Strands of Genius: John Long + Grand Prix Insights
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
Contagious has interviewed the marketers and agencies responsible for the most highly awarded campaigns of the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and now they're sharing some of those insights with you, in their free-to-download report.
These in-depth interviews delve into the challenges and briefs that inspired the campaigns, as well as the obstacles the brands and agencies had to overcome to create them.
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
JOHN LONG, SVP, CREATIVE AT DIGITAS
>> John Long guest curated Strands on September 12th 2024. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
There's a long and short answer to the question of how I wound up here. The short version is my Dad was an advertising guy during the Mad Men era, and I grew up listening to him critique spots and media placements. So perhaps, in the end, this was all inevitable. The longer and more complicated answer: I was a classically-trained musician and composer, and after graduate school, had decided that I wanted to do something else with my life. I was living in Los Angeles, so I found my way into the entertainment industry and wound up in a lot of different jobs at the studios and networks. I was a music supervisor at Warner Bros. Television and then later The WB. I was a script analyst at Focus Features, and worked for two producers at DreamWorks. I was also a writer-producer in on-air promotions at The WB and later, ABC Family--and those were my first jobs in advertising. It wasn't until my wife and I moved to Austin that I switched tracks from the client side at an agency. But once I got there, I thought--this is it, I've finally found it.
What excites you most about what you do?
There's something magical about bringing ideas that had previously only existed in your head to life, and seeing it out in the world. It really never gets old.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
Regardless of the brand or brief, the main thing is to make people *feel* something. If you don't make someone laugh, cry, gasp, or stop and think--the work will be invisible. And that's only possible with craft. So I think it still matters, despite all the headwinds in our business that conspire against it. As far as my leadership style goes, I think the best leaders adjust their style based on who it is they're working with. Different personalities require different approaches in order to bring out their best work. And it goes without saying you have to approach leading a team of interns differently than a team of creative directors. Regardless, the question should always be: how can I help this person?
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
I'm asked this question a lot, and the answer keeps changing, because I've been so fortunate to work with so many talented teams and ambitious clients. But maybe because it's an election year, I'll say here that the Super Bowl spot for the Washington Post comes out on top. It was the first ever for one of the most storied brands in journalism, and delivered an important message at a time when the press was under attack. Oh, and we had only had four days to produce it, which I'm pretty sure is some sort of record.
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
I know it's better for business. And the benefits of diversity are so obvious to me, especially in my line of work, that I'm frankly irritated that we have to keep having the same conversation about it over and over again. I mean, how many more brands and agencies have to produce work that is off the mark, insensitive, or worse--wildly offensive before people understand the importance of having a variety of voices represented in the room? Beyond avoiding catastrophes, we're often tasked with influencing a broad range of demographics. So what exactly is the argument for not ensuring diverse teams are actually doing the work? Fortunately, I work at an agency that values diversity, and I also have thankfully never had to work with a client that doesn't. One final word on this topic: stay clear of any agency that hires 'a type.' Even if you happen to be that type, your work will suffer for it and the culture will be stifling.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
If you're a creative, you never really get away from your job, because you're always thinking about ideas. Once you're given a brief, you simply can't turn your mind off until you solve it--or at least, have it on the run. But that's the fun part of the work. As far as balance goes, I don't think it's healthy or necessary for anyone to be checking email after working hours, on weekends--and especially, on vacation. I make it a point to delete email and Teams apps when I'm taking time off, and I think everyone else should do that. It's especially critical for creative people to turn off these so-called "productivity tools" and let their mind wander.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
I spend way too much of my time on Elon's hellsite, but there's still a lot of people there I find interesting. I'm also a political podcast junkie so that's two strikes against me. When I'm not reading the NYT or some history on my Kindle, I'll probably be streaming the same prestige shows everyone else is watching. I can't wait for the new season of "Severance"--the craft and ambition in that series are an inspiration.
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
I've been fortunate to work under several exceptionally talented bosses, and I learned a lot by just watching them. One lesson I learned from my CCO at Ogilvy, the incredibly gifted and kind Alfonso Marian, is the importance of decisiveness in a creative director. When I first joined the agency, I was put on two big pitches and got to see up close how he ran them. At our first group creative check-in for one of them--we had something like seven or eight teams plus interns working--everyone pinned work around the room. So imagine: eight teams, four or five ideas each--that's something like 40 ideas papered all over the room. I thought he would dismiss everyone and take a few days to digest them all, and call everyone back for another meeting. But no. He stood up, went around the room, and plucked out what he thought were the strongest bets--made some quick decisions about which briefs they'd be attached to and how, and assigned next steps. Done. I'd never seen anything like it. In the moment, I thought: how the hell did he do that? How does he know which ones are the "right" ones? Only much later did I realize the trick was Alfonso trusted his instincts and knew that making decisions early on allowed time to develop the ideas and for craft. He understood that it's a waste to spend too much time trying to find the "perfect" way in, and that pitches are won and lost on more than just slides. He also knew the people in the room, knew they were talented creatives, and knew he had enough to work with on the spot. Being decisive as a creative leader also gives the entire team confidence--which is desperately needed in a pitch. If everyone walks in the room on the big day feeling confident about the work, it will show. It was an invaluable lesson, not only for winning new business, but for working as a CD, generally.
John, what do you think of the state of the ad industry?
Thanks for asking! I think the broad shift from persuasion to targeting is unsustainable. After reigning supreme for over a decadeThe smartphone-centric media ecosystem is a rickety boat, with the death of cookies, the regulatory pressure on social media channels, and the increasing scrutiny on smartphones' effect on our health. My bold prediction is the pendulum has to swing back to brands making themselves as appealing to as many people as possible as opposed to carpet-bombing their own fans with cheaply-made crap.
You can keep in touch with John on LinkedIn.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie | your friends over at geniussteals.co
(still want more? @faris is still “tweeting” while @rosieyakob prefers instagram stories)