MESA

[Português abaixo] Paulo Pedo, Melissa Business Unit Director, is a profound expert in the brand's universe, having dedicated more than 25 years to it. In November 2023, he and his team faced the challenge of guiding this love brand into the sneaker universe, a highly competitive market with well-established brands – so they decided to do a Mesa. This month, Melissa X Icon, the star of the Melissa sneakers platform, hit the shops. We asked Paulo what he learned #WorkingWith Mesa Company. *Short time is not an obstacle to making a big business decision.* “We faced a problem at Melissa: how can we make a more effective incursion into the universe and culture of sneakers with a brand so loved by consumers for its sandal designs? Until then, all we had were products with sneaker designs, but made from the same material and in the same way Melissa had always used. We had an intention, but we needed external references to open our minds to new possibilities and ways of approaching the market. Mesa brought us that. At Mesa, we realized it would be important to create a platform that would carry Melissa’s DNA but mixed with streetwear culture and sneaker universe codes – and that’s how Melissa X was born. We also understood the importance of having a very iconic product, one that could express all the inherent characteristics of the X line through design. It had to be Xtraordinary – the result is the Melissa X Icon, launched now on February 6th. Both the first drop of Melissa X, released last year, and this one have been a great success, surpassing our expectations. Personally, I found the whole process exciting, fast, focused, yet open and creative. I learned from the experience the value of working with a multidisciplinary team, not involved in daily operations, with a method that extracts from the team what is necessary and focus. With all this, time is not necessarily an issue to making a big business decision. In a week, we were able to make all important decisions and create an efficient strategy and prototype.” Check more here: https://lnkd.in/dq2EUJqf

[Português nos comentários] Sandy Lourenço, Cardiometabolic Marketing Vice President at Novo Nordisk, has been working for the past 25 years in multinational pharmaceutical companies, with broad expertises: from marketing to profitability analysis, from sales to strategic business planning. He called MESA in 2024 to build the cardiometabolic category and position Novo Nordisk as a fundamental partner in preventing heart conditions – the result of this Mesa, the campaign "A Medida do Abraço", was launched this past Monday during the commercial break of Big Brother Brazil. We talked to him to ask: what did you learn#WorkingWith Mesa Company? Here is what he said: *In just one week of work, we achieved results that would normally take 3 months of meetings and workshops.* “In 2023, we conducted a Mesa for another challenge, with great solutions. When we discussed creating an awareness campaign about cardiovascular risks related to obesity and diabetes, the idea of calling Mesa naturally arose. I agreed immediately, as I knew the potential of the method. During the Mesa, we created the campaign A Medida do Abraço (The Measure of Hug), which was launched last week. Throughout the experience, we designed the entire campaign, including its assets and developments. Its goal is to raise awareness about cardiovascular risks related to obesity and diabetes using a simple and engaging approach – literally: the hug to present the concept of waist circumference, an effective measure to identify cardiovascular risks. I might be biased, but I find the campaign spectacular. The use of the hug as a symbol of affection is one of the highlights. The simplicity of the measure, which doesn't require complex calculations and can be done by anyone, is also a significant advantage. Moreover, waist circumference is increasingly gaining relevance as a risk measure, making the campaign very current and pertinent. The Mesa methodology brought a diversity of views and expertise from highly qualified professionals, allowing for the creation of a solution devised by brilliant people. Additionally, the process's agility was a great advantage. In just one intense week of work, we achieved results that would typically take 2 or 3 months of meetings and workshops to accomplish. Take a look at the results. Here is the website: www.amedidadoabraco.com.br And here is the link to the film: https://lnkd.in/dPr3ezH6."

Our CEO, Barbara Soalheiro, is one of the speakers at the 2024 edition of the Romanian festival UNFINISHED. This year's event theme is Praxis – according to the Cambridge Dictionary, the process of using a theory or something you’ve learned in a practical way. Barbara joins Peter Conrads, founder of Slowness, to open this Saturday afternoon (09/28). They will bring their perspectives on work and "practice", and how they craft environment and spaces in different ways in order to influence the behaviors of people – Barbara will bring her experience in "fast" through the Mesa method, while Peter will address the practice of "slow". Nothing is more Mesa than bringing different perspectives to the table! #unfinished #unfinishedfestival [Portuguese in the comments]

