Hulsbosch has worked with some of Australia’s most recognisable brands, the likes of Woolies, Coles, Qantas and Virgin, for longer than some of B&T’s Gen Z staffers have been alive. And while AI might seem like an unprecedented threat to the industry, an agency that has weathered the storms of the internet’s inception and social media’s rise is more than qualified to share its wisdom on navigating change.
As the agency celebrates 43 years, B&T sat down with Hulsbosch’s director, Jaid Hulsbosch; client strategy director, Carolyn Pitt; creative director, Marcel Wijnen; and creative director, Mikey Hart, to take a deep dive into the formula that has kept it relevant in an industry that seemingly rewrites its playbook every year.
The agency opened its doors in 1982 by founder and Dutch designer Hans Hulsbosch, who moved to Australia from the Netherlands in 1979 and took up a job with Clemenger BBDO, where he worked from 1979 to 1982.
In 1984, the agency secured its first client, Qantas. 43 years later, that client still works with Hulsbosch to craft a brand that is instantly recognisable to every Aussie. Hulsbosch is credited for the iconic kangaroo logo for Qantas, the rebrand from Virgin Blue to Virgin Australia and Woolies’s 2008 rebrand that introduced the “peeled fruit” logo.
Change is the only constant
“The key challenge for creatives at the moment is adjusting to an unavoidable increasingly AI-dominant world, and what it means for their role,” Wijnen said.
“Creatives are, and should be, spending a lot of time keeping up to date with AI tools and platforms, which are evolving at a rapid speed, and which ones are best suited for each project or task. But all of this has a danger of being a distraction from the job of creating inspiring and purposeful ideas. Creatives need to not let technology drive their ideas – but rather let ideas drive their use of technology,” he added.
It isn’t, of course, the first time that agencies and clients alike have had to navigate change–Hart reminisced on going to the news agent and buying $200 worth of magazines before Pinterest came along.
“As a designer, Pinterest was a revelation because it could give me all the different types of illustrations I wanted for inspiration. Pinterest’s method of tagging everything cut my time down from three days going through magazines, curating mood boards and doing sketches to creating mood boards in half a day,” he said.
And then, ChatGPT came along. Wijnen uses it to ideate and give him extra thought starters. “If anything, it’s just helping my brain expand. But with all these things, you’ve still got to curate it and find meaning in what you’re doing. When I’m speaking to clients, it resonates because it’s purposeful. AI can’t curate. If AI can curate, I’m done!” he said.
Hart’s advice? Resist the urge to use any form of AI before considering the problem first.
“I am all in on embracing AI. I have always loved new technology and how it’s pushed the design industry forward. Designers have never had so much power at their fingertips!” he said.
“My approach is to intimately understand how people interact and react to products and brands. For me, creativity is driven by emotion and connection. It’s about trusting your instincts, embracing the happy accidents, and tuning in to what you see, hear and feel.
“AI is smart and incredibly useful, but it doesn’t have instinct or empathy. If we’re not careful, and we leave too much in the hands of AI, the world could start to feel like one big algorithm. Predictable, polished, and all starting to look the same. Unfortunately, I already see this happening everywhere and it’s taking the shine off things,” he added.
Hart stressed that the best ideas come from truth and meaning. Technology can help us push boundaries and open new possibilities, but it should never take away the emotional heart of what creatives do.
Wijnen explained that clients are being extra cautious at the moment. They may want to take brave bold steps forward, but they’re relying on their agency to be their ‘advisor’ more than ever before; to give them the strategic narratives to communicate their transformation ambitions to their internal and external stakeholders, and to help engage and navigate that journey.
“Building and transforming brands doesn’t come with tomorrow’s ROI proof-points, it takes conviction, trust and belief. What clients are really looking to agencies for are two things: a vision for their brand, and proven experience to succeed,” he said.
“The most front of mind challenges clients are grappling with are those you’d expect: the rise of AI and its implications and demands, increasing competition and market changes – consolidation and fragmentation happening in parallel; changing customer and consumer expectations and demands; and how to do more with less. Hulsbosch helps our clients by bringing cross-category perspectives and experience to bear on clients’ branding challenges,” Pitt said.
The importance of being able to influence stakeholders remains pertinent, especially for those using AI. If the client doesn’t see a compelling rationale from the creative with credibility, they won’t buy it. “Even if we were to use AI to hit ‘create’ and send it to the client, I can guarantee they wouldn’t connect with it,” she said.
“You’ve still got to be able to convince people of your idea. That’s the human part of all this, something AI can’t do,” Hulsbosch added.
Pitt recalled first joining Hulsbosch nearly 10 years ago as social media was rising. During her interview, Hulsbosch asked her what social media would mean for branding. She responded that a brand still needs to be known for its personality and how it acts and speaks; it doesn’t matter where it shows up — Instagram, Facebook — the core doesn’t change.
“It’s still a constant that a brand is how people perceive you—what it stands for, the personality people can expect. Defining all of that is absolutely core to anything you can prompt into AI in the first place. We’re in a great position to have that value that we can deliver to clients,” she said.
An agency built to last
“Over 43 years, the industry has changed a lot, but what’s stayed the same is the people who make the agency what it is. Hulsbosch has built an amazing leadership team that’s guided many iconic Australian brands. To be building upon what has been laid before me has been a huge privilege,” Hart said.
Since its inception, Hulsbosch has remained independent, and its single office structure allows it to maintain a bespoke and premium offering.
“I find that competition drives competition. Every single category you can think of, everyone’s always thinking of new ways to reinvent it in ways where you might think, ‘you can’t touch that,’ then people do. The only ‘new’ thing about now is that things are a lot faster-paced these days–for us, it’s inspiring,” Hart said.
He stressed, though, that excitement about change works both ways: a client has to be ready for change, too. There also needs to be a purpose behind change–change for change’s sake isn’t going to resonate with people; it needs to have a meaning behind it. “We’re not trying to make things look cool or sexy for sexy’s sake. Everything we create has a purpose,” he said.
“When I arrived seven years ago, it was made very clear that culture was everything. This wasn’t merely about getting along with everyone. It was about being driven by ideas, with creativity at the heart of its culture, with a serious professionalism, and a willingness to be bold and brave. And at the end of the day, the reputation comes from consistently delivering work that is not only award-winning but effective,” Hart added.
“It’s all about creating ideas that last. These only come through a culture and process of openness; openness internally where everyone in the agency feels empowered to contribute their voice to the solution; and openness with clients to invite them into the process and best maximise their knowledge and influence on the business,” Wijnen said.
“We’re continuing to strengthen our studio culture where our team can learn, grow and thrive. A creative collective that inspire each other to deliver iconic work for our clients,” Hulsbosch said.
Change isn’t anything new–it’s simply dressed in a new outfit every few years, and it’s up to creative and forward-thinking agencies to stay ahead of the curve by being flexible and approaching each change with an open mind.
