Page 40 - AdNews Magazine Nov-Dec 2020

Perspectives
Young guns on 2021
AdNews asked some of the industry’s young guns to reflect on the pandemic year and muse on next year.
Jack Burton and Lucas Fowler, Ogilvy Creative team, say the big change has been the Browning Effect. “Oh, you haven’t heard? That’s fair, Jack just made it up. Not to discount any of the daily atroci- ties that continue to out-2020 the long list of other atrocities that have made 2020 so unique, but the Browning Effect has made its impact felt on many of us, and caused all the vibrant colour to turn brown. The symptoms? Fatigue, the inability to switch off and Microsoft Teams taking up more screen time on your phone than Reddit. How do we deal with it? The taller one of us does yoga in the mornings and tries not to touch any work before 9am, the better-looking one of us ensures he tends to his garden daily — if his snowpeas are happy, so is he.“
Ruby Boynton-Boardman, art director, The Royals: “We’ve had to overcome the complexities of bal- ancing home and work life, and it feels like they’ve been thrown into a blender, served up chunky. The constant juggle of how far to actually put your desk (aka laptop) from your bed, becomes increasingly shorter. The fancy office clothes you once wore, sit pretty on their hangers, as you reach for your comfy pants. Yet you miss the daily activity of picking out something nice, hoping one day soon you’ll wear them again.
“Now lockdown feels weirdly familiar. We fight for that motiva- tion to pick ourselves up when sometimes it feels like it will never end. Here’s hoping 2021 might have that breath of fresh air we’re all after. With some normality to life, like pints at the pub and a decent non-glitchy conversation.”
Jason Leigh, copywriter, M&C Saatchi: “I think 2021
will be much like 2020, but we’ll be better at it. I think
the world will mostly go back to the old ways, except
it will be normal to just dial into things if you’ve got a
hot notepad at home. They’re redoing our office to accommodate flexible working, which is great, and we’re getting an electronic drum kit. That’s not related to COVID-19, I’m just really excited about that.
“I loved working from home during lockdown, and I still find it more productive for thinking, but am now happy to be back in the office (in Sydney where we’re lucky enough to leave our houses again — sorry). I’m really enjoying the hallway conversations and happy accidents that come with sharing half-finished ideas.
“God, I miss the advertising parties.”
Dhivia Pillai, planner whiteGREY Melbourne, has watched people become more considerate, for the most part. “Some incredible stories have emerged from this. And it’s been rewarding to help clients navigate the stickier parts of the year by revisiting their purpose and fleshing it out in ways that resonate with how people are feeling.”
Hayley Westoby, WPP AUNZ: “There’s nothing like a dose of perspective to boost your daily gratitude, and 2020 has served it up on a silver platter. Going into 2021 we won’t take the ‘little things’ for granted — eating at restaurants, going to the gym, hugging a loved one or simply going for a walk. We are now acutely aware of how hard it can be without those ‘little things’ in our life — and without doubt, that’s been the best thing about this year. We’ve lost a lot, but gained sense of perspective.”
Jack Gilbert, strategist at Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne, can’t wait to hear the drinks trolley roll down the office corridor. “I’m lucky to work somewhere that values the importance of foundational support for wellbeing. Personal coaching, free access to counselling services, programs to help upskill, and most importantly, managers with empathy who reach out when they sense something isn’t right. As the year wraps up, I hope everyone finds an opportunity to pause and reflect on the effort their employers have made to preserve their wellbeing and happiness — at a time when we’ve all needed some extra support.”
Brooke Aniseko, commercial director performance, Publicis Media Exchange (PMX): “One of the most obvious changes we’ve seen due to COVID-19 is driving more value from less, from both our agency teams and clients. And as you would expect, there is also a focus on sales, which I believe will see clients leaning further into
WORDS BY
CHRIS PASH