INGO’s Global CCO Is Looking for Pirates
In September 2024, Daniel Fisher stepped into his new role as global chief creative officer at INGO, Ogilvy's boutique agency network. Based in London, he now oversees the creative direction of INGO’s offices in Stockholm, Hamburg, and Zurich, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a track record of award-winning campaigns.
Recently ranked as the number-one executive creative director in both Europe and the UK by The One Club, Daniel is known for work that touches the heart, from Dove’s ‘Courage is Beautiful’ to John Lewis’ ‘Monty the Penguin’.
Daniel reflects with LBB’s Alex Reeves on his first months at INGO and shares his vision for the agency’s future, including his faith in the resurgence of comedy in advertising, thanks to the work brands are doing on social now, a ‘creative canvas’ that he believes can be the best there is when done right.
LBB> In your new position at INGO, how are you adapting your creative leadership style to a different environment and set of challenges – and people?
Daniel> My role now extends beyond a single creative department to connecting the different talents across INGO's offices in Hamburg, Stockholm and Zurich – It’s very different to leading just one creative department and requires a slightly different muscle. Each office has its own culture and set of circumstances, which deserve a unique approach. It’s my job to harness the creative talent within each office and connect it to the wider network. It’s a new territory for me but all very exciting.
LBB> What has surprised you about INGO, now that you've seen how it works from the inside for a couple of months?
Daniel> How cold it is in Stockholm in September.
LBB> How has your perspective on creativity in advertising most recently evolved?
Daniel> It hasn’t hugely. Yes, the industry’s undergoing a lot of change right now and that’s bringing all sorts of disruption, but it has been going through rapid change pretty much ever since I started 25 years ago, right at the time we were all working ourselves into a spin over this thing called the internet. But I still strongly believe the same thing I believed back then – that creativity is the single biggest cultural and business differentiator there is. In a world where all brands will have the same ready access to the same content generation tools, the brands that embrace creativity are going to be the ones that stand apart.
LBB> In your 2022 interview with LBB, you mentioned parenting as a creative inspiration. How have your daughters continued to influence your approach to creativity?
Daniel> Well, they grow up fast, don’t they? Somehow, they’re now 10 and 7 and are already way more plugged in than I am. I don’t know how, because they don’t have mobiles and are banned from going on social media (after all the work I did with Dove on that topic, I’m very determined to keep them off as long as I can). But I first heard of Charli xcx and ‘brat’ round the family dinner table in the summer, and it helped pave the way to the Hellmann’s work that went live last month which hijacked her tour with sandwich bags. Even Charli xcx herself got involved and shared it on her socials, which was great. So, I guess they are more than just inspiration, it’s like having a gen-alpha focus group in the house.
LBB> What lessons from overseeing Dove and Unilever globally are you bringing into your new role? That was quite a unique job!
Daniel> My role today is remote – I’m based in London, but the offices are all in Northern Europe – and that requires a certain mindset and discipline. Fortunately, my last role was effectively a training exercise for this, as I had to spend a lot of time managing teams from across the network.
The main difference is I don’t have a local team around me (at 1UL, Ogilvy’s dedicated Unilever agency, there’s about 70 people based in the UK) so I am currently spending a lot of time in each of the offices getting to know the teams.
LBB> I know you've been vocal that comedy has been becoming a riskier venture in advertising. Have you seen any shifts in how brands approach humour recently? Are there new opportunities for brands willing to take creative risks?
Daniel> I’m a huge fan of comedy in advertising and I have always loved working on humour-led campaigns like the ones I did for Harvey Nichols and Skittles. Sadly, there’s been a decline in its use in recent years but looking around the shows, and gauging by some recent client conversations I’ve been in, it feels like it’s coming back.
My favourite piece of work from the industry in the past year was the CeraVe Super Bowl campaign with Michael Cera, from my colleagues at Ogilvy New York, which is pure comedy gold. And to answer the second part of your question, what I loved best about the CeraVe campaign was how they used social media as a tool rather than just a channel. Done right, social is the best creative canvas there is.
LBB> What do you think is needed to encourage a resurgence of bold, comedic advertising?
Daniel> More work like CeraVe. Brands not just influencing culture but living in it. We are more of a trend-following industry than we like to admit.
LBB> Looking back on your career so far, what advice would you give to young creatives navigating today’s advertising landscape?
Daniel> You’ve got to be a bit of a pirate. By which I mean don’t sit around waiting for things to sail your way, because they won’t. Hunt for opportunities, and when you find them, hold on to them, they are gold. No one is going to hand you the brief that changes your career, you’ve got to go out and make that opportunity. Don’t forget, rules can be broken. You can always apologise later.
LBB> What sort of talent are you looking for at INGO with that in mind?
Daniel> Pirates.
