5 Minutes with… Jeremy Jones
Adobe Firefly is a proud supporter of LBB. As part of the sponsorship of the ‘5 Minutes with…’ channel, we spend time with some of the most innovative and creative minds in the industry.
The particular mind that we are delving into today is that of Jeremy Jones, the man tasked with “putting the wink in the work” of Mailchimp. Jeremy is global head of creative at Wink, the in-house agency of Intuit Mailchimp, aptly named after the winking chimp in its logo.
Prior to joining Wink, Jeremy was a global ECD within a global network agency. But he hit a wall. “Advertising wasn’t ready to change but I felt I was,” he says. That change came in the form of the opportunity to work in-house at a brand that he was already a huge fan of, and he hasn’t looked back since.
LBB’s Addison Capper chats with Jeremy about learning the art of marketing while in punk bands as a teen, getting a message from Christopher Nolan about a campaign he once worked on, and his attempts to trademark the term ‘Motley Crew Mentality’ and implement it across his creative teams.
LBB> Hello, Jeremy! You've been in-house at Wink for about four-and-a-half years now. What initially tempted you to make that jump?
Jeremy> I had been on the agency side for over a decade working my way up the creative ladder, leading offices, running global accounts, building teams and just hit a wall. I was travelling a ton, working through a lot of change management, agency consolidation and I eventually felt like I needed some new scenery. Advertising wasn’t ready to change but I felt I was. Right about the same time I was feeling burned out, Mailchimp reached out looking for someone to help build their new in-house team with a focus on campaigns and paid advertising initiatives. I was always a huge fan of the brand so when the opportunity presented itself I couldn’t turn it down. It was the breath of fresh air and new challenges that I needed.
LBB> To rewind a little more, how did you wind up in advertising? Was it somewhat planned or more a happy accident?
Jeremy> It was a planned happy accident coming from radio. Right out of school, I was touring and playing in hardcore and indie rock bands. After touring and living in a bus with 12 other dudes for months on end and being newly engaged, that clearly wasn’t going to work out, which led me to a gig in radio, writing scripts, selling ad space, working across events, you name it. There I met a few agency folks, fell in love with that side of business and made the jump, starting in account management before working my way into a creative role and writer on the team.
LBB> What were you like as a kid? Would you say you had a 'creative' upbringing?
Jeremy> I grew up skateboarding and playing in punk and emo bands which exposed me to this world of creativity, counter culture and freedom of expression. Within this world we didn’t really know it but we were learning to tell our own stories while marketing ourselves at the same time. Designing our own merch, promoting our band, learning how to manage egos, selling ourselves to promoters and different audiences. We had no idea we were developing a brand. It’s funny to look back on and I actually still apply a lot of what I learned from playing in bands to how I work with creative teams and marketing orgs today.
LBB> What kind of entertainment and media do you remember being most obsessed with during your youth? Have any TV shows, books, etc. stuck with you?
Jeremy> I was a big fan of Alf, Knight Rider, Voltron, Ninja Turtles and collecting baseball cards and comics. But one of the things I became obsessed with that influenced me a lot was a skateboarding video magazine series called 411 Volume. These videos helped shape a lot of my tastes in music, art, fashion and cinematography as well as editing. My friends and I couldn’t wait for the VHS tapes to arrive in the mail. We’d then just sit in the living room in front of the TV and watch them over and over again.
LBB> As a global head of creative, I imagine a chunk of your responsibilities involve nurturing talent and listening to your teams to ensure they're able to work to the best of their abilities. What is your approach to this side of the job?
Jeremy> I practise a lot of empathy and like to get in the work with the team to help push through the mud. If they’re feeling stuck or down from an idea being put on the backburner, I just try and help them reframe the situation and view it as an opportunity to make the work better. Help show the opportunity in every situation. Get them to ask the right questions. Finding those eureka moments. That feeling everyone gets in the room when you know you’re onto something good. I’d say the other thing I practise is having a Motley Crew Mentality™. I’m trying to coin that. But assembling teams that don’t seemingly fit on paper and then asking them to lean into each other's differences. I believe motley crews that possess contrasting personalities, talents, and perspectives, make their collaboration both unpredictable and interesting, which leads to more unexpected outcomes and culture defining work.
LBB> With that in mind, how 'in the weeds' of the work do you find yourself at Wink versus when you were a global ECD at an agency?
Jeremy> I think it’s still about the same. I love the work. I love helping people make the best things possible. Finding the hidden truths, building on the nugget of an idea and turning something so stupid into something so brilliant. Plus the beauty of working in-house is that the team and I get to live way upstream, we’re in the product and business strategy everyday so we move at lightning speed and often don’t have to wait for briefs to land on our table. We know where the business is headed and we can be a lot more proactive. It’s really exciting and you have to be able to pivot quickly. It keeps us on our toes but we’re constantly thinking about what we can do next.
LBB> Which projects from your career prior to Wink are you proudest of and why?
Jeremy> Both my dad and grandpa were race car drivers. I grew up around a racetrack and cars in general so I’d have to say all the work I did for Shell and Pennzoil. We did an award-winning film series called Pennzoil Films that’s still referenced and shows up in a lot of directors' treatments to this day. Christopher Nolan even sent us a LinkedIn message letting us know he was a fan and then the other day I saw Joe Rogan play the full video on one of his podcast episodes. So, even though they’ve been off air for seven years, I feel like people are still finding them and sharing them which always puts a smile on my face. Making those was truly a dream come true. And if anyone at Universal is reading, I’d be happy to work on the next Fast & Furious film for you.
LBB> Is there one project from your time at Wink that feels particularly important? Why?
Jeremy> A few years ago we did a social activation and campaign called ‘Big Game Small Ads’ during the Super Bowl, where we made commercials for our small business customers in response to every big game ad that hit the airwaves in real-time. It was our attempt to level the playing field. To give small businesses an opportunity to participate and a platform to sell their goods and services. Small businesses are the backbone of the country, giant corporations shouldn’t be the only ones to benefit from the big game. It was something that took a herculean effort from the entire team across the entire marketing org. It was also our first brief under our new CMO Michelle Taite. And we had to pull it all off in about four weeks with zero budget. It was a big one for us and one of the first under our banner Wink.
LBB> I feel like every great agency is somewhat of a brand itself. You come to know its vibe, tone of voice, the kind of work it does - and that in itself attracts clients. How do you think about that side of things when it comes to Wink as an in-house agency?
Jeremy> Wink and Mailchimp def have a vibe and unique culture and you can see and feel it in the work. We bring it to life with a tone of voice and persona we call the expert absurdist. Imagine a venn diagram with Carl Sagan on one side and Gallagher, the watermelon smashing comedian, on the other. We’re somewhere in between. And I think it’s fitting, especially when your mascot is a winking chimpanzee named Frederick von Chimpenheimer the IV. And folks may not realise it, but that wink means a lot to us, it’s the connection between our brand and our customers. The inside joke. An understanding. It’s why we named ourselves after it with the challenge of putting the wink in the work. The unexpected, the little nod. It’s all in the details.
LBB> We often hear about the work that people admire professionally, but if a brand were to effectively advertise to you as a consumer, what would it do?
Jeremy> Make me laugh or acknowledge that it’s interrupting what I’m doing but giving me some kind of break or entertainment in exchange for my time. I think the brands that are more self-aware and understand how interruptive marketing can be are the ones that have tighter relationships with their customers and really loyal fans.
LBB> Outside of work, what are you into?
Jeremy> Outside of work I like to fly fish, travel with my family and play music.
