With a bot named Re:scam, turning beer waste into Brewtroleum, and turning an entire airport into a Fight for Territory during the Lions Tour of New Zealand under his belt, Brett Colliver is a high achiever. In the 2017 Big Won report, Colliver was ranked the #3 art director in the world.
For the past three and a half years, he has been a creative director at DDB New Zealand, having been lured back to the agency where he spent four and a half years as senior art director earlier in his career. He has also worked at creative hot shops, Colenso BBDO and Clemenger BBDO Melbourne. Colliver is judging direct at D&AD 2019. He answered some questions about that – and his own work – just before he flew to London.
The Stable’s first question was what he would be looking for in the judging room.
“In our judging notes, the guide to what’s worthy of a pencil is pretty simple,” he states.
“Is the idea inspiring? Is it brilliantly executed? Is it fit for purpose?
“And those criteria are as important as ever. However, there’s one more question that I’ve been having to constantly ask myself: Is it truly Direct?
“From the entries I’ve seen so far, it seems the industry is finding it harder and harder to define what constitutes Direct. And because it’s so broad, I think we all tend to convince ourselves that our entry is relevant.
“So, as a result, Direct has become a bit of a catch-all. It makes it a fascinating category to judge, because there are piles of great ideas, but some of it probably shouldn’t be in our category. So, when we meet in London, I think Is it truly Direct? will be a question we’ll have to add to be very conscious of.
The Stable: There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that people are pushing back against personalised marketing because it feels invasive. Does direct marketing need to rethink how it uses its powers?
Brett Colliver: I think it depends what you’re giving people in return.
The example of online search can feel particularly invasive, because it feels manipulative and heavy-handed. So I really don’t blame people for pushing back against it. I certainly don’t like being stalked around the internet by a brand, so why would I expect anyone else to put up with it?
But, as always, make the trade worth my while and perhaps I’ll be more receptive.
TS: How important is craft in digital advertising?
BC: It’s just as important as it is everywhere else.
If we expect anyone to pay attention to our brands, we have to show we care. And a huge part of that, whether that’s how it looks, how it works, or how it’s experienced, is in the craft.
But that’s not unique to digital. It just happens to be where people spend a lot of their time, so we need to give it the love it deserves.
TS: Is it time to stop differentiating between digital and creative agencies?
BC: Agencies and people can specialise in whatever they want. I mean, it seems to work pretty well for surgeons. I’d never go to a brain surgeon for a knee reconstruction, for example.
But in the case of advertising that can be a little dangerous, because our clients’ problems are usually far less clear cut. And if your skill set is too niche, you narrow down your options of how to solve the problem.
So, all the best agencies I know of are able to adapt to whatever’s best for the job. And the only thing they consider themselves specialists in is finding solutions for their clients, with whatever tools that may require.
TS: What work (yours or your agency’s) are you most proud of?
We’re most proud of the work that’s not only respected by the industry, but loved by the people it’s meant to be talking to. It’s a tough double to achieve, but it’s extra special when it happens.
I’d say DDB’s most notable examples in recent times would be Lotto Armoured Truck:
https://youtu.be/lf_BMU6P4P0
Speight’s The Dance:
Re:scam for Netsafe:
And our latest spot for Tokyo Dry called Slice of Heaven (which has only just been released) is quickly becoming another one:
TS: What direct work in the last few years made you go, “Wow?”
Every year there are so many pieces that blow my mind. But here are a few of my favourites from 2018:
The Black Supermarket (Marcel Paris, for Carrefour): Firstly, I was blown away by the European law around fruit and vegetables. And where they took it from there was just a beautiful, pure idea.
Exclusive the Rainbow (DDB Chicago for Skittles): I loved the way Skittles managed to create a one-to-one conversation that the whole world could engage with.
https://youtu.be/ExAZTG6XKrU
This Coke is a Fanta (David The Agency): A lot of work we admire as an industry starts with pretty universal observations, so I always find parochial starting points, like the one Coca-Cola had in that campaign, very interesting. It’s work that simply couldn’t have been done anywhere else in the world, because the phrase is unique to Brazil, and I love that.
