The following is an extended version of the interview that appears in our December 2020 issue.
Photo courtesy The Martin Agency
Named chief creative officer for The Martin Agency in August, Danny Robinson, the first Black person to hold that title at the Richmond-based advertising company he’s worked for since 2004, didn’t have the luxury of easing into his new role, given the global pandemic’s effects on the business and its clients. Outside of work, Robinson is the board chair for local food bank Feed More, which has also been forced to adjust to our new collective reality. We talked with Robinson via email about these challenges and more as we look ahead to 2021.
Richmond magazine: In moving from a position that was created specifically for you — chief client officer — to one of the iconic jobs at an advertising agency, the chief creative officer, what has changed about your day-to-day and what excites you about making this job switch?
Danny Robinson: The biggest difference between my chief client officer role and this one is found in the title. As chief creative officer, my mind sits squarely in the creative space. I was extremely happy in my previous role; I was learning new things, flexing muscles that had atrophied from lack of use, able to develop a vision for the department. And as a member of the executive committee, I was fortunate to contribute to the development of the agency’s long-term strategy. It was all good. But the moment I returned to the creative department, I realized how much I missed being involved with the making of things. Now, in addition to building high-performing teams and providing leadership, I’m spending lots of time looking at, talking about and asking questions about the work we produce.
RM: You’ve been appointed CCO at a particularly challenging time for businesses around the world — how has the pandemic affected The Martin Agency’s work both in terms of what clients are looking for and the kinds of ideas being pitched to them?
Robinson: Clients have always needed their partners to be nimbler and quicker. The pandemic has just accelerated the need. We’ve been operating with shorter timetables and have also been able to showcase how good we are at creating highly effective, creative ideas without the luxury of long lead times and massive budgets.
RM: In generating those ideas, Martin’s employees are working from home primarily. Has the change in how and where you’re doing your jobs had any effect on the kind of work you and Martin’s other creatives are producing, or is it business as usual, just in a different setting?
Robinson: It took a while for people to find a rhythm. For most, it was a major life adjustment. And for those with kids, it remains a roller coaster of unforeseen situations. So sure, it had an effect on people, and we did lots of things to help people work through the difficulties, including ongoing check-ins on staff and individuals, space to take time off whenever needed, delivering meals, handwritten notes and flowers on routine stipends for staff to spend money as they see fit.
Working from home also affected the kind of work we could do as a result of the restrictions placed on us by the pandemic. Gone was the ability to film live-action video with actors and groups in LA or Toronto or New York City. But we didn’t have the luxury of slowing down. In fact, we sped up — pedal to the metal sped up. We produced work remotely for over 90% of our clients — including DoorDash, Ritz, UPS and Oreo — a Herculean effort, considering many companies at many other agencies had decreased their marketing efforts or had gone dark during the crisis. The result of this quick response is evident in our clients’ successes through really uncertain times.
RM: What are some of your goals for yourself and the agency in the coming year?
Robinson: I’m not going to give away any secrets, but I have a vision for the creative department that will help continue the journey we started three years ago to make Martin an example of a modern, successful, inclusive and creative company. That means working with more clients who share our ambitions, attracting more of the best talent from the best companies, hiring more people of color and doing the best work of our lives. We want to continue to fight invisibility for our clients with the knowledge that the most talked-about brands are the brands that grow the fastest. I’m lucky to able to say we want to do more of what we’ve been doing, just faster.
RM: In an interview with the Richmond Free Press, you mentioned that you have a standing daily online “Call of Duty” game. Are you still able to find the time?
Robinson: I would always make time for battles. Sadly, our game play was abruptly ended when Martin switched over to Mac’s new operating system. We were playing an old-school, 32-bit “Call of Duty,” and that game is no longer supported on Macs. A very sad end to a decade-plus-long era of stress relief and trash-talking.
RM: Stepping away from Martin, you’re the board chair for Feed More — what originally drew you to this organization, and how are they adapting to meet the special challenges of fulfilling their mission right now?
Robinson: Feed More gives me the opportunity to be a part of something that directly impacts the lives of my Richmond neighbors, the people I see every day. The more active I became, the more I realized that Feed More does more than help those with immediate need, but helps lift entire communities. As you might imagine, the need for the services Feed More provides spiked during the last six months. At the onset our primary concern was not around the lack of food but the threat of a decrease in our volunteer base. We put out a call for additional help early, and our community stepped up in a big way. During the first three months of COVID-induced lockdown, we received more than 1,100 online volunteer applications from individuals wanting to lend a helping hand. Thanks in large part to the outreach from a generous and big-hearted community, including increases in food and monetary donations, Feed More is healthy and thriving.
