How to convince CEOs to invest in creativity

How do we convince CEOs to invest in creativity when they're focused on immediate returns?

In our previous articles, we explored the skills needed to become a CDO and language to use while talking with your CFO. Now, we're focusing on the person with the greatest influence in your company – the CEO. How do you talk to them? What's on their mind? How do they approach business?

We started by speaking with the CEO EMEA of Ogilvy, who started her career in Belgium and now leads the entire EMEA region. She never says no to challenging tasks and believes one of the most important things to justify the investment is to deliver on the strategy. But how exactly? 

Watch the full interview or dive into our highlights below:

You can also listen the full episode on Spotify

Our favourite insights from the interview

Future London Academy: How do you assess when someone asks you for a budget in terms of impact and return on investment?

Patou: It's very similar to what clients look for – does it deliver on the brief? For me, investment happens if it actually delivers on our strategy. Sometimes proposals come with a real business case: for example, "If we invest this much, based on previous experience, this is the impact we’d expect to see." Other times it's about capability: "I need to move this capability forward. I've done the due diligence, looked at different options, and this person with this caliber of talent will move us forward and return the investment."

At Ogilvy, we’ve seen enough evidence that its talented people that make a difference, so that's where we make bets and continue to invest. Its people move the business forward.

Future London Academy: What metrics do you find interesting when evaluating investments?

Patou: All different KPIs are connected. Ultimately, we're all about growth - not going backward but going forward. Growth can happen in many different ways: through existing clients, new capabilities, doing more for existing clients, or winning new business.

Every investment should deliver on our strategy of borderless creativity and our different capabilities. Someone arguing for a particular investment must show how it contributes to growth - maybe not directly but by investing in something that unlocks that growth in the long term.

Future London Academy: What are the things that you as a CEO look at? What's your dashboard of health metrics for the organisations?

Patou: ...Our creative performance. Awards are important because they provide industry recognition for our work. But more importantly, they allow us to demonstrate the real impact we're having on our client’s business.

Creativity is often dismissed as superficial – "just an ad" or "just a video." But when you examine the genuine influence our work has on the world, economy, society, and business, you see its true power. And awards help bring attention to this impact...

..What matters most to me isn't necessarily winning global competitions, but seeing our work recognised in the local markets where it actually runs. This local recognition is just as valuable as international awards because it's where industry peers and potential clients and employees see your success. When people in your market celebrate your work, they're more likely to either want to work with you or hire your agency.

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