He’s back
After two years in Singapore, Steve Back is back with the goal of making work, like ‘Share a Coke’ and ‘Rhonda’, a norm for Ogilvy. He speaks frankly to Jessica Kennedy about his first impressions of Ogilvy Australia
The son of sheet metal worker, Steve Back had what he describes as a very working-class upbringing.
His parents’ strong work ethic rubbed off on Back – “that’s not to say that I’m not a lazy person”, he caveats. But laziness and Back’s achievements don’t go hand in hand.
After a childhood of relocations – he was born in South Africa, moved to the UK aged nine and arrived in Perth five years later – the father-of-three has moved wherever work takes him and has scooped awards along the way at Cannes, D&AD, The One Show and more. From Sydney to London, London to New Zealand, New Zealand to Sydney, Sydney to Singapore and Singapore to Melbourne, Back is finally back in Oz.
“My wife and the kids love Melbourne, it feels a little bit more relaxed to Sydney,” he says. Not that Back can speak on the city’s charms with any authority – his latest role has kept him busy. So far, he has seen the city from inside cabs, the office and from the air as he jumps on a plane to Sydney.
Back is not complaining. After two tough years as chief creative officer at Ogilvy & Mather Singapore, he chose to tackle the mammoth and newly-created role of national chief creative officer of Ogilvy Australia.
Ogilvy first asked Back as Melbourne ECD, but he said ‘no’. “I’d get bored,” he explains. “So I said ‘what about a national role?’, and that’s how it came about. There’s a genuine desire for change here. It also felt like a good challenge and, stupidly, I like challenges.”
He has been given a three-year plan to “sort the place out”, and despite what he calls the industry’s “pretty low expectations” of the 550-person Melbourne and Sydney outfit, Back is confident.
“We’re the biggest in the country so there’s no reason why we can’t be the best,” he says.
Back took on the role with an open mind, but immediately noticed a gap between the Sydney and Melbourne offices.
“It feels like we’re starting a little bit further back with Sydney,” he says. The office was responsible for the ‘Share a Coke’ work, which Coke’s global creative and advertising strategy boss Jonathan Mildenhall recently branded the company’s “most successful in decades”.
But that’s simply not enough.
“I mean – that was two years ago,” Back says. “I’m just trying to replicate that and make it the norm, not a one-off.”
Back wants the agencies to create work that is famous – ads that become the topic of conversation between a taxi driver and his passengers – like AAMI’s ‘Rhonda’ campaign (below).
“The residue of fame is probably success in shows, but not necessarily – I think I’ve got to a point in my career where chasing a piece of metal is not the be all and end all,” Back says.
“One thing I observed was that we were being quite executional as opposed to ideas-driven, and I’m keen on making sure we get to platform ideas, rather than just writing a script or doing a press ad.”
For this to happen, Back needs to push Ogilvy’s clients into being comfortable with fame.
“Agencies can fall into a bit of a habit – where you’ve certain clients, there’s an expectation of certain work,” he outlines. “I want to be more optimistic about what we can do, even for some of the tougher clients.”
To make the offices co-exist in a more “harmonious way”, Back wants to establish an Australian creative council for the group to oversee and become a pool of resources for the agencies. But first, Back needs to hire two new ECDs – one for each office – to allow him to step back and tackle the national role. “And then I won’t have a job,” he jokes.
Back is an ideas man, and he likes places where they’re allowed to come freely. “It makes the grind worth it,” he says.
But the feeling you get when he discusses Singapore is that the ideas there didn’t make that ‘grind’ worth it. “By the nature of Singapore as a country, it was a touch conservative, which is an understatement, and I found it a touch constricting in terms of thinking,” he says. “Plus it’s very small.
“I think great work comes out of cultural diversity – and Singapore felt a bit culturally devoid. That’s me being diplomatic.”
The self-confessed “change-monger” has been reinvigorated by the potential posed by Ogilvy Australia. Its diverse client list – which includes Australia Post, IBM, Myer and Carlton Football Club – holds a wealth of opportunity, and in Back’s eyes he has the chance to shake up some categories and make his clients famous.
“It’s not about convincing them to do something brave – it’s just about making sure they feel comfortable that it’s the answer to their problems.”
“When I’m selling I ask, ‘do you want your brand to be famous?’ I defy any marketer to say no.”
