“Chain Reaction”: How the Partnership Ecosystem Works at MOKO

During the war, MOKO has transformed from an SMM agency into a creative digital agency that develops communication projects for Ukrainian and international businesses, as well as charitable foundations and non-governmental organizations, including UNFPA, Barrier-Free NGO, the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, and the military. What values underpin their work, how the agency finds partners (or how partners find it), and why the “people-to-people” principle is the most effective way to successfully implement initiatives — that is what we talk to MOKO founders and managing partners Tetiana Mokrenko and Hlib Pronenko about.

Last year, we talked about how caring manifests itself in the creative sphere and changes the approach to clients and tasks. Now, we would like to know more about the inner workings of successful collaborations and cross-sector partnerships. How is this ecosystem structured at MOKO?

Tetiana: 

It comprises agency and project levels. The agency level is what we build ourselves as an agency; that’s our internal social responsibility. It has three components.

The first one is volunteer work. In fact, it was born back in 2017–2020, when we worked with foundations, in particular, Come Back Alive. This year, it has grown into a large, systemic story. It was not a directive decision but rather an evolutionary process based on our values.

Now, for example, together with our partners, we work much on veterans’ issues. If they have a request, we respond. If we see an idea, we bring it ourselves. It’s completely free, and we’ve never asked ourselves, “Why?” or “What are we doing this for?”

The second component is mission and social responsibility. Our mission as an agency is to make our clients’ brands stronger. However, as an agency with values, we see it this way: A brand should be stronger not only for the business but also for society. And here it is important for us that projects have a social impact. For instance, the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association “JurFem” and the Ukrainian Women’s Fund approached us with a request to create an exhibition at a conference on sexual violence during war. We looked at the idea and realized we could do something more. So, we proposed a digital performance that would not only convey to the audience the feelings of people who have experienced sexual violence but also encourage the adoption of a law. We really lived and breathed this project: I personally called journalists, searched for contacts on Facebook, and managed the project at night with my colleague. When you believe in what you are doing and understand that it will have an impact, you don’t count your working hours giving your all without expecting anything in return except the result. And we succeeded — the law was passed. For the first time in the world, reparations are paid during the war.

The third component is CSR (corporate social responsibility), where we share our expertise and invest in the development of the market, people, and entrepreneurship. For us, this is not a separate activity but a continuation of our mission. For example, I regularly give lectures for the European Business Association and hold full-day training sessions on digital strategy with practical tasks at the Nova Poshta Business School. Our CSR strives to empower entrepreneurs and managers with knowledge that really helps to move business, and with it Ukraine, forward.

Another aspect of our CSR is dealing with socially sensitive issues. We see that even despite the full-scale war lasting for four years already, businesses still offer “explosive discounts” or “bomb prices,” and this is traumatic. Within our team, we felt a need for a specific communication guide that communicators could refer to. We realized that we needed a strong partner having expertise in CSR during wartime, and we teamed with the Moment of Honor NGO. Now, we are working together to create a collection of practices for businesses. While this won’t be a “right/wrong” instruction manual (because there is no single answer no matter how much we would like to have it), the guide will be a practical tool for every Ukrainian business, enabling them to adapt their communication correctly during crisis situations, avoid mistakes concerning sensitive issues, and maintain the trust of their audience.

When you talk about external projects related to the culture of memory, it feels like they regard not only the wider society but also your inner environment. Do you have your own practices that support this value within the team?

Hlib: 

We never offer others something we don’t believe in ourselves. Every day at 9 a.m., the team’s calendars notify them of the minute of silence. This is my personal initiative. It may seem like a small thing, just a meeting in the calendar, but it creates a sense of unity and reminds us that we all live in the same context. Even if you can’t always stop literally, for instance, when you’re driving or staying abroad, you still feel this pause and remember. This is important to us, this hurts us, we talk about this publicly, and we want similar practices to appear in other companies.

If we go beyond internal practices, how does MOKO’s social mission manifest itself in projects with clients?

Tetiana: 

This is the second level of our ecosystem — the project level, where we implement our mission through specific cases with clients. These include public organizations, such as UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) — we were its communications partner during the launch of Ukraine’s first “Helpline for Men 2345,” as well as commercial clients who come to us not only for marketing, but also to make changes together with us, like Lullabies by Malyutka. We are currently developing several more social campaigns for businesses, with companies investing millions of hryvnias in social projects. This is very telling, as this means that entrepreneurs see value in their brand’s social component.

We have an unofficial rule: The higher the impact of a project is, the more our team is willing to invest its own resources in it. Sometimes, this means dozens of working hours that are not budgeted for, because we see the sense and believe in the story.

You talk about very different partnership formats. How do you decide who to partner or not with?

Hlib: 

It may sound too obvious, but, first of all, we look at the people and the organization. Who they are, what they do, what values they carry, how big or small the scale of change is. That’s the first level.

