See, if we are talking about the Monsoon as a natural phenomenon, then chances are you are thinking about torrents of rain going down over India. But here is the thing: those rains are just a result. (And they can fall anywhere between Western Africa and Australia – if they fall at all.) Because the Monsoon is not the rain; it is the wind. The wind that heralds a new season. Whether it will bring the rain of life depends on the complex relationship between land and sea. It is – in the truest sense of the word – atmospheric. Now if we are talking about Monsoon as performance marketing agency – about us – then you might reasonably think that we are playing a numbers game. Optimising for crawlers. Targeting audiences. Driving traffic. Measuring impressions. Generating reports. And sure enough, we do all that. But here is the thing: those numbers are just the result. Because at Monsoon we don’t work with numbers; we work with people: our colleagues, partners and clients. Whether we can make it rain depends on the complex relationship between these people, their chemistry, empathy and trust. Our work is atmospheric. At Monsoon we always try to see through the data and machinery of performance. To never lose sight of the actual people. We do that by always asking a simple question, every step of the way:

Your product or service – who is it for? The creatives and copy – to whom are they talking? The reports we prepare – who is going to read them? Who is this for, what do they need, and how can we make a difference to them?

Most digital marketing shops (including the places where we learned our trade) can be described as engine rooms. The places where configurations are being made so that the cogs all intertwine. The upside of this approach is scale: following the template and working to spec becomes more efficient the bigger you get. The downside? There is no room for initiative, let alone curiosity. There is no place to ask good questions, like for example ›Who is this for‹. And while there is plenty of room for professionals there is no real place for people.

And so, in 2018, we built a place of our own. A place for commitment and inquiry. A place where, even when working on spec, we are always looking at the bigger picture. Where asking questions is just as important as providing answers. Not an engine room for cogs but a habitat for people, with food for thought and shelter from bullshit. A place where, instead of just ›marketers‹, we can be explorers and scientists, coaches and translators, all rolled into one. Where we have consciously created the perfect atmosphere. Success, then, is just the rain that is going to fall as a result.