James Hurman has been in the Y&R hotseat since mid 2012. And there’s been plenty of change since he arrived, with a swanky new office, a number of big hires and, after a few unsuccessful pitches, some wins with the Co-op Bank, Westfield and Interislander last year. Here he is having his way with 2013.
1. Favourite campaign that isn’t yours
The Fakka campaign for Vodafone in Egypt. Never heard of it right? Neither had I until just recently – BUT It won a Gold Lion and Gold Effie in 2013 and is this really bent and brilliant shopper marketing idea. In Egypt they have this weird shortage of small change currency. So in their equivalent of dairies, they often give you little things like sweets as change as they often literally don’t have any change. So Vodafone and JWT Cairo created little prepay recharge cards that were all in small change denominations and gave them to all the dairies to keep in their tills and give out to customers in place of small change. Genius.
2. Favourite campaign that is yours
I will pass as I love our babies equally and this end of year thing is turning into a puke-inducing PR dais.
3. Least favourite campaign
That Tasti thing that everyone keeps saying is their favourite. I’m going to be a lone voice here and say I fucking hate it. Soooooo much.
4. Your own biggest success
One of our staff told me this was the first job she has ever loved.
5. Most impressive performance
James Gandolfini (RIP) in his last movie Enough Said. He was great and finished on a high note.
6. Biggest move
Lorde from schoolperson to queen bee.
7. Best innovation
Gravity’s lightbox probably. Or the cronut. Different kinds of thing, yes, but both awe-inspiring.
8. Best brands
Lorde.
9. Best stoush
Len and Bevan. That shit she said in the affidavit. She actually said “Mr Brown brought me some cheap black lingerie as a gift. I knew it was cheap because I had to return the item to Bras and Things because it was the wrong size. This was a number of inexpensive gifts Mr Brown bought me.” What a bitch!
10. Heroes
The people who have done things that have made Auckland a way cooler place lately.
11. Villains
Blur for being dicks.
12. Most memorable marketing moment
Eleanor Catton winning the Man Booker prize was the best marketing moment. It counts as marketing. It was everywhere. And then you couldn’t get her book for love nor money. And THEN—and this is the Most Important Bit of marketing—the product experience was ACTUALLY GREAT.
13. A few predictions for 2014
These questions will be different this year [ed: what a bitch!]
- Looking for a change? Then put down your sausage and check out some of the roles Marsden Inch has on offer.