The second level is how well they themselves understand what they want. Sometimes, a civic society organization comes to us with an idea (there are no troubles with values — we obviously match here), but when you start digging deeper, it turns out that they themselves don’t understand why they need it or what result they want to achieve. And you immediately realize that the project may simply not work out. It’s the same for businesses. If a client doesn’t know what they need, the result will be questionable.

The third point is whether we can indeed help: Whether the request is within our area of expertise, and whether we can really do it well given our active resources.

The final criterion is effectiveness and impact, which can be measured quite clearly.

And when we see such cooperation potential, we are ready to do our very best regardless of the budget.

How do you measure the effectiveness and impact of your social projects? What indicator tells you that everything is a success?

Tetiana: 

It always depends on the goals. For example, in the case of JurFem and Ukrainian Women’s Fund, the result was as tangible as possible — the law was passed. In addition, we had the feedback from conference participants, while our performance traveled abroad — it has already been shown in the United States and other countries. This is a very clear indicator of impact.

At UNFPA, we implemented a creative campaign to draw men’s attention to the Helpline and encourage them to seek help. The number of calls was our main KPI.

In SMM strategies, the main indicator is the finished product itself, for we do not always participate in its implementation. In the case of videos or campaigns, it is the number of views, reach, and, more importantly, quality interaction with the content.

Sometimes, even a simple visual sign can work as an indicator, like the logo “Created by defenders.” As I showed it at a training session for charitable organizations, the reaction was immediate: Everyone understood what it meant. That’s efficiency, when the meaning is clear without additional explanations.

Previously, you’ve mentioned partnerships with government agencies, in particular the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. How does this cooperation differ from those with businesses?

Hlib: 

The first thing to accept is that the pace is completely different. You don’t have the right to set your own deadlines. You have to be available 24/7 and be able to work even without a briefing. These are completely different rules than in business. And you need people who can stand such intensity since it’s basically a constant state of crisis.

In business, even in a tender, you have a more or less clear brief. In government projects, you start your work with a lot of uncertainty and shape the direction yourself. This was the case, for example, in communication projects for the Ministry of Defense at the beginning of the invasion: Our people took responsibility without ready-made frameworks. Is this an invaluable experience? Yes, it is. Is it difficult? Yes, it is.

Besides, there is constant unpredictability. Final decisions can be made on the last day, while edits may come at night. Things that would not be forgiven to a business client or would be considered an additional cost are normal here. This breaks the usual flow, but the expertise is still there — you need to do the scripts, videos, and campaigns well, just in a different atmosphere.

For the team, this is always emotionally challenging. We have a former manager now working as a copywriter for the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. She holds very difficult interviews with veterans, which are hard to even listen to, but she says, “I can’t do without it.” It makes sense to her, and it’s people like her who pull such projects through.

Tetiana: 

We always consult with the team to see if the project resonates with them, because this affects a person’s willingness to get involved, work overtime, and take certain risks and responsibility.

Is there a single point of entry for partnerships with the state?

Hlib: 

There are several ways. The first one is a direct request. For example, the Ministry of Finance knew we had a strong SMM head and asked us to develop an SMM strategy for them. It was a separate clear-cut product. If you worked with someone prior the full-scale invasion and the collaboration was successful, they will call you again. We see that many people from the business sector are now working in the Armed Forces or in ministries. They don’t lose their connections but rather professionalize them in new roles.

The second way is through international organizations, such as USAID and OSCE, that help the state implement certain programs, reforms, and policies and are looking for an experienced communications partner. We enter and win their tenders transparently, with honest budgets.

It is noteworthy that while cooperating with government projects for years, we have never encountered corruption at this level.

To sum up everything you have said about partnerships, from volunteering to government projects, what is at their core, in your opinion? What makes relationships truly long-lasting and strategic?

Tetiana: 

It all boils down to one simple thing: Partnerships are made by people. It’s always a “people-to-people” story. We can talk about mission, values, results, but if people don’t suit each other, nothing will come of it. We always start small: We try things together and look at the initial results. And it’s not just the outcome that matters, but also how it came about, for you can do something, and it can be so exhausting that you don’t want to do it again.

Hlib: 

There are always problems and force majeure, but if everyone is focused on result and works constructively, the partnership will endure.

And it’s always a two-way street. Often, our people themselves initiate ideas that then resonate externally. That’s how our project with Moment of Honor was born, for example. Or take the story of early 2022, when we heard about Bucha — the team itself came up with the concept for a campaign to help victims of violence. We were unable to implement it at our own expense. Still, we were remembered, and a few months later, UNFPA came to us with a tender for a psychological support line for men. Then, JurFem and the Ukrainian Women’s Fund approached. One initiative launched a whole wave of partnerships. It’s like a chain reaction.

No effort is wasted. Even if the result comes later, every action leaves a mark. This is most evident in partnerships, as they are created by people, sustained by people’s efforts, and are meaningful to people.