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5 minutes with... in association withAdobe Firefly
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5 Minutes with... Steve Cochran

16/08/2022
Advertising Agency
Auckland, New Zealand
549
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Strategy makes it right; creativity makes it magic; and technology makes it work, Steve shares with LBB’s Esther Faith Lew


“Follow the happiness, and the money will follow.” For Steve Cochran, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, this work philosophy has kept him focused and on track in his advertising career, guiding him to where he is today. And he has come full circle.

As a young junior copywriter who was knocking on agencies’ doors and showing his book, he was told by Saatchi & Saatchi to go back after he had gained more experience. That he did – 25 years later. After 22 years at Colenso BBDO as executive creative director, Steve bade the agency farewell after a fulfilling tenure in which he brought home many accolades and achievements. His works have won him notable awards at One Show, D&AD, and Cannes Lions, among others. 

Steve has seen creativity and its demands evolve significantly over the decades. “Anything can be a medium for communication and the landscape of paid media channels has become diverse, fragmented, and complex,” he says, citing challenges as well as opportunities. “We’re often starting from a place where the solution could be anything, which, on one hand, is super exciting and full of opportunity. But, on the other, it can be daunting, and the process of getting to ideas is way messier, with a lot more thinking to wade through, filter, and discuss to get to an agreed solution.” 

As a graduate in graphic design who branded himself as an art-directing copywriter in his early career, Steve understands that the element of “messiness” is to be expected, as creativity is “not a straightforward linear process” in the first place. Set against this evolving landscape of diversification, client briefs increasingly encompass deliverables that are expected to “disrupt”, “scare us” or “win us a Lion”, shares Steve.

“An idea that shows up on primetime television as a well-produced TVC is often required to show up somewhere else like TikTok, feeling native to that platform. There are fantastic ambitions, although I’m not sure some clients realise the degree of difficulty in what they’re asking for sometimes, or allow the conditions for achieving those goals,” he adds.

Nonetheless, Steve’s role as chief creative officer reflects the expectation to be closer to the agency CEO and the executive suite of clients. “Having a point of view and influence on a client’s brand or company’s role and purpose in the world has become an increasingly prevalent consideration as CCOs now navigate fast-changing times and shifting societal attitudes. This higher conversation is now a dynamic of many of the client relationships we have,” says Steve. 


Z-Energy

LBB> In terms of agency structure/framework and methodology, why is Saatchi & Saatchi well placed to meet the increasingly complex demands of client briefs?

Steve> In answering this question, I’ll probably sound like a salesman for Publicis Groupe. However, the answer is that we have transformed our structure to allow Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand to simply be a creative ideas company rather than try to do or offer everything. Our Groupe model, which we call a “connected platform”, allows us to connect with our other specialist agencies to offer the right mix of disciplines any client or project needs. But this doesn’t stop at only Publicis companies, it liberates us to work with external agency partners without stepping on each other’s toes or making ‘land grabs’.

LBB> How do you ensure your team keeps abreast of the constant flux of new challenges and scenarios? 

Steve> As cynical as I might have been before coming to the Publicis network, I’ve learnt that Marcel, the Groupe’s internal global online platform, is a pretty amazing thing. It’s a very rich resource of educational material, careers advice, media and technology information, wellbeing advice and more. So that’s the first answer to that question. We also have a Culture Studio here in our office to keep abreast of trends that are shared with the agency. On top of that, it’s really up to individuals to stay curious, read and watch stuff that’s going on in the industry and beyond to stay tuned in.

LBB> What are the key trends that you see impacting the way advertising is perceived and measured?

Steve> There are so many moving industry points of view, thought leadership opinions, data analytics exponents, performance marketing operators, and media channel promoters, that it’s mostly a blur of trends. One simple observation is the trend towards splitting brand activity into two basic layers. Having work in the market that is emotive, purpose driven, awareness driving, brand building and long-game type work. And then another layer of rational, retail, performance marketing, customer-focussed, short-game type work. 

Another trend that I sense is still growing is the desire to create brand experiences rather than comms. The key to these though, is being able to amplify them through social sharing or online participation to get a decent ROI. The danger of them is they remain small, niche or simply exclusive rather than inclusive.

LBB> Creativity vs technology vs strategy. What is your methodology for synergising all three?

Steve> Use strategy to make it right; use creativity to make it magic; and use technology to make it work.

LBB> What do you consider to be a successful campaign?

Steve> One that is both loved by the audience and delivers the desired results. If you only have one of these two things, you’ve only half won in my eyes.

LBB> Share more on your campaigns that are significant to you and why?

Steve> Our Toyota Hilux campaign instantly became a New Zealand favourite. It helped sell vehicles and grew brand metrics. It was also a lot of fun to make in one of the most spectacular places in the world. Advertising doesn’t get much better than that.


Toyota Hilux 

Our brand reset for Z Energy led with a headline, “We’re in the business of getting out of the petrol business”. Working with a brand that recognises it needs to change and help our country to change with it, feels like important work. Collaborating with indigenous Māori creators on the campaign to help strengthen the Māori voice in that change, felt equally important. It’s work we’re proud to be doing.

LBB> How are your decades of experience as an ECD shaping your role as a CCO? What are the valuable takeaways for you?

Steve> I have seen how setting consistently high standards for creativity and craft require huge dedication and hard work. But often, it also means working longer hours than is sustainable or healthy, and longer hours than your agency is being remunerated for. Sometimes, our ambitions far outstrip the client’s. A kind of self-imposed pressure. If this gets too out of balance, things start to get ugly one way or another. 

I see my role as being partly to keep that balance. To get the best work out that we can without sacrificing ourselves for it. And I think we’re seeing a new generation emerging who are choosing that balance for themselves too.

LBB> Looking forward, what is your wish list and dream goal that you would like to achieve? 

Steve> Make the best work of my career and enable everyone in the agency to do the same.

Credits
Work from Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
ALL THEIR WORK