Rob Galluzzo: ‘Are We Brave Enough to Make Something Bad?’
Production and creative as two separate enterprises, there's a symbiotic relationship between the two - you can't have a final product without the partnership between them.
Rob Galluzzo has been a part of the production world of advertising for a number of years. Over his career, he has seen hundreds of thousands of ads come through his doors. As a result, Rob knows advertising from the inside out.
LBB’s Casey Martin wanted to pick Rob’s brain regarding a few topics dominating the industry’s conversations, from trends to authenticity and everything risky.
LBB> How have you seen the industry change and grow?
Rob> Positive commercial outcomes have become more in focus. We get to find out whether doing great creative work yields better commercial results. Proving it has never been more important.
If you believe it, now is the time to prove it.
We happen to believe it.
LBB> We are constantly bombarded with the ‘latest trends’ especially in the age of social media, how much mind should the industry really be paying to them?
Rob> Trends are in a conversation with an algorithm and algorithms are the enemy of creativity.
Algorithms don’t just ‘optimise for’, they ‘curate for’. We’re getting more and more tunnelled into what the algorithms think we want to see. I used to think trends were interesting, but now… not so much.
LBB> The Australian industry is known for its ability to ‘take risks’ when it comes to campaigns. How do you perceive this common view on Australian commercial work?
Rob> Australia has its risk takers and trail blazers, so does New Zealand for that matter. My thought is that opportunity to experiment has diminished. Pushing boundaries is being received a little less well.
Are we brave enough to make something bad? If not, no one is ever going to make anything great. FINCH included.
LBB> What is a piece of work that stands out to you? Why has it stood out? What do you like about, what makes it different?
Rob> I watched 100s of films as jury president for Film Craft at Spikes Asia recently, and this Sammakorn ad stood out.
You know what that is? It’s Thailand’s version of Masterton homes. Imagine if Masterton homes made that ad.
The casting is sublimely good. I love how confidently the idea has been presented. It’s a joy to watch. Jealous.
LBB> ‘Authenticity’ is something that gets thrown around a lot in this industry. Do you believe that commercial creativity can in fact be authentic?
Rob> It can be authentic… and we are all just selling something at the end of the day. They are not mutually exclusive.
LBB> When it comes to building/maintaining a brand identity, what advice would you give to those looking to achieve success in that sector?
Rob> The details matter. Over-index on the little things.
LBB> What advice would you give yourself if you were able to travel back in time to the Rob that had just graduated?
Rob> Spend more time with my Dad, and listen to him less.
He's dead now
