5 Minutes with… Daniel Ko
Daniel Ko has always been unconventional.
Known for his channel-agnostic approach and emphasis on trust-building, executive creative director at Edelman Singapore Daniel Ko has always loved expression.
Even if he wasn’t conventionally creative, Daniel has always had a passion for communication and words. This childhood love of words was his first step down the unconventional path to creativity, that led him to his role today.
Speaking to LBB, Daniel discusses the industry's shift towards purpose-driven campaigns and the importance of authentic storytelling.
With over two decades of experience, he offers a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities in today's marketing landscape, revealing the innovative strategies he employs to foster creativity and innovation within his teams.
LBB> Have you always been a creative person, even as a child?
Daniel> I was never really into arts and crafts, nor was I crazy about LEGO (does that make me “uncreative”?). However, my family often tells me that I was quite the joker as a kid. And I’ve loved words for as long as I can remember. It started with a love for reading and books, then evolved into pointless experiments with poetry and prose in my youth. All that must count for something!
LBB> What inspired you to pursue a career in the creative industry, and how has your journey evolved over the past 20 years?
Daniel> A book about marketing my Mum had lying around the house kicked it all off for me. I remember that I had just completed my PSLE, and I was bored during the holidays. But I was so intrigued that I sought out more advertising books over the years and then tried to write my ads for brands like Nike and Tag Heuer— just for fun. By the time I completed secondary school at 16, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for a living.
I’m grateful that my journey over the past 20 years has let me ride the waves of so many industry buzzwords—from ambient and guerrilla to data and performance, social experiments and viral challenges, and branded entertainment and tech-powered creativity (and all that’s just scratching the surface, really.) Ultimately, it solidified my channel-agnostic approach to creativity today: the idea always comes before the deliverables.
LBB> Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly influenced your approach to creative work?
Daniel> Many people and teams that I’ve had the good fortune of working with have been pivotal in my career. The BBH team during my years there was truly integrated and watertight, proving that great creative work needs more than great creatives. Equally instrumental is the inspiration that I’ve gleaned over the years from awesome creative leaders like David Droga, Steve Elrick, Johnny Tan, Joji Jacob, Kelvin Pereira, and David Nobay.
LBB> What attracted you to Edelman Singapore, and what are your goals as the new executive creative director?
Daniel> Edelman are experts when it comes to building trust for their clients’ organisations. And in today’s world, I can’t think of many other things that are more important — or powerful — than it. But earning trust requires both public relations and advertising to play together. Interestingly enough, I got my business diploma at a time before the hip and cool Mass Comms diploma was introduced, and my chosen specialisations were PR and Advertising. So, I’ve always seen the two facets as intrinsically linked. I don’t see a line drawn between the two – and looking at how the world’s best brands show up for consumers, they don’t either. So, that’s one of my goals in my new role: To foster more integrated thinking and processes that will unlock the power of earned creativity – both internally as well as with our clients.
LBB> What is the most significant challenge facing the marketing and PR industry today, and how can creative solutions address it?
Daniel> Weak economic outlooks always hit marketing and PR budgets pretty hard. Plus, marketing folk are increasingly being held to shorter-term, tactical targets and KPIs. But as they say, creativity thrives best in adversity — we just have to be smarter in our solutions. Sometimes, creative brilliance is found in achieving your goals with a lean budget.
LBB> How do you approach storytelling and story-doing differently, and why are both important in today's marketing landscape?
Daniel> This ties closely to the topic of trust that we often discuss at Edelman. Consumers have evolved tremendously, and in today’s world, how a brand shows up and behaves in real life is as important, if not more important, than what it says. I try to approach both from an honest POV—something that, admittedly, perhaps the ad industry hasn’t always been great at.
LBB> How do you see the concept of ‘earned creative value’ evolving in the future, especially in the context of building and maintaining trust?
Daniel> As I’ve mentioned, consumers these days are a different breed. Future generations will be even more demanding when it comes to the brands they align with. Trust isn’t something that can be bought with a slick and snazzy campaign — it needs to be earned by walking the talk. In the last decade, both brands and adland have woken up to the impact of brand acts and earned creative value.
LBB> As someone who has judged numerous award shows, what trends or shifts have you noticed in the creative work being recognised today?
Daniel> One positive shift I’ve noticed is that the industry looks to be leaving behind the days of scam ads and such. They are much less common and are likely to get called out when they do pop up. Another positive shift is in the industry embracing how great creative ideas can, and should be, world-changing.
You see this in the rise of purpose-driven “for-good” campaigns that bring about monumental shifts in policy or practices. Of course, this is in no small part thanks to categories like Titanium and Glass Lions being introduced. And it’s great to see many of these ideas deservingly winning too – from ‘Trash Isles’ and ‘Tuvalu: The World’s First Digital Nation’, to Edelman’s ‘#LetHerGrow’ for Dove and ‘The Move to -15’ for DP World. As a legendary pioneer and legend in advertising once said: “Changing the world is the only fit work for a grown man.”
