My Biggest Lesson: Simon Joyce
Simon Joyce burst down the door of the creative advertising industry almost a decade ago with an anti-ad campaign for Optus featuring Ricky Gervais. From that day he has never looked back, using the transforming power of creativity to grow the agency he founded, Emotive, into a multi-disciplinary indie powerhouse where nurturing culture has been his key to rapid growth.
The Power 50, Top 40 under 40, Mumbrella Industry Leader of the Year and Emerging Agency of the Year, as well as B&T Indie Agency of the Year are all categories Simon often appears in, as his agency grows creatively and culturally into a different shaped agency for different shaped ideas. It’s why Emotive HQ on Coogee Beach has captured and retained the full attention and imaginations of some of Australia's most talented creative people and biggest advertising brands, like Google, Optus, Pernod Ricard, Seven West Media, NRL, LYNX, Breville and many more.
Simon has the ability to channel ferocious amounts of energy and enthusiasm into the most effective channels for his clients’ ideas when they need it most - from creative strategy, creative amplification, media, production and more. Not only has this helped Emotive to deliver on its purpose by helping change the way people feel about their clients’ brands, but it has also helped fellow marketers and his people change the way they see the role that advertising can play in business, culture and their own communities.
Prior to founding Emotive, Simon had an extensive background in media, with three years as a chief executive officer at public company level. He is also highly credentialed in the online video space and was instrumental in launching VEVO in Australia in 2011.
'If you don't care, you don't belong.'
Care isn’t a skill you can just pick up—it’s built-in. When you care, you're all in: more energy, greater ownership, and a knack for making everyone around you aim a little higher. It drives team culture, hones focus, and fuels ambition. It pushes you to challenge the status quo and bow out of tasks better suited for others. For us at Emotive, it’s the secret sauce that elevates both our work and our people.
I got a crash course in caring back in 2008 as a rookie CEO in the world of music marketing. A record exec dropped this piece of advice into one of his long and drawn out speeches. Sure, I'd always valued caring, but it was then I saw its power to transform business. And it has stuck with me ever since.
Mixing care with sharp skills and solid EQ has helped us have some great wins for our clients. And creatively speaking, it’s all about sweating the small stuff—those tiny, often overlooked details that can make an enormous difference over time….the one percenters!
To this day, that's what I search for first in any new hires. And yes, I’ve probably harped on about it so much that my team start mimicking my speeches! But once the eye-rolling stops, the nodding starts—everyone gets that care is more than a warm fuzzy feeling; it's a catalyst for better results and deeper connections.
