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Year in Review: Nick Garrett, Colenso BBDO

In keeping with an ongoing tradition, a few industry players gave us their take on the year for our annual opinion harvest. Here’s what Nick Garrett, managing director of Colenso BBDO, thought about 2014.

1. Favourite local campaign that isn’t yours

Sky’s ‘Bring Down the King’ campaign by DDB. I always judge work by what makes me very jealous and when I saw that idea I thought it was instantly brilliant. Simple idea and well executed. Congrats Shane and team.

2. Favourite campaign that is yours

BK Motel. All good work takes love and trust to get up, but to me this was a little special. Great idea, that was strategically spot on, achieved real cut through and the agency and client team made it work without a hitch.

3. Favourite international campaign

Volvo Trucks. Not just the ‘Epic Split’ but the whole campaign because the whole structure of it is genius. Plus, what’s not to love about two massive trucks, painted gold, driving backwards on a desert road at sunset/sunrise, insert Jean Claude doing the splits and a little bit of Enya. I would have loved to have been in the room when they sold that idea and good on them. 

4. Least favourite campaign

I will take the 5th again on this. I feel it’s been a lean year for great work in New Zealand but we have all worked our socks off so let’s leave it there.

5. Your own biggest success

A few months ago we were named by Warc as the smartest agency in the world. It’s kind of a ridiculous title but it’s judged based on how many pieces of work you have in the top 100 most effective campaigns globally. We had three, one for Tip Top and two for Frucor and I suspect it is one of those accolades you will only ever get once in your career and we are very proud of the whole team.

6. Favourite magazine/website/TV show/radio show/podcast/news service/app/song/other

Best new show is ‘The Missing’ a UK drama staring James Nesbit. Best news source/website is The Guardian.

7. Most ridiculous buzzword

Big Data. The world doesn’t need more information, we need more insight and to turn that insight into positive behaviour change. Too many people are hiding behind those two words and making absolutely no difference. My favourite quote from a lecture in Cannes this year went something like this: “Big Data is like having the biggest gun in the world, but not knowing which direction the barrel is facing and where the trigger is.” 

8. Best innovation

Uber

9. Most over-hyped ‘innovation’

Drones

10.  Best brands

Pharrell Williams and Beats by Dre

11. Best stoush

Putin vs. the World

12. Heroes

All the team that worked on the amazing ‘Sweetie’ campaign that actually did change behaviour and hopefully has and will save lives.

13. Villains

On the agency side, anyone who still slags work or people off anonymously on blogs. On the client side, procurement. It doesn’t work.

14. Predictions for 2015

Smart agency folk and clients will push to make things simpler. Fewer people making decisions quickly and then getting good execution teams to make stuff happen. The rest will continue to push for larger groups of people and agencies working together whose opinions ‘all count’, the work doesn’t get better, we waste more time and it costs everyone money. 

  • According to Font’s recent survey, 43 percent of marketing professionals in New Zealand are looking to change jobs next year and 65 percent will be re-evaluating career plans over the Christmas period. So check out some of the roles Font has on offer here and have a gander at the infographic based on the survey results here. ​

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