The majority of advertising agency creatives are creative people, but we've disciplined ourselves to think within traditional formats. I want to change that.
We're very much an advertising agency, but it's not about creating ads as we know it.
The first brand that can purpose-build great stories for mobile, that can target in a relevant but noncreepy way and understand that it's the individual that matters, not the algorithm, is the first brand to win mobile and, possibly, the future.
We're communicators, we're problem solvers, and we're lateral thinkers, and there's nothing that can't be improved with that. The world needs us, and we want to be needed.
I am the most competitive person you will ever meet.
If we can find our storytelling in more complimentary ways with the technology, I think it's just going to get better and better.
I just loved the idea of writing for different personalities all the time.
The qualities I look for in planners or creatives is very much the same thing. Beyond the givens of talent and work ethic, I really look for people who are inspired by the everyday, people who are not afraid of the obvious and are able to reinterpret it into a creative and interesting manner.
Australians are gypsies by nature. I've been fortunate enough to experience different regions of the world.
Before we start anything creatively, we have a firm understanding of our objective and our frame of mind for the campaign. Who's our audience, and what's their day-to-day behavior? How can we complement those behaviors? How is our message more than an interruption? Why would people care about what we're saying?
Copywriters on Madison Avenue constantly grapple with the question of where their work sits on the totem pole of 'real' writing.
A lot of people think technology is a solution, but it's really just a canvas for your work. It can make good things amazing and bad things terrible. Facebook allows you to have access to mass audience really quickly if you do creative really well.
Before the term 'viral video' came out, we used the mass media to our advantage.
The chaos of two cultures merging is the best time to forge a new identity to unify people, because everyone is looking for answers and everybody's looking for leadership. That's when there's an opportunity to say, 'OK, this is what we stand for.' People aren't set in their ways because everything is up for grabs.
If you don't have reservations, you're a fool. You can't go blind into something.
The creative people I admire seem to share many characteristics: A fierce restlessness. Healthy cynicism. A real world perspective. An ability to simplify. Restraint. Patience. A genuine balance of confidence and insecurity. And most importantly, humanity.
It's one of those weird things where I'm always curious about what's next. It's not just an empty restlessness, I try to appreciate things as they're going along and in the moment, but when things are good, I'm always anxious about how I can better that or take it on further.
When I first made some comment when we launched that part of our purpose was to do stuff that has social ripples, lots of people said it was such a glib thing to say. I actually believe that.
It's not rocket science: The best ads tell great stories. They look and feel like the content you're already consuming. They invite you in. They make you laugh. They teach you something. They also sell.
I set up Droga5 because I really believe in the power of advertising. But I believe in the power of advertising that's in synch with what consumers want.
