Last Thursday, beneath the glass atrium of McCann Sydney, agency leaders came together to discuss “the one thing to get right in 2019”.
Led by host and moderator Nicole Taylor (CEO, McCann Australia) the panel discussion covered a range of industry issues, from the highs of great advertising (See Special Group – Uber Eats – Tonight I’ll be having campaign) to the lows of well …Fyre Festival!
Moderator Nicole Taylor opened the evening’s discussions with ‘Do you have the right conditions for creativity to happen?’. Taylor implored the industry to be bold and push for diversity within agencies as a way for brilliant ideas to flourish. Taylor encouraged agencies to retain their eclectic culture and said if the industry doesn’t have brilliant creative ideas we will lose ground and people to to other creative industries.
Paul McMillan (CEO, The Monkeys Melbourne) reflected on ‘The second most important thing in advertising: Trust’, and discussed how trust in the industry and society can be built and broken. With McMillan has noticed advertising industry is at an inflection point – there has never been more information on the effectiveness of advertising yet the level of trust within the industry more broadly seems to be heading the opposite direction. Suggesting that we need to get back to the basics of building trust – Note to all young advertising suits in the audience – a coffee order is a great way to start!
‘‘BACK BRAVE’ was Lindsay Evan’s big bullet for 2019. In an era of status quo and flight to safety, Lindsay (Founding Partner and CEO, Special Group) believes the advertising industry must back brave! and continue to strive the very best the industry can offer. Building on her 8 key points on Backing Brave in 2019 the industry trailblazer implored the audience to not blink, be rare and make a difference. In an industry plagued by self-doubt, Lindsay highlighted Special Group’s values of ‘be open, be kind, be brave’ as a mantra for any individual looking to make a contribution to the industry and avoid the dreaded ghost of the algorithm factory.
With Stop Chasing, Start Standing’ – Digby Richards (CEO, Richards Rose) implored the audience to stop chasing trends and the latest distractions and instead focus on brand and business. Highlighting increasing client expectations for the short term gain, Richards implored to the audience to return to the fundamentals of advertising .. the brand! Using two examples from his agency Richards demonstrated how good brands must stand more something! And that if they do people will come to them!
Last up was Alex Carr (Managing Director, BWM Dentsu Sydney) with ‘Using brilliant creativity to shape brands that ultimately transform business. If this is so obvious, why the hell is no one doing it?’. Carr reflecting on BWM’s eventful year including the acclaimed Project Revoice echoed his predecessor of the evening believing the industry must place a greater focus on brand awareness for long term success rather than the short term perspectives of brand consolidation.
Hunting With One Bullet was a grass-roots event organised by the Account Management Group (AMG). The AMG is an industry committee of the leaders in advertising who shape its direction. The AMG falls under the banner of The Communications Council – the industry body for the advertising industry.
The Communications Council runs a number of events during the year catering to industry discussion, professional development and industry awards. For information on upcoming events or industry news visit our events page.
The AMG would like to thank: Nicole Taylor and the McCann team for their support in delivering the Hunting with One Bullet event.
