At this year’s IMC Conference, themed Marketing is Business, I caught up again with Charl Bassil, Chief Brand Officer of the BBC. This was a follow-up to the conversation we had nearly a year ago, where Charl shared his early reflections on reimagining a legacy brand.
In this latest discussion, Charl explained why he’s taken a bold stance at the BBC:
“I’ve banned campaigns. We don’t build campaigns. We build creative platforms that last three to five years minimum. And then within those platforms, we have campaigns.”
He believes that platforms create longevity and build memory structures that campaigns alone cannot. “It’s probably the most fundamental job we have, which is this idea of fresh consistency. Building something over time and then bringing it back to audiences in a way that drives reappraisal, freshly.”
For Charl, growth remains essential, even for a public service broadcaster: “Growth is critical for us because it speaks to relevance. If we want to exist, we need to be relevant.”
He also emphasised how agencies can earn their seat at the table: “If you understand the business problem, you can offer a business solution.”
This interview is part of our IMC Conference series, where we spoke to visionary marketers and brand leaders about how marketing continues to shift business, influence culture and grow brands.
Watch the full conversation with Charl Bassil below.
A special thank you to the IMC Conference team, with whom we collaborated to make this possible.
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Our podcast audio editing and audio production are done by: Maishe Rakgoale.