Ruth Mortimer is the Global President of Advertising Week, so it’s fair to say that she has an unusually broad perspective on our industry, on clients and of course on agencies.

In this episode, you can really feel her breadth of knowledge - as well as her passion for creativity - as she compares and contrasts different markets. In particular, Ruth unpacks what’s holding back the UK market, as well as what agencies can do about it.

She also shares her very personal perspectives on AI - not least how it can democratise creativity by bringing voices and innovations into the industry.

Ruth’s optimism is infectious and her examples are inspiring. So if that sounds like a good way to invest half an hour, then you’ll definitely enjoy this episode.

HIGHLIGHTS:

[03.39] Creativity from a global perspective and how the industry can be different in different places.

[08.43] What causes the lack of creative business problem-solving in the UK?

[13.31] The right government can open new possibilities to the UK advertising industry.

[16.00] How can we remedy the lack of hope and optimism in the industry?

[23.39] The impact AI brings to the creative web.

[28.14] How AI could be a great tool to introduce new voices to the creative industry.

[31.38] Diversity and its impact on a successful business

[35.57] Practical advice for industry leaders.

GUEST SOCIALS:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/ruthmortimer/

Website - advertisingweek.com/

STUFF WE MENTION:

Advertising Associations 'Ad Pays' research - https://adassoc.org.uk/advertising-pays/

HOST SOCIALS:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinbonn/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/robonn

MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY:

https://www.codefinery.com

Today’s episode is powerful. It's a conversation with Rob Campbell, Chief Strategy Officer at Colenso BBDO in Auckland. The topic is diversity in agencies - and how those of us with privilege can and should be doing more.

Rob brings humanity and curiosity to his experience of diversity from beyond the shiny Western boardrooms of Soho and Madison Avenue, openly discussing what he got wrong in living and working in the US, China, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand (to name a few) as well as sharing practical advice on what he learned agency leaders can do better.

This is a rare opportunity to hear a privileged white man - one who’s at the very top of our industry - speak so candidly about his own learning journey, including a transformative experience watching the movie ‘Get Out’ with three women from the black community.

If you believe that diversity makes agencies and creativity stronger and you aspire to be a more inclusive leader, then there’s a lot here for you.

CHAPTERS:

4.25 Becoming militant about DEI responsibility

06.53 Travelling the world based on curiosity

09.50 How knowledge of history is essential for innovation

13.30 How to bring diverse truths into the workplace

16.05 Western privilege in Black Lives Matter

21.55 What privileged white men can do differently

25.30 How to stop worrying about saying the wrong thing

32.45 Proactively creating the conditions for others to thrive

35.15 Getting past white fragility

36.12 Practical advice for agency leaders

MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY:

https://www.codefinery.com

HOST SOCIALS:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinbonn/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/robonn

GUEST SOCIALS:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-campbell-723593/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Robertc1970

How clear are you on what clients REALLY want from agencies? And what if you could ask someone with a unique perspective on how agencies do great work?

Our guest on this episode is David Meikle. The classic ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’, he was previously an agency leader, working for Grey and latterly running Ogilvy in Russia, and now he’s a search consultant. David’s also a compassionate, innovative and rigorous thinker about the advertising and marketing industry, which you’ll know if you’ve read his books.

This far-reaching conversation covers commerciality and profit, the risks of productising your offer, and how to strike a fairer deal with procurement. We also explore why agencies are poor negotiators and a surprising truth about how less exciting clients often get better work.

David also offers a new way to think about agency differentiation - one that clients are taking increasingly seriously.

CHAPTERS:

2.26 The difference between finance and commerciality

5.04 What agencies don't understand about profit conversion

11.07 How agencies enable Procurement to dominate them

15.10 The risks of productising agency services

24.20 Why agency marketing is like car insurance

27.15 The role of the agency's employer brand

31.30 Distinctiveness vs uniqueness

40.10 How conservative clients can get better work

42.01 Agency failures in negotiation

43.40 The concept of 'buyer's profit'

46.25 Opportunities for your employer brand

MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY:

https://www.codefinery.com

HOST SOCIALS:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinbonn/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/robonn

GUEST SOCIALS:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-meikle-6194405/

DAVID'S BOOKS:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Meikle/author/B071NLVJBW

LINKS:

Why Work Sucks and What to do About it - https://www.amazon.com/Why-Work-Sucks-How-Joke/dp/1591842034/

The No Asshole Rule - https://www.amazon.com/Asshole-Rule-Civilized-Workplace-Surviving/dp/0446698202