rightproject,”shesays.“Itfeels
likea slightlymoremodernwayof
beingabletowork.”
RecentlyreturningtoAustralia
afterworkinginDroga5’sAmerican
office,LeoBurnettexecutivecrea-
tive director (ECD) Andrew
Fergussonsays collaborationis
morenecessarytodayastimelines
continuetoshrink.
“It’sdefinitelymoreaboutbeing
fast-pacedandcollaborative,”he
says.“What’sreallyneededformod-
erncreativesis nimblenessanda bit
ofconfidencesoyoucangointo
thoseenvironmentsandnotfeellike
you’velostallthatthinkingtime.”
Onceupona time,comingupwith
theideasatpurelyinthecreative
departmentbutthatisn’talwaysthe
casenow.WhileFergussonwelcomes
collaboration,hedoesalsonotethe
challengeit bringsforcreatives.
“Sometimes it is tricky and
Theexperienceeconomy
Asmorebrandsseektocreatememorablemomentsfortheir
customersaspartofthemarketingstrategy,weaskedexperiential
leaders how creativity is helping to shape the experiences of 2020.INVNTAPACexecutivecreative
directorAdamHarriden
Theagegapbetweenkeyaudiences
—thinkMillennialsandGenZs
—anddecision-makersonthebrand
sideis widening,soit’sourjobas
creativestocraftbrandstoriesthat
simultaneouslygainclients’buy-in
andresonatewiththesetribes.
Experientialagenciescan’ttell
thesestoriesinthephysicalspace
aloneanymore.Thedaysofthe
omnichannelbrandexperienceare
over.Instead,shareabilityis key.
Brandstoriesneedtobedeveloped
withmultipleplatformsinmind,
especially digital and social.Imaginationcreative
directorMichaelReid
Limitedattentionspans,quick
turnaroundsandleanbudgets
—noneofthesearegoing
anywherein 2020 sowe’ll
keepexploringnewcreative
territorytohitthemark.
We’restrivingtomakeour
experiencesmorepersonalised
(tograbattentionandnotlet
go),authentic(buildingtrustand
harnessingourintrinsicdesire
tobepartofsomethingbigger)
andunexpected(becauseit’s
kindoffuntobesurprised
every now and then).creativesdolosetheirvoiceinthisprocess,”hesays.“Particularlyfor
creativescomingupintheindustry,it’sharder.AsanECD,I seeless
ofthatbecauseI’minmoreofa decision-makingrole.Whereasif you’re
a youngteam,youoftennevergettofollowsomethingthrough.”
Saatchi& SaatchiMelbourneECDSimonBagnascosaysthemoveto
morecollaborativeworkis oneofthemostinterestingchangestohisrole.
“I’vehadtounderstanda lotmoreotherpartsofthebusiness,more
thanI everhadto,”hesays.“Itusedtobe,asa creativedirector,you
couldreallysitinyourownislandandjustbeinchargeofthatislandand
thatwasit.Nowyouhavetounderstanddata,youhavetounderstand
mediaa lotbetter,andyouhavetoharnessthoseandworkwiththose
peoplecollaboratively.”
ThisshiftbringschangestothekindofworkBagnascooncedid.Like
manyothersintheindustry,heisbecomingincreasinglyinvolvedin
solvingclients’businessproblemsandnotjustcreatingcampaigns.
“Ididn’trealiseitatthetime,buta coupleofyearsafterI first
started,I realisedwhatyou’redoingisessentiallyfillingrectangles,”
hesays.“Thenovertime[thework]hasevolvedandnowit justfeels
thefreestandmostliberatedit haseverbeen.Theproblemsclients
havearea lotmorediverseandinterestingandtheyrequiredifferent
responseseachtime.”
ForadlandnewbieStephanieRyan,a graduatecopywriteratCX
Lavender,joiningtheindustry changed her perception of what it means
to work as a creative.A streetpanelistransformedinto
a Neutrogenasunscreendispenser
during the Australian OpenInvestigation