Nicole Conway on Finding the Right Creative Partner and Shaping Ads with Heart and Heritage
Nicole Conway was born into a creative family, replete with artists, musicians, and filmmakers.
Now a senior creative at Dig, Nicole discusses the adaptability developed during her freelance career, particularly learning to quickly align with various agencies' creative visions.
Speaking to LBB, Nicole expresses excitement about continuing her collaboration with Tim Batterham and building on the agency’s solid foundations.
She also shares how her Filipino-Australian heritage enriches her creative process and weighs in on trends like Gen Z's shift away from the digital world, predicting a return to more tactile experiences.
LBB> Have you always been creative, even as a child?
Nicole> I was born into a creative family; my grandfather was an artist, my dad was a director, and my mum a singer. I don’t think I saw myself as ‘creative’, but I was always drawing, writing, or noodling on the piano (I cannot play a single song), and that was very much encouraged. Later, I knew I wanted to be a writer of some kind.
I love words' power to create entire storylines, characters, and even universes. The only limit with words is your imagination. Then, someone reads them and feels something from them. That’s pretty bloody cool.
LBB> You’ve had an impressive freelance career before joining Dig. How has your experience as a senior copywriter at agencies like M&C Saatchi and Havas Host shaped your creative approach today?
Nicole> Freelancing has allowed us to see under the hood of many different agencies and what makes them tick. There’s a kind of bizarre intimacy about freelancing because you’re part of the work and the fabric of the agency for a moment, and then you’re gone.
It’s made me a lot more adaptable in many ways. Not only do you need to learn new brand voices at the drop of a hat, but you also need to learn how to work with new people. Every CCO/ECD/CD has a slightly different approach to the work and expectations on what they want to see from the work; our creative approach has learned to adapt to those expectations quickly.
LBB> What excites you the most about joining Dig and working alongside Tim Batterham? How do you see your partnership elevating the agency’s creative output?
Nicole> We’ve always said that if finding the right creative partner is like finding a husband or wife (or life partner), then finding the right CCO/ECD is like trying to find a parent! You want someone who gets you but also pushes you to do better. We immediately felt that with Joubs (David Joubert), and from the moment we sat down with him, we knew we wanted to work with him.
Being part of a tight-knit agency that desires to push the work and grow is also exciting. We hope to keep building on the excellent foundations that have already been built by the team, create some more standout work and add a few more clients to the roster.
LBB> You’ve mentioned admiring Dig’s work from afar. Were there any specific campaigns or projects that stood out to you before you joined the team?
Nicole> The Good Value Bottle-O work caught our eye. Very fun, quirky, and straightforward. Joubs and the team have developed great brand voices across Dig’s roster. I’m looking forward to jumping in and writing for each of them.
LBB> Having worked with some significant brands at previous agencies, such as CommBank and Woolworths, what lessons from those experiences do you plan to bring to your new role at Dig?
Nicole> Keeping it simple is the biggest through-line in what we do. Not only for the people we’re advertising to but also for the businesses we work for. Big brands have big marketing departments that answer to prominent stakeholders. You’re rarely the person selling the work up the chain, so no matter how great you are at selling the work in the room, someone else will most likely have to pick it up and sell it for you. Single-minded work doesn’t just mean a clearer outtake for audiences — it also gives the work more chances of getting made.
LBB> As someone with experience across multiple agencies, how would you describe the creative culture at Dig compared to your previous workplaces?
Nicole> It might be a little early for me to say — we’re only a little over a week in! So far, it feels like a tight-knit team where people can speak their minds and feel seen and heard. I’ve always found a sense of camaraderie in the creative departments I’ve worked in. We’re all a bit strange and neurotic and filled with self-doubt. I think we find comfort in that when we’re around each other.
LBB> Given your Filipino heritage and background, do cultural influences play a role in your creative work, especially when working with diverse brands?
Nicole> As creatives, we’re always drawing on our ‘well’ of lived experience and taking inspiration from the people around us, so my Australian and Filipino heritage has influenced my work. I love that my family Christmas has Christmas ham and lumpia (Filipino spring rolls) on the table. Growing up, we had rice and noodles for breakfast as often as we had cereal. And that the sound of both V8 Supercars and the shuffling of mahjong tiles have an oddly calming, nostalgic effect on me.
LBB> What are the trends in the region you’re expecting to see take off in the next year?
Nicole> Gen Z was switching off from the digital world more. We’re moving back toward the tactile, like film cameras, CDs/vinyl and physical books. As a generation that’s staunch on their boundaries, it’s not surprising to see the pivot away from the always-on world of smartphones and social media — and it’ll be interesting to see how this trend affects not only how we speak to this generation in ads, but also the workplace.
LBB> If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be and why?
Nicole> We’re very quick to be critical of each other in this industry despite knowing all the challenges that come with every campaign. Maybe this is the ‘world peace’ of advertising, but I think a bit more hype and a little less hate could go a long way.
