In the beginning there were three, and like any
great mammalian evolution, they have replicated to now include many
more. To celebrate this growth and over 10 years of making provocative
ideas happen, The Monkeys' limited edition book documents the creative
culture and key milestones during the past decade.
The book is an
ode to the people, projects and brands that have helped to make The
Monkeys one of today's most entrepreneurial and successful independent
creative agencies. Curated by Semi-Permanent founder and director,
Murray Bell, the 391-page book shares insights on how the cofounders,
longstanding staff and clients have shaped the evolution of the agency -
with notable contributions from Andrew Denton, Joe Pollard, CMO and
group executive media at Telstra, and Olivia Wirth, group executive,
brand, marketing and corporate affairs at Qantas.
Says Justin Drape, co-founder and chief creative officer, The Monkeys:
"It's good to take a moment to reflect on some of the projects, moments
and results that we're most proud of. We always aim to create work that
lives beyond a media budget and earning its place and audience in
popular culture and I think some of the work in here has achieved that.
We're also proud of the people and culture that is necessary to do this
and the trusting relationships we have with our clients and various
collaborators and all of this is captured in the book."
Positioned
at the nexus of ideas, entertainment and technology, The Monkeys is now
known as the creative mind behind some of Australia's most
distinguished brands, including Telstra, IKEA, Qantas and Blackmores.
And whilst the book highlights standout campaigns (such as the award
winning MLA 'You Never Lamb Alone' campaign), it also chronicles the
agency's journey into entertainment from its inception, including the
creations of sitcom :30 Seconds (in collaboration with Andrew Denton),
acclaimed SBS series My Family Feast (in collaboration with Hopscotch
Films and Benchmark Films), through to part owning and re-launching
premium ice cream brand Homer Hudson and recently producing a
documentary on 1980s cult icon Mambo.
Commenting on The Monkeys
willingness to break the traditional agency mould, co-founder and chief
creative officer, Scott Nowell, admits that whilst industry recognition
is highly important, it's feedback from outside the industry that
continues to inspire the agency's quest to create effective work.
Says
Nowell: "You want to have cultural impact. Of course awards are great
and you enter them because that's the industry game, but if you affect
popular culture, overhearing a mate at a BBQ discussing cultural
inclusivity after watching MLA's 'Celebrate Australia Day' campaign, or
spotting the Mambo 'Art Irritates Life' doco up on iTunes, there's
nothing quite like the level of satisfaction that comes from this."
The
Monkeys co-founder and chief executive officer, Mark Green, admits that
the entrepreneurial spirit at the heart of the agency has allowed the
agency a certain level of creative freedom over the years. It's one of
the reasons he stepped out of a traditional advertising agency to create
projects that would push the boundaries of what an agency could
achieve.
Says Green: "We don't have to subscribe to some
international ethos that we are trying to interpret locally, or that we
don't quite understand because we didn't create it in the first place.
We can make the most of what we see in front of us; doing things we
haven't done before and that takes us to more interesting places and it
gets addictive the more you do it. It's about trying new things: you
want to do it more often because you get excited about what you don't
know, and one day is never the same as the next."
To receive a complimentary copy of Made By Monkeys, email your full name, contact number and postal address to
contact@themonkeys.com.au using the subject line 'Made By Monkeys'. The first 25 people to get in touch will be sent a copy of the limited edition book.