Simon Hadfield, Founder of Prime Mover Recruitment and AdNews Contributor, and David Lo, Founder of The Zoo Republic, discuss the highs and lows of 25 years as an independent agency owner.
Simon: So, David, 25 years as a “feisty independent”—quite a milestone.
David: Yes, it’s a bit surreal, Simon! We often joke that few people leave school dreaming of working in a creative agency, let alone a “below the line” one, as we used to say. At 18, if you’d told me I’d run a “Creative/Shopper/Experiential Marketing Agency,” I’d have laughed and said, “Sounds interesting, what do I do?”
Simon: Law, sports management, and then agency life—not the most typical career path.
David: No, it’s not! But I think each stage played a crucial role in both thriving and surviving the past 25 years. Law was an excellent foundation for business. And you’d be surprised—there are more ex-lawyers in advertising than you might guess. My mate Dan Gregory was one, and David Droga, though only a fool would draw comparisons, initially studied law too. I actually worked with his older brother at Clayton Utz.
That grounding in discipline, rigour, and critical thinking that you get at the big firms was transformative. But it wasn’t for me long-term, and when something more entrepreneurial came along, I jumped. Friends still joke that I surrendered my practicing certificate before it could be taken from me, which isn’t true of course…..entirely (laughs).
Simon: Apparently, The Zoo is one of Australia’s longest-running creative agencies still led by its founder?
David: Yes, we think only Enigma in Newcastle has been around longer with its founder at the helm. It’s a bit wild to think about—we pulled the numbers recently and discovered we’ve delivered over 21,000 jobs since November 1999. I look at that and need a nap. We’ve also only had three finance heads in all these years, which I think has contributed to our stability.
Simon: You’ve worked with some big names over the years. Any favorite clients?
David: Ha, like picking a favourite child, Simon! But yes, KFC and Pizza Hut were formative, and we built the agency on the back of YUM! Brands. The leaders there—Greg Creed, Roger Eaton, David Ovens, Bronwyn Heyes/Powell, Jason Marker, Dom Quinn, Peter McKinney—were fast-moving, instinctive, and believed in that mantra: be tough on the work but kind to the people. Lion, with Marg Zabel and Brett Grebert, was also a lot of fun (teamed up with Host, as they were back then), and the Diageo days with Matt Bruhn, Andy Morely, and others were a great era. Many of these people went on to do amazing things, which is no surprise looking back.
Simon: And your least favourite client?
David: You don’t survive 25 years by publicly shaming people. My parents taught me that if you can’t say something nice, say nothing. So, no comment. But if I had to be honest, yes, I have a “bottom ten” list. Nothing good would come from sharing it, though.
Simon: Funniest moment in business?
David: Let’s see… to keep it PG-rated, I’ll skip the infamous agency garage Christmas parties back at our old St Leonards office. But a great one from years after we ran the campaign was when I read an interview with this young Mosman kid, Harley Streten, blowing up on the global EDM scene. When asked where his passion for music came from, he said, “When I was 14, there was a CD-ROM in my Nutri-Grain packet where you could pick your genre and make your own music.” That was our campaign! At the time, Kellogg’s was our second-largest client. My wife (who’s still at The Zoo) and I love to tell anyone who’ll listen, “We broke Flume!”
Simon: What about your most high-profile campaign?
David: Little known story—The Zoo was behind bringing Modern Family to Australia for its only episode filmed outside the U.S. We identified Qantas (who were just about to launch it's A380 fleet), and Sudeep Gohil, then CEO of Droga5 Australia, pitched it to Olivia Wirth with us. It was a challenging time for me personally; I was in the midst of trying to sell The Zoo to a holding company, so I was burning the candle at both ends and even putting a blowtorch to the middle. I wasn’t at my best back then, but I learned a lot about business—and myself. I wouldn’t want to relive those times, but they did make me a better person, both in business and in life. A bonus is that I still keep in touch with Modern Family’s creator, Steve Levitan, who’s an ex-adman himself. He recently co-produced the very funny Nobody Wants This.
Simon: What do you think has contributed to The Zoo’s longevity?
David: Longevity is a nice way to put it. Less kind friends say I’m the cockroach of MarComms—you can’t kill me, can’t get rid of me. There’s no single reason. But if I had to break it down:
First, our management team. Our Creative Director, Ed, has been with us for 17 years—he literally started as a kid. Kate, our CFO, has been here 14 years. Our previous CSD, Tamara, was with us for 13 years before starting her own thing, and even Imelda, our current CSD, is now part of the furniture (in a good way). And Saskia, my long-suffering wife and head of strategy and new business, has been here 20 years. Their loyalty and continuity are invaluable and help make the toughest times easier.
Then there’s my mantra to the staff: “The first thing you need to do is make people like us!” There’s no single “best” agency. All the top-tier agencies are incredible. In our industry, everything is subjective. Being “most creative” or “best account service” doesn’t mean much if the client doesn’t enjoy working with you. Chemistry is essential, and we hire people who understand that. Then we make sure the good ones stay.
Resilience and persistence, which is a bit of a cliché but true. You develop a sort of Stockholm Syndrome with agency life and pitching. Losing sucks but winning is so very addictive. An old mentor once told me, “Very few will be the best son, and that will most certainly apply to you. So, if you can’t be the best, at least be memorable.” I’ve tried to live by that.
Lastly, my parents drilled into me, “Nothing worthwhile comes easily.” Remembering that makes the tough times bearable and the good times feel even better. Like a hard-earned thirst…speaking of which, surely it’s time for a drink?
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