DATTER-Change Agent. A Journey Through Books and Tips for Change | Veronica Franco
The Journey of the “DATTER.”
This is what I want to explore in the second column I’m contributing to Digital Attitude. While in “Surfer People” I engage with those within companies who are riding the waves of organizational change, here I want to discover and share what lies in the dreams, studies, experiences, and—more generally— the “mindset” of those who—in this period marked by the “Great Resignation” or “major life choices,” as Cristina Casadei recently renamed it in an article published in *Il Sole 24 Ore*—are investing themselves, working day and night, driven by a strong conviction.
I'll start with the name, which isn't obvious to me.
Dàt·ter, those who believe in Digital Attitude.
But that's not all: anyone who works to turn a shared dream into reality
Synonyms: Nerd, dreamer, explorer of new worlds.
People united by their focus on listening: to guide and embrace the true needs of those embarking on the extraordinary journey of change. People who believe that the best way to grow is through action and the ability to take care of ourselves, others, and the world around us.
People who know what it means to take on responsibility and love that feeling. That’s right, because the Datters have—and will always have—a startup mindset: speed, agility, initiative, and a willingness to take risks are at the heart of their approach to a changing world.
This brief description is what I read in their manifesto—which they give to anyone who joins the team—and it’s what convinced me that each of them had an interesting story to tell that could inspire us. So I decided to highlight their perspectives and experiences.
Following Luca Argenton—CEO, Davide Pellegatta —Strategy & Governance Officer, Francesco Pozzobon —Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, and Stefania Nervi—Head of Change at Digital Attitude—today we introduce Veronica Franco —Digital Marketing Specialist at Digital Attitude.
1) Hi Veronica, a photo of you as a child, the job you dreamed of having when you were little, and how that connects to what you do today at Digital Attitude
As a child, I changed my mind many times; I’ve always been curious and had many interests. However, I remember writing in a secret diary that my hobby was “writing essays”—I really enjoyed reading, writing, and making up little stories. Now that I work in communications and marketing, I’d say that I’m still dealing with stories. Creating content for communication and advertising means devising narratives, selecting words, choosing the right images, and determining the most effective strategies to capture your audience’s attention.
We often think of marketing in a negative light—as someone trying to sell us something through underhanded means—but marketing is, first and foremost, about helping people solve a problem by guiding them through storytelling that involves images, relationships, and emotions. After all, as Seth Godin says,“All marketers tell stories; only the incompetent ones tell lies.”
2) Change: Can you recommend a book, a movie, and a song that will help us deal with it in the best way possible, explaining the reasoning behind each choice?
The song that comes to mind is “La verità” by Brunori Sas, because it speaks to us about fear (or rather, about the many fears we have as human beings). And fear is precisely one of the biggest obstacles to change. Through the music, the singer reminds us that change isn’t easy, but that we can try to weigh the risks; that we have to take the plunge and that’s okay, even if it isn’t all simple and immediate, even if there are difficult moments—especially during the biggest changes—because“pain is just as necessary as happiness.”
As for the book, I’m thinking of “Stoner” by Edward Williams, in which the protagonist is William Stoner—someone I’d call a hero of the ordinary. This book helps me remember the importance of small, daily changes—of taking it one step at a time and not immediately expecting those “epochal changes”— which stands in contrast to the unbridled ambition and success that our society, sometimes “obsessed” with performance, has accustomed us to, in a whirlwind where it’s often more important to make ourselves known to the world than to get to know the world ourselves.
Finally, along those lines, for the movie I’d say “Little Miss Sunshine,” one of my favorites. The main characters show us the importance of being ourselves, how imperfection is actually authenticity, and that even in the face of the biggest changes, we must always remember to stay true to ourselves—because our authentic selves are always, without a doubt, the best version of ourselves!
3) Each of us has at least one project close to our hearts because it has led to significant and tangible professional growth. What was your first one?
It’s a little difficult for me to talk about projects since I’m still at the beginning of my professional career. However, two university projects come to mind: the first was a communication campaign against hate speech, and the second was a crowdfunding campaign to collect donations of medical supplies during the COVID-19 emergency.
One of the things I enjoyed most was being able to use different engagement methods to convey important messages: for the hate speech project, we created a gamified experience around Milan, while for the other project, we produced videos and social media content. These projects helped me understand even more deeply the importance and power of social media communication, and I wish people would realize just how much value there is in the content posted online.
4) A mistake on a project that allowed you to improve your skills and/or products
First of all, I think that in my line of work, mistakes are a constant— after all, being a true growth marketer ultimately comes down to A/B testing. However, in this case, rather than a mistake, I’d call it a “major failure.” When I was in my senior year of high school, I dreamed of studying Communication Design at the Politecnico di Milano. I took the entrance exam twice; I passed it but didn’t score high enough to make the admission list. Disheartened, I enrolled in the Department of Modern Literature, where I eventually earned my bachelor’s degree. By chance, I found myself taking exams in Dantean philology, film history, and Latin rhetoric—and I fell in love with them.
Looking back today, I’m grateful that I “failed” because that failure gave me a background in the humanities and culture that I can still draw on in my work today. It’s a bit like the classic story of finding the positive even in what seems terribly negative, because it can still teach us something more about ourselves.
5) Given the experience you’ve gained over the years through your studies and working with various clients, could you share a short list of habits (no more than five) that can help foster change?
- Take small steps—a small change is, in every sense, a big change
- Focus less on the goal of change and more on how to get there
- Consider a final reward—which could simply be the realization of how far you've come by keeping track of your progress.
6) To wrap up, here’s a disruptive question—just like everything Digital Attitude supports through change. Using an acrostic with your name—that is, using all the letters in your name—I’d like to ask you to tell us about the company as you experience it.
Digital Attitude for:
Values—on our website, we have a manifesto listing some of them; my favorite among them is “the best way to understand is to do.”
: Many people are “there” for you—they’re there when you want to take a coffee break and have a good laugh, when you’re going through a tough time and want to talk about it, and when you need an extra push to tackle your to-do list
Storytelling—some people do it with words, slides, images and videos, UX, training, microcopy, ordata
Osmosis—for the exchange of ideas and mutual influence without too many layers of bureaucracy
Nudge—the “gentle nudge” from Richard Thaler’s Nudge Theory, which forms the basis for the logic behind our habit-inspiring platform
Unpredictability—which becomes a way of thinking aboutnew challenges and opportunities
Connections—the bonds that form between people, ideas, andprojects
Altruism— if you need help with a presentation, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to share a spritz with, you're sure to find it.
(My name is really long—it was hard!)
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