Rob Steeles

I’ve seen some really interesting posts and comments on creativity in advertising over the last few days. Particularly around creatives getting carried away with the “big idea” or on the flip-side business leaders being too safe or risk averse. I've been on the "safe" side of the table but I've also managed some fantastically creative campaigns which I’m so proud to have been a part of. One of these is Politics Tamed with The Times and The Sunday Times, one of the most intelligently creative campaigns I’ve managed. It was bold and daring (and perhaps surprising in an industry so often connected to political bias…), comparing all the leaders of our country to animals in light of the Brexit fiasco. It could have been deemed a bit risky. But everyone in the business embraced it. Despite being so bold, it was the easiest campaign to sell in because the creative was so smart. And the most integrated I've led because it sparked so many ideas business wide. Why was it such a success? Because it perfectly encapsulated the heart of The Times brand but in a very relevant way. And, in my view, this is what great creative does. When an idea is deemed to be too risky and often the business can’t explain why, in my experience it's because the idea has strayed too far from the heart of the brand. People feel uncomfortable with it because it’s not true to the brand. But I won’t pin this on the creative team. This is usually on the brief. Far too often, as brands evolve and are met with more competition and a change in consumer, they lose sight of their DNA and struggle to articulate what they stand for. (Which is where I can come in… 😉 ) But what do you reckon? Is it as simple as creatives getting carried away or business leaders being boring and safe? Or, like I believe it to be, is deeper than that?

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Brands and Prof G Jon Evans spent some quality time with Prof G, and it was a good show. Scott is entertaining, smart, and pulls no punches when conveying his beliefs, especially regarding social media. He clearly believes in brands- he’s a brand himself, values the importance of storytelling, and understands that products and experience are key to brand success. He challenges that brand advertising is how to build brands in 2024 because people have better ways of getting information. He doesn’t acknowledge that advertising has helped many brands grow in many categories. For many others, it has transformed their businesses. He also doesn’t get that the big agencies do far more today than make ads- he’s stuck in Don Draper’s Mad Ave. Those points aside, he’s a compelling listen. It’s just that brands aren’t dead—far from it.

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We have partnered with Mi3 to survey Australia's top marketers, gaining valuable insights into drivers and obstacles to growth. Follow the link to download the report. Let us know what you think. Jen Davidson Anthony Gregorio Paul McIntyre

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✅ Distinctive brand assets ✅ Consistency ✅ Bravery ✅ Results Brands take note. @tim.naki is the only case study we need to prove taking a punt pays off. Also helps if you’re entertaining.

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FREELANCERS, THE BIG PIVOT HAS BEGUN. Anecdotally, I think many freelancers and small businesses have realised this year isn’t going to end sunny side up. That this isn’t a blip or a dry spell, but a seizmic shift in the advertising dreamscape. So, horrible term or not, the great pivot has commenced. Whether it’s leaving the industry entirely or side-stepping to adjacency, it’s the only way many of us can turn. And survive. A few of the larger ad agencies have introduced initiatives to help freelancers, but they are few and far between. The rest seem happy to produce the blandest crop of car commercials EVer, and run. Kick out the mavericks and you’re just left churning out the dross. Anyway, fellow freelancers, enjoy your coding classes, your supermarket delivery jobs, your life drawing sojourns and ventures into an ivory-towerless world. Sad. I thought I’d might see you hanging on by your fingertips at the edge of the cliff, but I guess not.

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👏👏👏 It’s important as a Creatove Director, or in my case at Inscrive, Creative Lead, to LEAD THE TEAM. The role demands the ability to provide the team the tools to fix problems themselves, not just swoop in to resolve things personally. I learned this by doing it the wrong way first. Doing revisions yourself can make the team feel incapable and demoralized. The team feels much more appreciated and supported when they are the ones actioning the revisions. Coming from a writer background, I had to learn to dial my “do it yourself” instincts back and let my team do what they do best. When you provide guidance, the team functions as a unit, and that’s what a team leader should foster.

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Reflecting on the latest report, I’m encouraged by the resilience brands are showing in challenging times, as evidenced by an uptick in ad spend. We’re seeing advertisers get creative, using innovative digital formats to connect with consumers and guide them from awareness to conversion. However, with such a significant portion of budgets going into programmatic, it’s critical that independent agencies also have access to these tools. By ensuring digital efficiencies are available to all, not just the largest players, we can help keep these agencies competitive and maintain their essential role in the media ecosystem. If you'd like to discuss these insights or explore how programmatic can drive growth, feel free to get in touch. #DigitalAdvertising #Programmatic #MarketingInsights #IndependentAgencies #AdSpend #MediaEcosystem #InnovationInMarketing SBS Sara Haile

