In this new monthly series, we interview CEOs, finding out how they got to where they are now. This month, we meet Folk VML CEO Abi Moran …
“Hey folks!” the pink neon sign greets me in Folk VML in Dublin, one of Ireland’s leading advertising agencies. Abi greets me with a warm welcome. Stylish to the core, she’s an intriguing mix of cool and collected, yet genial and interested. Born an only child in Manchester in the UK, Abi’s home is in Dublin with her husband and teenage daughter. She’s close to her mum who lives in Oxford, her dad having died a few years ago.
Having met Abi years ago in business, I’m amazed that she’s in advertising 25 years, which she says is “such a fascinating business”. She believes that, done right, advertising influences everything – from how people think to sustainability and how they invest their money.
When asked what a typical day looks like, she said, “No two days are quite the same. This morning, I listened to a colleague talk through her strategic paper about reward centres in the brain, at lunch I reviewed how AI tools will make our work more effective, and this afternoon we’re presenting ideas to help a client connect with a younger audience.”
What about the long lunches and wild times that made advertising famous through Netflix’s hit series Mad Men?
While those boozy lunches seem a thing of the past, Abi admits that there’s still “a bit of fame” in the job. “There’s nothing like seeing your work out in the world and watching people respond to it: a campaign line on every company lorry, hearing someone use your tagline in everyday conversation or winning a Cannes Lion for a really important cause.”
A case in point is An Post’s “Address Point” campaign around their free service that provides a postal address to those without a fixed home, enabling them to receive post and access essential services. An inspired initiative that’s never more prescient than today.
She’s proud of all of her campaigns, but pushed to name some she mentions “Go full Lidl”, Vodafone’s “Team of Us” and the iconic old Mr Brennan.
In an industry unrecognisable from ten years ago, Abi says the business is constantly evolving. They’re the only Irish agency to have won three “Sustained Effectiveness Effie Awards”, of which she is very proud. She adds that being part of WPP, the world’s largest advertising company, has been exciting as they now have access to global tech tools to create ‘brand worlds’ across all audience touchpoints that can boost revenue by up to 23 per cent.
Her core belief is that brands are often a company’s most valuable asset; citing a recent Economist report showing that brands account for more than 30 per cent of the stock market of companies in the S&P index. Leading CEOs understand that corporate reputation is responsible for over 40 per cent of their market cap; with Abi citing two examples, “Look at how both Starbucks and Nike’s share prices plummeted when their brand reputation shifted.”
Asked about the future, she’s not worried about AI. If anything, she’s optimistic about its’ potential to make human creativity and time more valuable. Talking about other challenges facing the industry, Abi explained how privacy changes are completely reshaping digital advertising by building a direct connection with customers. With increased public awareness, she anticipates more stringent advertising regulations across many industries and concludes, “We need to adapt as industries still need to advertise to drive growth.”
After all, it’s all about consumers, so one of the most interesting challenges she talked about is audience engagement. According to their Future 100 Report, compared to last year public optimism overall has dropped. Stress is the number one challenge for health, with a staggering 85 per cent of people surveyed wishing for more time with loved ones, prioritising personal growth above all else.
“I tell myself I thrive in chaos! I lean on good people, accepting that some weeks you’re held together by coffee and blind optimism.”
A perfect segway opens for me to ask about her own life, away from the world of advertising. She shares responsibilities with her husband, admitting that he does probably more than she does, and it works.
It seems that the 50-year-old CEO has a simple yet holistic approach to health and happiness: she sea swims with pals and used to be an avid runner (“finding the chats incredibly cathartic”), but these days it’s all about being out with her daughter who loves horse-riding. So, it’s showjumping practice during the week and, at weekends, “I love nothing more than being at the yard picking out hoops and cleaning stables. It’s my happy place right now,” she smiles.