cultural values, and the complementary nature of both entities. The merger provides GUT with an accelerated path to realizing its goals. 

They have acquired the majority of the stakes and we also have the option to sell the rest in the next five years. The key thing is we keep operating independently, from an operation perspective Gaston and I are still leading the company with Andrea Diquez as our CEO. 

How to keep the company culture intact in the light of mergers?

Absolutely, we've witnessed unfavourable mergers in the past, particularly involving holding companies acquiring agencies and impacting their cultures. Sometimes, they even go to the extent of merging names and discontinuing legacy names, as we've observed recently. However, this case is distinct; it involves a tech company acquiring an agency. We are committed to maintaining our independence, ensuring that the day-to-day operations of our talented and gutsy team remain consistent. 

While the essence of GUT remains unchanged, what transforms is our association with a tech company, unlocking new possibilities and support. Previously, executing a groundbreaking tech idea required us to seek out suitable partners, such as the collaboration we did for Stella Artois with the Artois probability. Now, with Globant as our partner, the process is more streamlined and efficient, offering us increased possibilities, support, and resources. Despite these changes, the core of our operations, our culture, remains steadfast. We continue to embody the principles of "no gut, no glory," emphasizing courage, transparency, and intuition.

We are seeing that there are a lot of shifts happening especially in the advertising domains, what are the causes and what is your advice to the agencies?

People change workplaces searching for something they lack. Constant changes make it hard to build a strong foundation. To achieve greatness, find the right workplace, stay, and develop trust over time.

Blaming external factors like tech companies or clients for talent leaving isn't the solution. Cultivate a positive culture; people might still leave, and that's fine. Always trust your instincts—they're your reliable guide.

The gut acts as a second brain, loaded with feelings. Take a moment, and listen to the subtle voice of intuition. It holds great importance, even if it speaks softly.

How do you see India as a market and the growing advertising industry here?

Absolutely, we're eager to expand globally. We've got our social media handles ready for every city. Our goal is to spread the Gut-Brain worldwide, enhancing capabilities and opening more offices. We recently launched our seventh office in Amsterdam, and now we're venturing into Europe, Asia, and Africa for global domination. The Indian market, which feels similar to Brazil, is on our radar. It's a creative and diverse market with unique insights. I find it fascinating, especially when local ideas resonate globally. India has a knack for that, much like Argentina. It's a creative hub, and we see potential for even more impactful work.

Ariel’s "Share the Load" is a real gem. I love it for its significant impact on society. It ticks all the boxes—it's right for the brand, the category, and it's purposeful. Beyond that, it contributes to societal progress. The campaign has a lasting and unique quality, making it a flexible and enduring platform that continues to resonate."

You met Piyush Pandey who is called the living legend of the Indian advertising world, how has your experience been? What have you learned from him?

Being on the Ogilvy Creative Council with Piyush was an honour. Piyush may not have talked much, but when he did, it was profound, and everyone listened because he was usually right. He's charismatic and great with people. The best part was travelling to exotic places, having creative discussions, and creating lasting memories together. It was a fantastic time.

How technology is helping the creative arm of any agency or company?

Creativity is like a superpower for businesses. Not all companies use it, but those that do get ahead faster. Being creative is a legal and awesome advantage in the business world.

The best companies, no matter what they do, have creativity at their core. Take Globant and GUT, for example. Globant is great at being creative with technology, and GUT is super creative with communication. When you mix these skills together, you get something amazing. We believe being brave in business is important. It means doing things that really matter and get noticed. 

Communication is about saying something that people care about and talk about. Sadly, most ads don't do that. Our goal is to create ads that people like and want to share. Being brave in business leads to better results. It's a quick path to success, especially today. In the past, you could just buy ads to reach people. Now, people can watch anything they want, whenever they want. So, being creative is the key. Your ad has to be different and grab attention in a cool way. That's the power of creativity—standing out and getting people to notice in a world full of distractions.

Looking forward, the mix of technology and creativity is clear. Tech, especially AI, has quickly changed many industries. From NFTs and crypto to now AI, it's fast, but we can't go back. AI is sticking around, and we see it as a useful tool, not a problem. Being friends with AI is important, and we're hopeful about how it can speed up our idea generation.

AI is like a clever and fast partner in brainstorming. Many successful creative people use AI without worries. In our work, AI often sparks the beginning of an idea. Even though AI is powerful, the human touch is still super important. If you can create things AI can't copy, like having a unique voice, that's valuable. Skilled writers can ask for more money because the human touch they bring is special. The main thing is not to be scared of AI but to see how it can make human creativity even better.

In the future, being a good writer will be even more valuable because of AI. If you're skilled, you can ask for higher pay. On the flip side, if you're not good at it, there might be job concerns. Great writers will be in demand because the personal touch they bring is precious. If you have a unique voice or can create content that AI can't match, that's incredibly valuable. It's worth considering how this dynamic will play out.

How is the ad landscape changing globally?

We absolutely love advertising! In our industry, there's a lot of cynicism, especially about the future and tech being seen as an enemy. However, we see tech as an ally, and that's why we're embracing it like never before. If you truly love advertising, have fun with it, and stay relevant because your passion will always drive you. Communication is key, and while the ways we communicate may change, the importance remains. We believe technology is a significant part of our future, and we're fully committed to it. Embracing tech is a bold step, and, following our motto, "no gut, no glory," we're all in. Five years later, we're still here, taking another gutsy step into a tech-driven future.