Founder of enjoei, Ana Luiza McLaren is an entrepreneur who revolutionized her market and changed the way Brazilians relate to used clothing. Last year, she brought a challenge from Enjoei to Mesa. We spoke with her to ask: what did you learn #WorkingWith Mesa Company? *Having access to talent from other markets has the power to transform our business* "We thought of Mesa when we wanted to create Enjoei's physical store for a reason that I’m a fan of: working with people from the market whom we would mostly not have access to. People with different experiences, from other areas, and that is incredibly valuable. Not to mention the beautiful thing of seeing how people start to care about our problem, which becomes their problem too. Mesa helped us develop a project that wasn't yet fully settled within the company itself. We didn't know if we would sell clothes in the physical store or if it would just be a drop-off point – and we left Mesa with everything defined. We have already opened three stores in São Paulo: one in Fradique Coutinho, one in Campo Belo, and another one in Frei Caneca. I spent two weeks at the door of the Fradique store watching people pass by. And I wish I had set up a hidden camera because when they saw it was an Enjoei store, their expressions of surprise and joy were thrilling. There were long lines at the door, especially in the first three weeks – which, by the way, was one of our goals at Mesa." [Portuguese in the comments]

Senior VP Global Marketing at ESL FACEIT Group - EFG, Fabio Tambosi is an experienced marketing executive with proven success in creating emotional connections between world-class brands and business. He worked with Mesa as a problem owner – as we refer to our clients – in 2023. We asked him what he learned #WorkingWith Mesa Company. Take a look at his answer: *Making decisions even without having all the answers, and trying, trying, and trying again before the final decision* "I had the opportunity to participate in a Mesa for Motorola four years ago, and it was during this experience that I understood the power and impact of using the method to solve complex business problems. That's why I turned to Mesa when I faced the challenge of transforming the marketing organization of the ESL Faceit Group into a growth engine. The gaming industry is very dynamic and hyper-competitive. The solution we built at Mesa was and is being used as the main pillar of marketing transformation, which impacted the way we work and, more importantly, how we connect with our community of fans and esports players. It was through this plan that we were able to influence and guide the way we invest in and deliver creative content to our community of 225 million fans. This increased ticket sales revenue by +65% above our company goals and created a new live services line, doubling the marketing division's revenue contribution to the company. This was possible because I learned at Mesa to make decisions more quickly, even when I don't have all the answers. To bring diverse perspectives in the early stages of development and ideation. And to try, try, try, try, and try again before committing to a final decision. What we accomplished in 3.5 days is something that would have taken me 6 months to achieve before." [Portuguese in the comments]

Over 20 years ago, when a few people were discussing the topic, Adriana Barbosa, the founder of Feira Preta Festival, provided space and visibility for black entrepreneurship through what truly matters: income generation and recognition. She worked with Mesa in 2023 to redesign the event. We talked to her to ask: what did you learn #WorkingWith Mesa Company? Here is what she said: *A purposeful value proposition builds financial sustainability* "After 22 years of existence, Feira Preta Festival did a Mesa to restructure its business model, organizational culture, governance, and financial sustainability. The result was the creation of a new value proposition to make the event profitable and sustainable – for example, with a model of participation quotas. We also changed the location to Ibirapuera Park and reformulated the festival's experience and curation. The event, held in May, was incredible. We gathered more than 60,000 people who celebrated happiness over 3 days, with 160 cultural attractions, 300 artists, and speakers. The festival generated R$ 1.5 million in revenue for Black entrepreneurs and had a budget of R$ 12 million, the best results in 22 years." *Exercising detachment and facing fears and uncertainties are powerful tools* "I strongly believe in the power of Mesa's curatorship, carefully thought out and selected to solve my problem. I worked, for example, with Leca Guimarães, director of Lollapalooza; Fernanda Paiva, head of cultural branding at Natura Musical, and Monique Lemos, curator of Afropunk, among many other specialists. Of course, I felt a lot of fear and doubt during the process. I had to let go of everything I had experienced in the last 20 years. But at the same time, I was able to benefit from so many talents coming together to think and chart a new course for the festival. It was a challenging, complex, and very happy experience." [Portuguese in the comments]

