Our Industry Profile takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
Joe Heath: head of strategy at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia
Time in current role/time at the company:
Six years exactly. My longest stint at any one place.
How would you describe what the company does?
We make advertising. People seem desperate to call it by another name. In my book, we’re still in the advertising business; the only thing that’s changed is the means by which we do it.
What do you do day-to-day?
Every day is different. That’s why I love my job. I could be trying to solve an unsolvable business problem, writing strategic responses to a client brief, running and participating in workshops, attending some research group, writing a creative brief or helping sell in some ideas.
Define your job in one word:
Diverse.
I got into my industry because:
I set up a club night at university and had to create fly posters and flyers. It was called Thirst, and our logo was a blue orange. We spray-painted a bunch of blue oranges and left them around campus. People actually came, and I was like, maybe I could do this for a job.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
A great strategy is only as good as the creative work it leads to. The real challenge is creating a strategy that inspires and empowers creatives to create magic.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
The biggest industry issue is 'mental waste'. Multiple agencies often pitch for one project, and unclear briefs can lead to wasted creative efforts. The challenge is to create more efficient processes that respect both time and creativity. This could improve the quality of the work we produce.
Notable campaigns/initiatives:
I'm particularly proud of our Toyota HiLux campaigns at Saatchi and Saatchi. We're telling compelling stories in just 30 seconds and achieving excellent results.
Who has been a great mentor to you?
From my early days at JWT New York with Ted Florea and Steve Walls, to working with Craig and Bridget at AMV BBDO, and people like Chris Howatson at CHEP and Ben Court at Saatchi, I've been fortunate to learn from many great minds.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Have a thoughtful and inventive point of view on all things inside and outside advertising. I write a lot to help develop my thinking on anything and everything. So, write stuff, even if you don’t publish it, just write, and follow your ideas and thinking and see where they go.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
I studied politics at uni and worked in the House of Commons as a youngster, so I’d have probably ended up in some political researcher/advisor role.
My philosophy is:
Lean into ideas and people you disagree with. I found myself very quickly turning off podcasts from people if they disagree with my perspective on things. But I made a conscious effort to dive back in and try not to let the anger seep in.
My favourite advert is:
Patek Philippe’s: ‘You never actually own a Patek Philippe; you merely look after it for the next generation’, but ad-wise, has to be Guinness Surfers.
Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to:
Lex Friedman, Revisionist History, Making Sense with Sam Harris, Ben’s Bites, Off Menu with Ed Gamble, a16z.
In five years time, I'll be:
Still thinking about this question and if I have any decent answers to it.
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