The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

Of course, it’s nice to have them … but for me, it’s always about who you are competing against and who the judges are who are deciding them.

Oh, and whether those who have won before, won with real work or ‘ultra-niche, ultra-limited edition’ one-offs.

Also known as scam.

You generally can tell when that shit happens because they tend to either:

1. Be a one-off from the clients normal approach to work.
2. Be a one-off from the normal output of the agency.

Fortunately, it is less than it used to be, but still more than it should.

That’s why the agencies who do it properly deserve more credit.

To win awards as a byproduct of the work you make rather than it be the focus of the work you make, is a noble cause.

There’s more of them than we often give credit for … and you can generally tell who they are by how long they’ve been able to play at that level.

A few years ago, I wrote about how W+K and BBH were brilliant examples of this.

How they proved the old adage ‘it’s easier to get to the top than to stay there’.

And it’s so true.

Because without wanting to take anything away from anyone who does well, being able to do it consistently is an even greater achievement.

I say this because I think Colenso is one of these places.

For over 50 years, we’ve consistently made work that has been recognised by the best in the world as some of the best in the world.

NZ has tended to do very well in this area … DDB, Saatchi, Special to name a few … but few have done it with the longevity and sustainability of Colenso.

And a big part of that is because of the culture it cultivates.

From our approach to the work we make to the people we hire to make it … at the heart of everything is a deep love and respect for the power of creativity.

Lots of people will say that.
Lots of agencies will say that.
But you find out who means it through the work that they consistently make.

And that is – like all the places who consistently do good stuff – one of the traits that reveal who we really are.

That doesn’t mean we’re the easiest place to work.

Because even though the place is full of good and talented creative people … it’s also a challenging, demanding, opinionated and provocative environment, because ultimately, we have 50+ years of standards and expectations to honour, live up to and try to push further.

As the picture at the top of this page – from 934843049 years ago – shows.

But what’s interesting is how we want those standards and expectations to manifest.

Because it’s not about playing to be accurate, it’s about doing the right thing in the most interesting, original and audacious ways.

Do we always get it right?

Nope.

But we always strive to get it right and that’s why we are consistently awarded at the highest level for work as varied [and effective] as turning beer into an alternative fuel for cars, creating a radio station for dogs, getting Rick and Morty to explain green energy to youth culture and making a radio campaign that doubled as an outdoor campaign that asked New Zealand to make a radio campaign … to name but a very few.

And while this post sounds unbelievably corporate toady … it’s my way of paying homage to my colleagues and, especially, my partners.

Now I could wax lyrical about Si – our CCO – because he’s not just horribly talented, he is possibly the nicest human I’ve ever worked with.

[Well, I say nice, but he has his moments of evil – but even then, he manages to deliver it with a niceness that makes every Disney character look like a bunch of pricks]

But the reality is, you’d expect the leader of Colenso to be brilliant … otherwise why the hell are they here.

Which is why who I really need to acknowledge is our MD – Ange – because she’s the Ringmaster of the whole Colenso circus.

It can’t be easy.

Not just because she has to deal with me – let alone sit next to me – she also has to work with a bunch of people thinking up ridiculous ideas that challenge and confront on every level.

Not just creatively … but in terms of time, simplicity and possibility.

Yet she manages it.

More than that, she would fight for the death to maintain it.

Which is why the thing that is often forgotten about the agencies who consistently make great work is not just the people behind it … but the people who make it possible.

The people who create the conditions for it to thrive.

From the MD’s and finance people to the IT and support staff.

But – and here is the critical thing – it’s more than them just doing their job well, it’s them doing their job through the lens of what the whole company is striving to do.

Because to paraphrase that famous story of the janitor who met President Kennedy …

They’re not working in a vacuum, immune from the needs and ambitions of everyone around them… they’re helping make the most audacious ideas get out the door.

Here’s to all of them. Every last fucking one of them.

With that, the first month of ’24 is done. And I can tell you, I’m as surprised as anyone that I decided to finish it in such an earnest, generous way.