New York, November 26th, 2019

Founded in 1986 in Sweden, Forsman & Bodenfors is a global creative collective with over 700 employees across its seven offices in Europe, North America and Asia. The agency creates messages and brands that people talk about, feel are important and care about, focusing on the quality of communication.

Mike Densmore is the CEO of the New York office, a position he holds since March 2019. He joined the agency 2 years ago as President, after a long and successful career in many agencies – including BBH, Droga5, Arnold, JWT and Modernista. He believes on teamwork and diversity and brings a creative spirit every day to the office.

In an interview with TIA, Densmore took a close look at his career and the experiences he has gone through, while also reflecting on his current role at Forsman & Bodenfors and giving insights on his way of looking at the world.

How would you describe a regular day as a CEO?

One of the great things of our industry is that each day is different. There are many things we try to plan for and things that come up and we have to address very quickly. I love that, I’m curiously oriented and I like to be stimulated in different ways. I like that kind of flexibility.

I spend a lot of my time not only thinking about how we can best position ourselves in the marketplace but also dealing with personnel and business issues. The people that work here are our most important asset; they are the ones responsible for the creative work and business solutions we provide our clients. My job also entails making sure our clients are well-serviced and getting what they need from us.

Could you walk us through your career-path?

I went to school thinking I wanted to be a journalist. I did an internship in NBC in New York and had a great position working on a news team. While I found it interesting, I quickly learned that journalism wasn’t what I wanted to do. I realized that I wanted to tell stories in another way.

The following summer, I did another internship for a sports marketing company. While I enjoy sports (and marketing obviously), I found it to be a bit too tactical and executional for my liking. I guess the third time’s the charm because the next summer, I did another internship with an ad agency in Rhode Island and had such a great experience.

I loved the problem solving and learning about different industries and pieces of business. I gained exposure to how pitches were conducted and strategies were implemented for several brands. On top of that, I worked with very smart and strategic people that wanted to win and make a real change for their clients. That was my first experience in the ad industry and it made me realize that a career in marketing was what I ultimately wanted to pursue.

You count with a wide experience at some of the most renowned agencies in the world. What would you say it was your key contribution to them?

Arnold gave me my first opportunity in the industry and it was there where I received a solid foundation and grasp of the industry. During my time at Arnold, it became obvious to me that I was good at championing good creative work.

I had a lot of creatives that enjoyed working with me and I also enjoyed working with them. I helped clients understand the value of a good creative idea and helped creatives understand the challenges of clients’ businesses.

My next experience was at Wieden Kennedy, it was like going to a graduate school. An incredible culture with everybody on the same page. I think my contribution during my time there was really bringing and fostering a creative champion spirit.

I was also fortunate to be a partner at a startup called Modernista, where I learnt a lot about business from the other partners. I contributed to the growth of the company and the culture. We had a lot of success there and it was an amazing education for me.

I would say my time at Droga5 taught me how strategy and creative truly need one another. I feel that I contributed to helping the agency find its approach to pitching and winning bigger pieces of business with strong creative opportunities.

Then my four years at BBH was a wonderful experience as well. I was given a global role for the first time and I worked with team members across seven offices. I think I was able to offer a different perspective to selling smart work and telling a global story for the agency.

Now, I’m here at Forsman & Bodenfors. Since joining the team two years ago, we have gone through a complete evolution. I really love being a part of the collective as it truly fosters a collaborative spirit. We address issues and solve problems as a team; to me that’s very unique compared to the places I’ve worked at before.

At F&B, everyone understands the power of the collective. I strive to create an environment that allows for real openness so that our people know that they can and should bring their most authentic selves to work. We want them to feel that this is their agency and they are responsible for its success.

For the past two decades Forsman & Bodenfors has been ranked as one of the most acclaimed creative agencies in the world. How does a global collective manages to stay on top with creativity and technology?

Ultimately, that is up to our teams around the world. Our Global CEO and Global Executive Chairman oversee the collective globally. It is by their leadership that each office is able to succeed. There is also a global board that helps establish the standards, principles, and strategies that we all aim to live up to.

Overall, we are a close knit group and talk on a regular basis. One of my goals for the collective is to become the most diverse and inclusive agency on the planet. We have such a rich and diverse culture that allows people to be who they are and create world-class work. That is something I am very proud of and humbled by. All the credit goes to our team members. It all starts with them and their initiative.

“The Epic Split” for Volvo Trucks is one of those campaigns that never gets old. In your opinion, what ingredients are key to create a remarkable award-winning campaign?

I don’t think there’s a specific formula to it. We always start by asking ourselves what is the one task that we are trying to solve for our clients.

Many of our competitors have different ways of working and management styles that have teams constantly thinking about how they can create something viral or “out of this world.” That’s a distraction in my opinion. What we are trying to address is our clients’ needs and our way of working is structured around. We want to make a real impact on their business. Sweden’s Volvo campaigns are great examples of that with a beautiful strategy.

What do you envisage for the future of Forsman & Bodenfors?

Our goal in New York is to be known as a creative powerhouse. For us it’s not about awards or glory — it’s about creating work that will get people to stop and think. We want to move people intellectually and emotionally. That’s what we are striving for.

There a lot of great projects we are currently working on for our clients and I’m eager for the world to see them. I’m a strong believer that if you create smart and impactful work, everything else falls into place. That means success, financial health and acknowledgement in the industry.

In your experience, what is the toughest challenge you have to face when you’re a CEO?

We try to foster an environment where people feel they can come forward with any idea. My role is to make sure that everybody that works in New York has all the resources, training and tools they need to be successful individually. If we are successful individually, we can be successful as a group. That also applies to our clients and our collaborative relationship with each of them. I believe that if I can help our people succeed, we can collectively create success for our clients as well.

As a global agency, how does Forsman & Bodenfors manage different cultures?

One of our top priorities around the entire collective is to be as diverse and inclusive as possible. That means everything from gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation to diversity of skill sets and perspectives. We want to ensure that we are bringing in talented individuals who provide a range of perspectives and skills that can impact our culture and the work we create across our client roster. It’s easier said than done but it all starts with having a range of conversations and educating ourselves.

Please share a personal life experience that shaped who you are today

One experience that shaped me from an early age is that when I was six years old my father was hit by a drunk driver and as a result suffered from permanent brain damage. After being in a coma he had to re-learn how to walk and talk, a few vital things that we take for granted sometimes. Watching him go through that was a very big lesson for me in perseverance and positivity. He was always so positive and aimed to do the best that he could every single day. His spirit during that time helps inform my approach to life.

From my mom, I learned to turn the negative into the positive. After my dad’s accident, she had to raise three kids on her own while taking care of her husband. She didn’t have a college education and never established an official career. When looking for rehabilitation facilities for my dad, she realized that there weren’t many options at the time. These circumstances inspired her to start her own organization which went on to help so many people.

What piece of career advice would you give to your younger-self?

To expose yourself to as many different people and cultures as possible. Travel as much as possible. Take care of yourself from a health point of view and be really open to new experiences. You can apply these experiences to your personal and professional lives and it’s a good way to approach the world.

Who would you name as an influential mentor?

There are a lot of people that have helped me along the way and I’ve worked with a ton of talented and smart individuals. There’s one person in particular that has stuck with me since I was 21. His name is Tom Clark and he was a friend of my uncle who ran a small ad agency. When I first met with him and spoke to him about my interest in the business, he told me advertising wasn’t the thing for me. While a bit discouraging, it fueled a fire in me. When somebody tells me I can’t do something, I want to do it more. I always try to challenge and push myself.

Thanks Mike!

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