From learning to innovation: how we drive culture, creativity, and excellence

Companies that want to grow sustainably need to ensure that their culture evolves alongside society. This means investing in talent development, raising creative standards, and turning knowledge into real impact. At Inesplorato, we help leading companies like Ambev, O Boticário, Suzano, and Mauricio de Sousa Produções (MPS) strengthen their teams by connecting learning, strategy, and innovation.

How to amplify results for companies that are already excellent?

Ambev was already recognized for having a high-level marketing team, but they wanted to go further: their goal was to transform their team into a global reference in creativity and strategy, taking the quality of their deliverables to the next level.

To achieve this, Inesplorato created Ambev’s Marketing Academy in 2014, an innovative training program that blends inspiration, strategic knowledge, and practical application.

The project’s unique features include:

• Custom classes, developed based on real marketing challenges at Ambev, ensuring full alignment with the team’s daily activities.
• Strategy aligned with business objectives, combining practical tools with an inspiring knowledge base.
• Use of science and logic for decision-making, empowering participants to think both structurally and creatively when facing complex problems.
• Leadership acting as multipliers, with Ambev’s own managers stepping in as instructors, reinforcing the culture of continuous learning.
• Involvement of external experts, bringing innovative perspectives to enrich the content and broaden horizons.

The impact? Ambev’s Marketing Academy has trained over 2,500 professionals, with 100 modules developed and 170 hours of training. Additionally, the program has helped the company solidify its position as a leader in creativity, winning 35 Lions at the Cannes Lions Festival in the last 4 years and being recognized as Advertiser of the Year at Cannes for two consecutive years (a first in the festival’s history).

Another company known for its creative excellence that turned to Inesplorato to further elevate its standards was Grupo Boticário. Inspired by the success of the project at Ambev, the group launched its own Marketing Academy, a tailored program designed to strengthen the strategic knowledge and creativity of its team.

The project, now in its second year, maintains the same essence of dynamic and practical learning, but with an approach tailored to the company’s culture and specific challenges. The initiative reinforces its commitment to staying at the forefront of marketing innovation, ensuring that its team remains one of the best prepared in the market.

How can the pursuit of diversity and inclusion be brought into the everyday operations of a company?

Mauricio de Sousa Produções (MSP) has always played a significant role in shaping the Brazilian imagination, impacting generations with its stories. Aware of this responsibility, the company turned to Inesplorato to develop a diversity and inclusion training program for its scriptwriters.

Our challenge was:

• To create a solid knowledge foundation on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• To lead practical discussions on the sociocultural issues that need to be considered when creating stories and characters.
• To strengthen the space for dialogue and continuous learning, aligned with MSP’s innovative DNA.

The project saw exceptional engagement, with leaders and scriptwriters opening up to deep reflections and willing to unlearn old patterns. This was a crucial step in ensuring that MSP’s stories remain relevant, representative, and connected to society.

Female leadership has always been a key theme in Inesplorato’s projects, but the market wasn’t always ready for this conversation. Thankfully, that has changed. Since 2020, Ambev has been investing in a transformative journey for women’s empowerment, and Inesplorato has led the creation and execution of this innovative project, with the support of the human innovation consultancy, TeePee: the SOMOS Program.

The challenge was to go beyond traditional diversity talks and create a program that truly empowered Ambev’s women, fostering a space for exchange and development. The result was a journey of 25 cohorts that has already impacted over 550 women from different parts of the world, from Brazilians and Argentinians to South Africans and Chinese.

The program stands out for:

• Biweekly and consistent meetings, ensuring that the topics covered are in-depth and lead to real transformation.
• A balance between knowledge and exchange, combining data, theories, and content with moments of listening and sharing among participants.
• Safe spaces, with small groups of up to 30 women, fostering trust and strengthening support networks.
• Involvement from top leadership and HR, ensuring that cultural changes are embraced throughout the company.

SOMOS has shown that, to advance gender equity, it is essential to combine structural changes—such as reviewing career plans and representation goals—with spaces for support and dialogue among women leaders. Creating this support network within the corporate environment has been a key factor in helping them face leadership challenges with more confidence and less isolation.

“Incredible to have the opportunity to learn so much from so many amazing women! My year was definitely divided between before and after SOMOS.”

Project participant

SOMOS has shown that, to advance gender equity, it is essential to combine structural changes—such as reviewing career plans and representation goals—with spaces for support and dialogue among women leaders. Creating this support network within the corporate environment has been a key factor in helping them face leadership challenges with more confidence and less isolation.