Please login with linkedin to comment
Latest News
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.
Entries For Five Decades Of Advertising Graduates Awards Close On Monday
Entries for the Five Decades of Advertising awards close Monday. And no extensions! Any bribery is open til Wednesday.
Cadbury Extends Commitment To Women’s Sport With Sweet New Wallaroos Deal
Rot your teeth, get fat and support women's sport all at the same time with this sweet new sponsorship arrangement.
Campfire X & Nando’s Partner To Acknowledge Traditional Land Owners Across Australia
Chicken chain unveils important First Nations initiative. The actual chickens more concerned with the Adani coal mine.
Lisa Ronson, Naysla Edwards & Ben Hill Join MFA Awards Signature Judging Panel
MFA Awards adds some serious clout to its judging panel. Still no confirmation Paulini will be performing on the night.
Connect Hearing ‘Sounds Good’ Platform Via Bread Agency
Every office has that one hard of hearing person that's oblivious to the fact. Ramp up their insecurities with this.
Ipsos Iris Data: Australians Prioritise Entertainment & Sports Over Serious News In March
Data shows Aussies prioritising light entertainment over hard news. And who can blame them if you've seen the hard news!
Fur Media Partners With Mad Paws To Support Advertisers
It's never good if your office smells like faeces & brine chunks in aspic. Not if you're pet-friendly agency Fur Media.
MAXIBON Drops Epic Flavour Collaboration Via SICKDOGWOLFMAN
There are few pluses to be had with global warming, except the extension of ice-cream eating season.
Sling & Stone Scrubs Up With Lush Account
Got friends at Sling & Stone? Expect the dreaded loofah and bath bomb for birthdays/Christmas this year.
SBS’s The Cook Up With Adam Liaw Produces ‘Fewer CO2 Emissions Than Industry Average’
SBS could go full vegan for Adam Liaw's seventh season and reduce its TV audience and emissions by 99 per cent.
GumGum & Playground xyz To Merge Media Portfolio, Creating “Powerhouse” Ad Suite
GumGum & Playground xyz tap into consumer mindset. B&T prefers tapping a keg, but whatever works.
All The Winners & Grinners From The TikTok Young Lions Awards Night!
Last week saw every part of the human experience: Exalted, devastated, exhausted & stuffing sausage rolls in the corner.
TV Ratings (21/4/24): Farmer Wants A Wife Wins Sunday Prime Time
Farmer Wants A Wife does make the country life seductive. Apart from the manure stench & the bleating roosters at 5am.
Australia’s Automotive Industry Shifts Gears With CTV
How much was CTV responsible for Australia's record car sales in 2023? Or those horrible oversized American utes?
Australia’s C7EVEN Communications Launches Services In Japan With New Tokyo Office
Aussie comms agency unveils its Tokyo plans. Confirms it's still getting the hang of the toilets over there.
Daniel Goldstein Promoted To Head Of PR At Example
Try as he may to surreptitiously blend in with the wall in his photo, this PR fellow still relatively easy to spot.
Marie Claire & Volvo Partner For The Planet: Nominees For The Inaugural Marie Claire Sustainability Awards Announced
Fashion bible Marie Claire unveils its Sustainability Awards. Yet still refusing to recycle 2023's maxi skirts trend.
Sefiani Unveils A Wave Of Promotions & Appointments
Life's good in PR/comms as Sefiani unveils new hires. Well, bad news for media sites obsessed with redundancy stories.
Yahoo Launches Identity Solutions For CTV
Connected TV just got a whole lot more exciting with this innovation. Bar the incessant Friends re-runs.
Infosum Launches Data Clean Room Solution With Samsung Ads Australia
Infosum & Samsung Ads launch a data clean room solution that's a lot more than a Wettex & squirt of Ajax.
Fast 10: Bread Agency’s Amaury Treguer On Its “Unrivalled” Social Commerce Focus
Bread Agency's Amaury Treguer takes B&T's Fast 10, as he reveals why he won't be sandwiched up against the opposition.
X And Elon Musk To Sue Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Over Sydney Stabbing Takedown Order
If this all wasn't traumatic enough, Elon weighs in to prove he's the world's richest man & world's biggest dickhead.
CRA Siren Award To Be Presented At B&T Awards 2024!
Often attend award nights & think "I wish this night would never end"? Well, B&T's just got that tiny bit longer.