Interview with Aldis Ozoliņš, Head of creative at Guilty Ogilvy (Latvia), is conducted by Hando Sinisalu.
Aldis Ozoliņš has worked for 5 different ad agencies in Latvia over the years: DDB, or Magic as it’s called now, McCann, Ogilvy, Not Perfect, and after that, Havas. And now back in Ogilvy
You’ve worked across many agencies in Latvia. Every agency claims to be unique. What’s the real difference?
First and most important is culture, shaped by the owners and the team, and some vision of how we can be different. Then there is main difference between independent, network-owned agencies, and affiliated ones. Network-owned agencies carry a lot of bureaucracy and often don’t understand the local market well. For Latvia and the Baltics, I’d say an affiliated network works best. We can take what we actually need from the network and leave the rest.
Networks argue they offer unique tools, research and knowhow. Does that hold up?
Of course. Human resources are the main asset a network gives you. We couldn’t have brought someone like Rory Sutherland from Ogilvy London to Latvia to speak with our clients on our own. That was brilliant, and it’s the real power of a network.
Does personal brand of the agency leader matter as much as the agency brand?
They’re connected, but it depends, because clients often choose people over agencies, and that can become a problem if client service isn’t good enough. I think the agency is like insurance for continuity and quality over the long term. Personal branding matters, clients tell us they want to work with a certain strategy director, but at the end of the day consistency of work matters most. In Western Europe, an agency’s signature doesn’t rest on one person. It’s cultural, built into the agency and the network.
You keep coming back to culture. What does that actually mean day to day?
It depends on the agency. At Ogilvy right now, it comes down to how we look at the work: what distinctiveness we bring, what level of creative idea, what talent we offer the client. At the end you can look at the work and say this is our signature. Some agencies are known for crazy, provocative campaigns. Others are known for large, stable, perfectly executed long-term campaigns. Creativity is the key for me and my team, but a lot of clients simply want great client service, and that matters too.
Many agencies are struggling right now: less TV work, AI leveling the playing field, freelancers with no overhead undercutting on price. What’s the future role of the agency when even startups run sales and marketing in the same room in real time, with no time for a back-and-forth brief?
My view probably isn’t the most original, but I think the definition of an agency doesn’t change. Our core job is bringing talent to clients and doing the best work, whether that involves AI, freelancers, or an in-house team. Strategy and vision are the elements that keep getting folded into advertising over time, and it’s essential that this core is handled by people who do it best. A client can build a real in-house department, but they’ll still need vision from an agency and talent from a creative department. That doesn’t change. What changes is that we’re now bringing our talent in-house at the agency.
There’s growing criticism that the agencies don’t understand how their clients make money, that agencies should act more like consultants from McKinsey. Should agencies move toward business consulting, or stay focused on creativity?
It depends. We’re fairly fortunate at Ogilvy right now, because our top clients are looking for partners, not a production house, but partners who take part in decisions connected to the core business. That matters. But if we put all our focus on the business side and forget creativity, we lose our core, and creativity is what drives business. Look at the data from Cannes Lions year after year: in a media field this saturated, standing out is a creative issue, not a business one.
Looking ahead, what’s your professional ambition?
I’m not looking too far into the future. Right now I work step by step, because the advertising environment changes daily with new tools like AI. What mattered yesterday doesn’t necessarily work today. My focus right now is team building, distinctiveness, brand creativity, and bringing the best marketing talent together.
Any advice on finding that talent? There’s a strange gap: plenty of unemployed young people, yet everyone says good talent is hard to find.
Absolutely, because we’re working with a generation that has different priorities. Twenty years ago, we joined an agency because the brand itself felt almost sacred. Today, agencies like Leo Burnett or DDB in that old sense don’t really exist anymore, so we have to find new ways to offer something meaningful to new talent. The market isn’t short on people, but when we do find someone good and bring them onto a project, their attitude and flexibility with AI and new software is genuinely impressive. It’s not an easy search. Whether it’s finding new talent or working on branding, going deep is essential, because things change so fast. If we can combine creativity, vision and experience, we can do something brilliant.
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