This first appeared in the January/February issue of AdNews. Subscribe here to make sure you get your copy.
The creative contingent of adland is the beating heart of the industry. To fully embrace this, and with a mission to create awesome and inspiring covers, each month AdNews hand-picks an agency to work its magic.
This month, we called on Brisbane independent agency Engine Group to deliver a cover that showcased the Australian advertising renaissance.
What were your initial thoughts on the Australian Renaissance brief at hand?
Our first reaction was one of excitement. Just six agencies a year get the opportunity to produce the front cover of AdNews so it felt like a real privilege. There were so many directions this could take. The brief talked about Australia’s success in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and how this has led to a renaissance in the creative field. It also included topics around diversity, Indigenous inclusion and what the “new normal” would be. As a creative, your first thought is to focus the lens; to clearly define your subject matter and search for the creative hook.
Post first brief chat, what went through your mind(s) and what were the next steps you took as a team?
Ideas are often born from the collision of two elements so we thought about what these could be. We quickly realised the word “renaissance” was a rich source of inspiration and played around with a few formulas, such as renaissance + COVID-19, renaissance + creative and renaissance + Australia.
How did you know you’d landed on the best concept?
We ended up with 10 ideas that felt right for different reasons. But one concept stood out for encapsulating so much of the brief in a simple and engaging way: what if we turned Michelangelo’s David into Hoges [Paul Hogan] slipping an extra shrimp on the barbie? It’s Renaissance, it’s unequivocally Australian and it’s one of the most iconic and celebrated moments in our industry’s history.
Who from the team was largely involved and what were their roles?
Our creative directors, Mark Smith (copy) and Kory McAvoy (art direction), came up with the ideas and then set about discussing pressing matters. Do we show David’s meat and two veg? Is it safe to operate a BBQ with your snag out? It was then over to retouching artist Derek Leong to give David an ’80s makeover.
What were the biggest hurdles to making this a reality? Any challenges?
Timings were very tight so we had to make sure our idea was relatively simple to produce. This was never going to be a Lambstravaganza.
Tell us about the actual creation techniques. How did it come together?
Once the idea was approved, this was essentially a retouching job. We gave Dek various reference shots of Hoges from different angles and had a few discussions about bum chins and wrinkles. It was a bit of a balancing act making sure both Hoges and David were instantly recognisable.
Best bit about the process?
The opportunity. A proudly independent agency has just created the first AdNews cover of 2021. That feels special.
Credits
Agency: Engine Group
Creative Directors: Kory McAvoy and Mark Smith
Retouching Artist: Derek Leong
Managing Director: Tim Weger
General Manager: Kym Vercoe
Senior Account Director: Sarah Deery
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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