Michael McEwan Wants to Experiment And Become “A Shining Example” At Droga5 Melbourne

Michael McEwan has made the jump from M+C Saatchi, where he was AUNZ CEO, to a new role as director of Droga5 Melbourne, and from his perspective, “there's an opportunity for Melbourne to really be a shining example within the Droga5 network.”

“It’s a market where we can experiment, where we can try some things, especially as we can access the full arsenal of Accenture Song,” he told LBB. 

“I feel like there's a lot of opportunity for us to think about how we can try things a little bit differently.”

There were a number of factors that played into his decision to make the move, with Michael crediting the fact that Droga5 is “such a well regarded and revered brand that represents creativity,” the talent in the building, and excitement around “what's yet to come.”

“It’s the brand that comes to mind when you think about a business that's been formed with the idea that creativity is a single powerful tool in helping enable business and community commerce culture,” Michael said.

“The other part of it is just a knowledge of the talent that exists within Droga5, and I'm increasingly excited about the talent that sits within the broader Accenture Song team. There's lots of work that everyone would have seen over the years that we all look at to some extent with envy and respect.”

He steps into the role after the departure of Melbourne CEO Paul McMillan, chief creative officer Ant Keogh, and chief strategy officer Michael Derepas. Late last year, LBB revealed the trio left what was then known as The Monkeys Melbourne to launch their own shop. 

“The brand Droga5 is new in Melbourne, even though it's a well known brand globally,” Michael added. “How we are showing up as Droga5 in Melbourne is still relatively new. It's always had a really strong point of view on creativity and what that means, and I'm really looking forward to continuing that.”

Matt Michael, CEO of Droga5 ANZ, told LBB Michael’s appointment reflects the company’s ambition to “bring top talent into our business” across every office.

“We are changing the structure of Droga5 in some ways, stretching ourselves across ANZ in terms of a business, and that allows us to bring the best capabilities from anywhere in our region to our clients.

“And yes, we have to have that international viewpoint, but having a lens on the local markets as well is really critical. Finding that balance, finding the way to tailor our capability into what that market's asking for, is the way that we're trying to play it moving forward.”

That changing structure includes the appointment of Barbara Humphries and Damon Stapleton as co-CCOs regionally to bring the AUNZ creative product closer. Following their new roles being announced in April, the pair told LBB “It's not just about being good, it's also about being different. That's something that we're going to try to work towards as we go forward.”

Moving from a regional role at M+C Saatchi to a market-specific role at Droga5 means Michael’s attention will be more focused. He’s based in Melbourne, and was previously M+C Saatchi Melbourne’s managing director, before his promotion to the AUNZ CEO role.

“It might sound a little simplistic to say this, but Melbourne is my home,” he said.

“It's a city that I absolutely love, it does have quite a unique heartbeat. I've spent most of my career in Melbourne, but working in different markets.

“There's definitely an incredible base of talent here, both within creative agencies, but also business in general. There's a real ingenuity in this place. There's a really high calibre of not just businesses, but individual client talent, and I think that Melbourne deserves its own focus.”

While the Melbourne team is focussed on that market, Matt added, “they're also stretching well beyond that.”

“The team has been working on work that we have for MLA [Meat and Livestock Australia], Seek, and TAB,” he added. 

“Getting them to explore wider ranges is really important too, but to lift the bar and continue to take us into new places for what creativity can do and think about creativity in different ways, it's really exciting. The Melbourne guys are lined up to do that well as we go to the next phase of what Droga5 will be.”

Matt said Droga5’s belief is “if you have outsized ambition, you can drive outsized impact,” an ethos Michael shares. 

“To have that high ambition, to drive towards it, and to ask yourself ‘how do we make the biggest dent in the universe?’ is really a differentiator for anyone in the market,” said Matt. “It means that, yes, we produce campaigns that are traditional looking, but it also means we produce work that's very innovative and very future focused and really different. That unbridled ambition, aiming for that unbridled impact, is really what I think the team is focusing on and driving towards.”

Michael said he and Matt “are so aligned on” this.

“We want this to be a place where people make the best work of their careers, where they grow their careers, and a place they will always look at as a really important moment in their career. I'm really excited about that. I’m really excited by the idea that I know people will want to gravitate towards this brand – we can make brilliant work, and we can make it a brilliant place for people to be as well.”