Mike Spirkovski, the now former chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, says agencies have evolved markedly over the last decade or so.
“Back in my day I remember that, being a creative, I would never present to clients,” he told AdNews.
“It was always the creative directors or senior management that would present. They'd get the feedback, come back to you, tell you what to do.
“Whereas these days the most junior people are in the room with the senior stakeholders of the client.
“I think clients actually love it when they see the young, the less senior, and they want to hear from them, their opinions.
“I don't think any of our clients ever prevent anyone from coming into a room. It's our decision on who comes and who presents.
“As opposed to previously, where if a senior CEO or a brand CEO was in a room, they'd say, ‘I don't want anyone unless they're a C-suite in this room.’
“Those times have changed, which is fantastic.
“You'll always hear negative things about lots of agencies in the marketplace and how they behave and everyone's bad. It's like everyone's got it in for each other.
“But the one thing that I love that I hear about Saatchi is the culture in our company has always been open door, and whilst there's senior leadership, it really is an open door policy.
“It's the most senior person in the company talking to the most junior person in the company on a day-to-day basis.
“And I love that because it actually creates a really levelled out culture of acceptance for everyone.”
He is also seeing a trend to for purpose driven work.
“I think brands underestimate how powerful they are or could be, but how they are probably the biggest change agent around the planet when it comes to everything from climate change or gender inequality and fixing social issues,” he says.
“To me that is something that you'll start to see more and more of because brands are having to live out their purpose, because consumers are in control now and they are very conscious, when buying products or services from specific brands, that they're doing the right thing.
He hasn't revealed his next move but will be staying with Publicis Group and have a for purpose focus.
Saatchi & Saatchi’s LandCruiser 300 campaign, with the iconic four wheel drive moving to a V6 engine from V8, was created during the pandemic:
“Working on that campaign was absolutely a pleasure because you're working on something that is so intrinsically part of Australian culture,” he says..
“We just told a very simple truth, which is the one reason Australians buy a LandCruiser is because it actually gets you home unlike some of the competition you see stranded on the side of the road.
“The way we approach everything is we always look for the truth in anything and something that's very relatable. With LandCruiser and Toyota, it's a little bit easier because of the success of the brand within the marketplace.
“When you've got such a high demand from consumers on sheer brand value and brand love and loyalty, it does make it a little bit easier. You can tell a slightly different story. You don't necessarily have to be so focused on products and benefits of the vehicle. And you can go with something a bit more entertaining and a bit more emotional.”
Ideas, he says, come directly from talking to people. “Some of our greatest ideas are literally that, it's you and me having a conversation over the fence, in a pub, when our families are together and we're just talking about it.
“It's just the repetitive nature of that same message popping up that you can't ignore because it's the truth. And then it's a matter of just finding a way to bring it to life so it's entertaining and loved.
“And what is really powerful about the ad and the campaign we created, it's not just for the drivers, it's for everyone. And it gives them something to be a part of. And if they don't drive one, they've been in one. And if they haven't been in one, they've seen one. And they can't argue with it.”
He says great and visionary clients are like great creatives and agencies where you can share a thought, an idea, and if they love it too, they'll support adjusting the strategy to make an incredible piece of work.
“And that's just the power of creativity and the power of something unique they haven't seen before,” he says
“There's much that I love about the process and it's also the way you grow up in a business. You sort of step up and you keep evolving and growing and you go on a journey of being hands on and learning from senior people to then being that person and then eventually leading.
“And then when you get to a leadership role, there's the point of actually a bigger responsibility, but you're still learning.
“It's always about learning for me. And I love it mostly more than anything, I love it when I have a 21-year-old talent in a room that teaches me something day to day. You're constantly evolving and you're seeing a different perspective and they're never wrong. You're never right, they're never wrong. And you have to accept that and play it that way because it's the way you progress, keep your mind open, accepting changes, accepting different views, regardless of whether you agree with them or not. Accepting them and seeing where they can take you.
“I find some of the most incredible ideas can come from some of the most inexperienced people because they don't have all the barriers around them.”
The experienced can fall into the ‘We’ve never done it that way’ mindset.
“Someone youthful and inexperienced that hasn't been clouded and suffocated in negativity is free to think,” he says. “They're free to come up with whatever they want.
“And when you hear that, you think, ‘Wow, where did that come from?’And it's because they don't have all these barriers around them and it's really refreshing.
“I always say, any idea is a great idea until there's a better one.”
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
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.