Howie, Ritchie, Humphries to Dissect Nailing Excellence, Effectiveness, Efficiency

Creative excellence drives effectiveness, but “creative excellence without effectiveness is just art,” according to Andrew Howie, former CMO of Taco Bell and the founder of Australia’s newest marketing consultancy.

The marketer launched Gallant Creative Advisory on Friday to address a feeling he was “missing” creatively-led effectiveness. It will act as a “creative excellence partner” to marketing teams.

“I believe that more interesting work is more effective, which means you need less paid media to achieve your goals,” he told LBB.

As a result, “big budgets can make you lazy,” causing “weak creative [to be] covered up with greater reach.” 

Barbara Humphries, the co-CCO of Droga5 ANZ, agreed “creativity and effectiveness are inextricably linked”, echoing Andrew’s assertion that creative work simply works harder.

“The ideas we remember decades later are because they were bold, creative, they built the brand's character, tone of voice and gave them a unique point of difference over time,” she said. 

“If you’re combining the two from the start, you’re creating a more efficient process, building a brand without having to course correct and second guess when it doesn’t cut through.”

Barbara and Andrew will join a panel hosted by LBB AUNZ this Thursday afternoon, alongside Revolver co-owner and managing director Michael Ritchie, to unpack whether the local market is succeeding in its effectiveness, efficiency, and creative excellence efforts.

As part of Australia’s first Monthly Cut screening, the panel will be in conversation with moderator and LBB AUNZ news and features editor Tess Connery-Britten, in front of a small group of top CCOs, EPs, and CMOs.

Michael’s Revolver won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, plus a Grand Prix for its work on Telstra’s stop-motion TVC series, ‘Better on a Better Network’. The telco is heading into this year’s Effie Awards with six finalists.

Last year, Droga5 picked up the Film Grand Prix for the celebration of the Sydney Opera House, ‘Play it Safe’, which Barbara worked on. The project resulted in 73% of people who weren’t already Sydney Opera House visitors saying “they had a better opinion of the House after watching the film,” Barbara previously said of the results, and “49% of people said that they intended or would intend to visit having seen it.”

Andrew told LBB the work he did while a marketer at Meat & Livestock Australia (which works with Droga5) between 2013 and 2017 proved the interplay between creativity and effectiveness. 

“We didn’t have big budgets, so we had to out-think as we couldn’t outspend,” he said. 

“It has led to Grand [Effies] and multiple Gold Effie winning work including for long-term effects.

“At the end of the day, our responsibility is to be interesting, which better engages customers, which in turn leads to stronger sales and shareholder value.”

This Thursday’s event will also feature a screening of the world’s best work from June. Known as The Monthly Cut, the new reel and editorial series from Little Black Book and The Immortal Awards is curated by a global creative council made up of some of adland’s biggest names.

The inaugural creative council includes the likes of Chris Beresford-Hill, Susan Credle, and Islam ElDessouky. Brent Smart, Will Alexander, Psembi Kinstan, Micah Walker, Pip Smart, and now-Londoner Tara Ford represented AUNZ on the council this quarter.

On hosting the first Australian Monthly Cut event, Revolver MD and panelist Michael Ritchie said, "We are thrilled to be hosting the inaugural Monthly Cut screening with Little Black Book, where we will welcome some of our industry’s top minds to have a drink, a chat, a watch, a listen and ask the important questions."

As LBB founder and CEO Matt Cooper wrote upon its launch, The Monthly Cut creates a year-round conversation about world-class creativity; provides an opportunity for people to gather and watch work; and allows marketers, agencies, and production companies alike to submit and test work with a world-class council, all of whom judge the world’s biggest award shows throughout the year.