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As anyone who has run a multi-agency group will tell you, integrating brilliantly across an agency village takes a lot of time and hard work. This article is really refreshing, in that more people are seeing the logic and potential benefit of more formally integrating client-agency groups under a lead. I bloody love that model and have seen how great it can be when done well. It's routinely the best way to work for the quality of the work, and the teamwork and culture it fosters. It sounds easy. And everyone says they can do this stuff - they certainly try - but it is a specialist skillset that isn't commonplace, everywhere. Knowing enough about each component in the village, while having the fluency to use creativity to tie it all together; that's just different for most agency folk. But if this report is anything to go by, we'll see more of it which will mean some up-skilling or broadening of capability for many. It'll also require a lot of humility and honesty too, because to make this stuff work, you've got to be channel and agency agnostic. Or in simple terms, it requires people to be really honest and interested in solving problems the right way, without playing favourites. Sounds simple, but it's bloody hard work. Get it right though, and it'll be the most fun and most successful time you'll have in this game. Looking forward to seeing more of this. Great stuff.

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If agencies sell on outputs and outcomes, which roles will change the most? Tim Williams from Ignition Consulting Group joined me to talk about agency revenue models. "Scope doesn't equal hours, it equals work completed/milestones met/deliverables done. If you're selling products and programmes the project manager's job is greatly simplified and you'll need fewer project managers and the job will be more fulfilling" Listen to the full episode where Tim shares: * Why time-based billing doesn't work for agencies * How generative AI is accelerating the need for agencies to re-think their pricing strategies * Key steps you can take right now to start the transition to premium pricing Link to the full episode is in the comments below 👇

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I have confession to make… In my early career days I was so worried about people finding out I wasn’t that smart that I would do laps around the agency holding a piece of paper and a pen, in an attempt to ‘look busy’ so no one would give me more work to do. The problem with this strategy is that it ruled me out when it came to being chosen to pick up projects, opportunities or tasks that could have elevated my career. Busy for the sake of busy is an AVOIDANCE tactic and a BARRIER we unconsciously create as an excuse for our lack of progress. If you want to get AHEAD in your career, and stop being overlooked for promotions then you need to make yourself AVAILABLE for the opportunities that are going to get you there! Building CONFIDENCE and BELIEF in what you are capable of and already know is the difference between where you are now and where you want to be. If you are READY to become an effective LEADER and stop holding yourself back with bs excuses then I’ve got something for you. [FREE TRAINING] 🌟 Join me for my Free “How to get Promoted and earn your worth’ online training on Friday 6th December at 12.30pm. Discover: ✅3 things that hold you back from getting promoted  ✅Why you’re not earning what you’re worth ✅What you need to do to change that Join me for this powerful session! Sign up using the link in the comments below ⬇️ #ImposterSyndrome #CareerCoaching #ConfidenceCoaching #CareerDevelopment #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipSkills  

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If ever a day was summed up by a killer new perspective, this photo would definitely do it justice. We spent the morning as LookUP working with the brilliant team at Publicis Groupe, in a beautiful location overlooking Hyde Park, helping the team to become amazing storytellers. Thanks so much Joyce Ella Dodd, Jessica Pradhan and Nagmeh Taheri for having Matthew Hook and I to be part of your inspirational week. It's so great to work with teams who really believe in investing in people. Budgets have been cut on L&D in so many places, and whilst clients are being smart and finding budget from other areas (Culture, Sales, Strategy - all of which we fall into luckily), it's amazing to see clients who are putting this focus front and centre in how they develop their teams. The day was rounded off by helping a Charity Client of ours hone their story for the biggest pitch opportunity they've ever had. We've been their eyes and ears on a very short turnaround delivery and we've loved helping them crack a story in a few days that might normally take them weeks. All to say that if pitch panic or stress is enveloping you, and you need a team to work with who can shift your perspective and get you to an impactful solution, you can either: (1) Give Matthew Hook and I a shout as we are story strategists at heart (2) Read about some ways to get ahead of the panic by checking out this weeks LookUP list with plenty of ways to align your teams ahead of the crisis point - link in the comments And in the meantime, I'll be pondering whether anyone thought it was strange that I climbed into this hole today as the session finished.. #newperspectives #newbusiness #storytelling

