Why Nick Cole Isn’t Embarrassed to Say, ‘I Don’t Get This Bit of the Brief’
From fast food to banking, Nick Cole’s work spans categories. Though he swears each comes with its nuances, he stresses that the best campaigns are simple for anyone to understand.
Now a creative director at Innocean Australia, Nick is excited about the future for creative collaborations, particularly the evolution of his partnership with fellow creative director Pat Allenby.
Speaking to LBB, Nick reflects on his early exposure to creativity through his family, the challenges faced in executing Uber Eats’ Australian Open Ambush campaign at Special, and the importance of genuine understanding in sports sponsorships.
He also champions the role of flexibility in fostering creativity within the advertising industry.
LBB> Were you a creative kid?
Nick> Yeah, dad’s hobbies were painting and photography while mum edited the school magazine, plus he wrote a book about the local history of the area I grew up in. So I was exposed to various creative disciplines without even thinking too much about it. A lot of our playing included drawing, Lego making and writing. I think I’ve always seen being creative as fun, and I still do.
LBB> You and Pat Allenby have worked together for many years, forming a successful creative partnership. How does your team dynamic influence how you approach a brief?
Nick> Hmm – it’s not something you think about too much. You just get on with it without much interrogation. We both care a lot about insights and ideas, so it helps to have that in common. We both believe in being briefed as a team, regardless of whether it’s deemed as a copywriter’s job or an art director’s job. Scripts are ideas, radio ads are ideas, posters are ideas, the copy needs to work with a design layout, From our experience, that can come from either of us. We have a similar gauge for what we find funny or interesting, so that helps.
LBB> The Uber Eats Australian Open Ambush campaign gained much attention while you were at Special Group. What were the most significant creative challenges in executing such a unique and memorable campaign?
Nick> The concept was pretty simple. Make people think they were watching live tennis when they were actually watching an ad. But to achieve it was a lesson in extreme giving-a-shit-about-every-minor-detail (perfectly in our wheelhouse). The coordination and collaboration between agency, client, production company, TV network, media and heaps famous tennis players was epic and flawless.
For example we needed every player we shot to be wearing exactly what they were going to be wearing on court in their matches and then we needed to play the ad that featured them as the very last ad in the ad break during their match – the times of these matches often shift during the tournament too. I’m not even sure whose job that is to actually make that happen? I remember Pat and I were extremely annoying about authenticity too – always making sure that it looked and sounded like real tennis coverage – that was the crux of the idea, so it was the thing we cared most about.
LBB> Looking back at your time at AWARD School, how has your creative process developed since those early days?
Nick> AWARD School was the best. I think the first thing I presented was a meme without much insight behind it. But once you’re taught to use human insight based on the prop, you’re off and racing. When you get that first idea that your gut knows is decent - it’s like a drug, you become a bit addicted to coming up with ideas for briefs, and they nicely seep into your subconscious. And to be honest, that hasn’t changed much. I still enjoy thinking about a brief when I least expect it.
AWARD School was a headspace where you didn’t care about any limitations or realities - a way of thinking that is not the wrong place to revisit from time to time.
LBB> What unique challenges have you faced in adapting your creative approach to different categories?
Nick> Even though I think all advertising should be simple, single-minded, and easy for anyone to understand, I still want to understand the nuances of the intricate information I’m meant to tell people. Making home loan jokes is very difficult if you don’t understand home loans. All that info and context should be in the brief; if not, the suits will kindly acquire it for you. Don’t ever feel embarrassed to say, ‘I don’t get this bit of the brief’. You can’t be expected to know everything and then also be creative. If the info is sounding too complicated initially, it probably shouldn’t be making its way into an ad anyway. People generally don’t want to watch ads, let alone be confused by jargon.
LBB> Collaboration is at the heart of many successful campaigns. Can you share an example of a particularly collaborative project and what made it stand out?
Nick> Australian Open Ambush for Uber Eats was about as collaborative as possible. Pulling it off requires extreme collaboration between the agency, client, production company, TV network, media, and the world’s best tennis players. It was one of those jobs where everyone felt like they were one big team. Everyone was pretty unprecious and super proud to be involved. Most importantly, everyone knew from the get-go what we were all trying to make - there was no misinterpretation or surprise when it came to the final product. Along with collaboration, there was also the willingness to take a risk and trust in everyone’s various disciplines to pull it off.
LBB> What are the trends in the region you’re expecting to see take off in the next year?
Nick> I should probably say something intelligent about AI, but I don’t know enough about it. What I hope doesn’t disappear is the appetite for actual ideas. I also hope advertising doesn’t become safe and unremarkable because we’re trying to please everyone or say too many things within one ad.
LBB> If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be and why?
Nick> Flexible working is huge. I’m a huge believer that the happier the creative is, the better their work will be. A lot of this stems from not being burnt out or expected to be inside an office space till late at night. Let people work from home two days a week and as long as they meet deadlines, keep work at a high standard and are happy to come in some of those WFH days (if there’s no other option) then everyone benefits.
