Red Apple International Advertising Festival 2021

Red Apple is the largest international advertising festival in Russia. Red Apple is a very positive initiative to unite people from different countries, from different fields, so that they exchange ideas, experiences, knowledge and acquaintances.

Successes are important, but failures are more valuable experiences. Unpleasant situations happen, and it is they that give impetus to further movement, if you look through the prism of motivation and professional experience.

In the life of every agency, leader and individual, there are turning points that determine the future course of action. Working in a team is a complex task that is difficult to do successfully right away. MediaCom CEO Yaron Farizon shared his experience. 

“I worked on a client basis in the global team in London at MediaCom. This was about 5 years ago and it was my first experience working in a global team. Previously, I held leadership positions, but here I had to be part of a team of high-level professionals. Therefore, I cannot say that my first experience working in a team was successful.” 

Despite all the difficulties, this is an invaluable experience that shows what not to do. Yaron Farizon told us from his own experience how to act correctly in order to achieve a successful result and how to behave in order to be successful in a team role. 

Expectations are not always comparable to reality. This often happens between local and global teams. Yaron talked about how to build relationships correctly so that the participation of a global team is not unnecessary, but beneficial.

“We participated in a global tender in one of the markets. The key to success in this type of activity is related to how you can establish relationships with the local team. You can come so important, but in the end the local market will win the tender. Your task is to help them: make them stronger, give them access to certain tools and technologies and teach them how to work with them correctly. And this balance did not take place.” 

Why did it happen the way it did? And what needs to be done to make it better next time? Questions that should arise in your head in case of any failure. Focusing on the future is the main rule of self-motivation.

The industry is constantly moving and evolving. Because of this, there are always inconsistencies between agencies and groups - and this cyclicality is constantly present in our work.

“This experience happened in Moscow two years ago, when I took up a new position. We had a fundamental belief in what we were doing: it was right, smart and needed by the market. But we didn’t just blindly believe in it, we put a lot of effort into building both the product and the process and the relationship with each other. So, at the beginning of 2019, one of the big clients announced a pitch and invited us to it. All our skills, hopes, desires, products - all our efforts and all our energy were thrown into creating a product offer that is impossible to refuse. In the end, we won."

In addition to the result itself, which is important to the team, the process is the main value and fundamental part of the work. After all, it is the path to the goal that creates the basis for the future and increases the likelihood of success.

Fundamental faith, titanic efforts of the team to create effective internal relationships and focus on the best result are the moments that determine the success of the idea.

When you are part of a team and you have a certain area of responsibility, it becomes clear what to thank each team member for. It is very important to understand the role of each person and their influence on the final result.

When you are a leader, your tasks are to glue everything together, remove obstacles, give directions for work, raise standards. 

Nobody says thank you to managers. You understand your role, because the task of a leader is to give, not to receive. There is a moment here when you are left alone with the result and ask the question: what did I do, what was my value? Every person also needs to have answers to these questions.” 

The leader must understand that the team is the main thing. When something happens, the manager must properly evaluate each employee while maintaining objectivity. It doesn’t matter what role and position a person occupies in the team, it is important that he understands his own value and the degree of influence on the result. 

Yaron Farizon spoke about two main attitudes that help achieve goals.

• Everything that happens is temporary

If any positive or negative result is temporary, then it means you can overcome it and not focus on it. 

If you rejoice, rejoice, allow yourself to be proud of what you have done. But don’t forget that you need to move on and choose a new path. 

If a negative moment has occurred, then it is important to be able to close it: understand what happened and how to fix it in the future. 

Focusing on development helps you move much faster, without dwelling on small victories or defeats.

• The team is everything

Be able to select the right team, build relationships between each smoke is a person, finding motivation that suits everyone is a complex and lengthy process. This is what will lead to success for both each individual and the entire team.