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Cultural Relevance for Brands. Great discussion this morning organised by Creativebrief and Exposure Some points that resonated / that I thought useful to remember: 💬Raoul Shah "People don't really care about your brand they care about their own lifestyle / what makes them tick / what enriches their own communities and culture" 💭Cultural marketing does not mean sponsorship 💭Convincing investors / stakeholders of the long term approach towards building a sense of culture into campaigns is hard work but worth the effort. 🫣Brands have nowhere to hide in today's world 💃🕺Engulf yourself and your teams in culture in a genuine way and that will resonate in your marketing. 💭💡As brands we need to think at depth (do build credibility) and with breadth (to cast a wide enough net to the right community). i.e. How do we show up? Where we show up? The best mix for any brand trying to " tap into cultural relevance" is to not tap in at all... it's always better to fully commit. Find your purpose and combine it with good entertainment. Sophie More : from her Red Bull days: "WOM" SCORE - a finger in the air Word of Mouth score for each idea... scientific, data led decisions can easily become a barrier to creativity... Jed Hallam "Put more emphasis on anthropology over the economics and you'll find your place within the right communities." Create your energy and ppl will come to you Or Go to where the energy is and ppl will be there waiting. #marketing #creativeagency #production #contentproduction #speakers #events #networking #business

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Learn how to Get Stuff Done. A very key element of our agency value proposition is to be counted by clients as problem solvers. This a message that the team at FDRY tend to hear repeatedly. In general, people want to get ahead and be seen as positive contributors in an organisation to get recognition and visibility. The thing that matters when it comes to stand out is to reliably get stuff done. “Just learn how to get stuff done. I’ve seen, at every level, people who are very good at describing problems. People who are very sophisticated in explaining why something went wrong or why something can't get fixed. But what I'm always looking for is, no matter how small the problem or how big it is, somebody who says, “Let me take care of that.” If you project an attitude of, whatever it is that's needed I can handle it, then whoever's running that organization will notice.” #getstuffdone

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It's been an interesting couple of days watching the Advertising industry assess itself and its own position around diversity, inclusion and representation. I for one have for a long time thought we look strangely white, strangely male, and strangely preoccupied with ourselves (ego?). I come from a couple of Architect parents, I grew up in an academic family, around scientist grandparents, economists, psychologists and artists (Dad's side). But when I was a young kid, I just wanted to create. I didn't have the logical academic mind of my Mum's side of the family. I didn't have the A+ logic that they all possessed to get ahead in life, but I did have lateral curiosity and I was enthralled with artists like Michael Leunig and Bruce Petty from a young age. I got my first gig in the creative industry in year 8 of high school auditioning for a part in a claymation animated WA health commercial TVC by Anifex (anifex.com.au) in Adelaide which was directed by one of the animators of Ren and Stimpy (My favourite cartoon!). I loved the creativity of what they were doing, I showed them my drawings with great excitement, it was my first introduction into the creative industry. It was unlike anything I had experienced before. I was hooked. But over the years, I have realised that creativity is useful for many different things. While it is fundamental for 'making ads', it is also a key ingredient for strategising business direction and helping build business. It's key to planning, it is essential for strategically analysing marketing strategy problems and creating new behaviours that help societal progression. Creativity is required to innovate in even the most rigid of contexts. Its needed to future-proof products and research and develop for new ideas. (I saw this first-hand working on the Oakley business in Europe). But our industry seems preoccupied with 'winning mertics' and 'the way we look'. And in Australia, we look white and male (which has just come to a head). I feel that perhaps it is the industry that needs to rebrand its idea of creativity to be less about the self-image and more about the broader contribution. The most creative companies in the world really do make great contributions. And great creativity needs diversity. Diversity of thinking is lateral, multi-dimensional creativity. Perhaps we need to reimagine the idea of the creative department and think more about the concept of creative companies. Creative companies need diversity. They need diverse nationalities, genders, and perspectives. If we are to be in an important era of creativity, then perhaps we need to re-position our industry into creativity for impact and contribution rather than creativity for self-validation. I feel we can still have the shiny part we love about it, but make our metrics about what we're in service of as well. I love advertising, but I love creativity more. So I hope we can progress, and be more inclusive on all fronts. To make better ideas.

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Cheap as chips advice. Ritson bangs on about stuff he’s been banging on about for a while now. IPA Effectiveness winner McCain applying the known and proven fundamentals of marketing. Advice on a plate. It’s not rocket science. It’s available to all. It’s as easy as chips. It works. Just needs a little dollop of secret sauce. #strategy #creativity #humanity Chapter Brand Leadership

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For me, the key point here, as always in PR and comms, is about audiences. The reality is that anyone who was inclined to vote Labour before this news broke, will continue to do so. The same applies to intended voters for Lib Dem’s, Reform, Greens, SNP and independents. The first job of any political campaign is to keep hold of your base, and then go after the swing voters. And there’s the problem. Given that the traditional Conservative voter tends to be older, and let’s say more ‘patriotic’, this will hurt his base at a time where he needs to be trying to turn the dial up, not down. Having known people that have worked for CCO on many campaigns, they are generally regarded as very smart people, with a robust approach to message management. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the current team, and they will be punished for it.

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