Ask any advertising or marketing agency what they do, and you can bet the word “creativity” comes up, likely multiple times. We know we’re guilty of it here at MOI.
But being truly creative is easier said than done, especially if individuals within an agency don’t have the support or freedom they need. On the other hand, when people feel recognized—genuinely, personally, and often—they think braver thoughts and they’re more willing to take risks. They turn heads. They create difference.
At MOI, we’ve learned that recognition is our creative advantage. Because creativity doesn’t start with a brief, but with people feeling like they belong.
Creativity needs confidence, not command
Traditional B2B agencies tend to separate the creative department from the rest of the business, as though creativity only lives in the people who design or write. But real creativity—the kind that turns heads—lives everywhere.
It shows up when a project manager challenges convention, when a strategist reframes a problem, or when someone cheers up their teammate after a tough week.
That kind of creativity doesn’t come from being told what to do, but having the confidence to think for yourself.
And that confidence grows in work cultures where recognition is given out freely. Because when people feel free to be seen, they feel free to create.
Building a culture of recognition
We talk a lot at MOI about being not–so–B2B. It’s both our creative stance and our cultural stance.
Traditional B2B plays it safe, encouraging compartmentalization and overthinking. But through M|Appreciate, our global recognition program, we’ve built a culture that values warmth and curiosity, and where risk-taking is woven into the everyday.
M|Appreciate wasn’t designed to be yet another HR initiative, but a creative experiment: what happens when you make appreciation a daily part of how people work?
It’s allowed everyone here to celebrate the everyday Turning Heads™ moments that make us who we are: the unexpected ideas, the acts of leadership, the moments of kindness that shape our culture.
It’s peer-to-peer, global, and proudly not–so–B2B.
Connections that fuel courage and creativity
When our teams recognize each other across time zones, whether it’s in London, Singapore, or LA, they’re building creative confidence.
They’re saying, “I see what you did there, keep going.”
It sends a signal to people that they’re seen, valued, and trusted to keep pushing boundaries, c
reating connections that fuel courage and creativity.
Recognition is the real advantage
When a B2B agency tries to differentiate itself in a competitive market, it’s easy to get stuck on the software they use, or the processes they follow, or the awards they’ve won.
Yes, we have all those things going for us at MOI, but what really sets us apart and gives us our creative advantage, is that we make people feel empowered to be bold, because they know their ideas matter.
Recognition makes that possible.
It fuels belonging, which fuels creativity—and that fuels us all.