Cristiana Guimarães, VP of Marketing and Business Development LatAm at Newell Brands, is an expert in designing and implementing growth strategies that can transform a brand's market presence. Since 2018, she has worked with Mesa 5 times to solve her own business problems, the most recently being this year. We asked her what she learned #WorkingWithMesaCompany. Here is her answer: *Learn by doing is powerful – and it allowed us to design a perfect P&L in 5 days* "Some organizations operate in a very linear, traditional manner, moving sequentially from point A to point B, and then to point C. This linear approach can slow down progress and hinder efficient delivery of activities. That's why Mesa exists. Mesa's belief in learning by doing is a very strong proposition. It's not about debating conceptual ideas endlessly, but rather getting our hands dirty and reacting to what we're building. Prototypes are very powerful because it's when we see what we're creating that we can make the best decisions. At Mesa we build in 5 days a 5 years P&L. After that, the internal team members double-checked the P&L built during Mesa, and it was very accurate. Pretty amazing to see the power of what we built." *Total focus spares us from dozens of meetings over 6 months* "Delivering fantastic and efficient solutions in a short time is what made me trust Mesa to solve some challenges I faced in companies I've been working for in recent years. The reaction time that Mesa provides is truly unbeatable, and having professionals by our side who have navigated through the scenarios we are and have that experience gives us much more confidence. These are people who come without the corporate commitment we have and without filters, and they make us listen – even if it can be painful. The pressure of time and total focus make us think about solving the problem 8 hours a day, saving us from being in several meetings over several months." [Portuguese in the comments]

Mariana Porto, Marketing Director at Stella Artois & Patagonia, has extensive experience in developing brand positioning connected to global trends and supporting meaningful causes. She called Mesa in 2022 to design the new platform for Stella Artois, focused on empowering women in gastronomy. We talked to her to ask: what did you learn #WorkingWith Mesa Company? Here is what she said: *Companies are very powerful force for creating real impact in society.* "We did a Mesa because we wanted to quickly and deeply structure Stella Artois' new platform, ensuring a space where we could learn, build, and enhance this platform aimed at impacting and fostering the gastronomy segment, promoting women. In 5 days, and with the help of a multidisciplinary team, we designed the mission and structured this new platform, which we collectively named Juntas na Mesa. We also decided that the starting point would be conducting the 1st Research on Women in Gastronomy, with Ipsos, to understand the major challenges faced by women and, thus, direct actions for real impact. The platform's launch comes through the idea of Uncomfortable Food, which not only gave visibility to the chefs but also trained 1000 women and opened credit lines – two issues we identified in the research. I had the opportunity to present the project in Cannes, along with the Soko team, our partner agency on the project, in the Glass category. One of the feedbacks we received from the jury president was that, for her, the beauty of the project was that it was a real investment that provoked a real impact – in addition to presenting, we won the first-ever Glass award for AbInbev. Great ideas are abundant, but when the industry truly embraces a platform, the power of mobilization and investment really happens. Recently, the Entrada Delas project, which continues the platform, was shortlisted in the same category this year." [Portuguese below]

Last Wednesday we celebrated Mesa's community in NYC. It was a fun, intimate evening of readings from our book, *Working With*, and conversations filled with joy, old stories, and new learnings. For the past 13 years, Mesa Company has been assembling teams to solve complex challenges for which there are no benchmarks. In doing so, we’ve worked with some of the most extraordinary professionals of our time. Launched in 2023, *Working With* is a collection of deeply personal accounts from these professionals sharing what they learned from each other. Photos: Ohad Kab

Emidio Contente on #WorkingWith Alexandre Herchcovitch  A series on Mesa Company's LinkedIn Alexandre is pretty straightforward, combining creative and free thinking with strategy and pragmatic goals. I worked with him at the beginning of my career, shortly after I'd decided to trade the safe path of advertising for the risk of working with visual arts. We were designing a uniform that should serve an invented sport, in a fantastical community that doesn't exist, so we had a lot of room for imagination. And Alexandre encouraged that. At the same time, he would make us land our ideas, checking if they were feasible. The whole time. We would fly and land. Fly and land. To Alexandre, the feasibility of an idea is absolutely essential. I learned from him what it means to be able to create something, bring it to life, and then get it where you want it to be. ____ *Working With* is a limited edition book released by Mesa Company in February 2023. It compiles learnings that some of the most extraordinary professionals from our time had from working with others in a Mesa, this extremely result-oriented environment. Throughout the month of April, we shared a few of these learnings. We hope they have inspired you in the same way they did with us.