Behind the doors of… Clemenger BBDO Sydney

Behind the doors of… Clemenger BBDO Sydney

The moment the elevators go ‘ding’ and you step into Clemenger BBDO Sydney’s foyer, you know this is an agency with a bounce in its step.

“As a group we had the best year we’ve ever had. Which, in light of the doom and gloom that other people talk about, is significant,” says CEO Andy Pontin.

While he doesn’t want to break down the exact numbers, Pontin says: “What I can say is that Clemenger Sydney was a big part of the Clemenger Group having a great year.”

From the sunny receptionist to the buzz you can hear from the kitchen as the staff gather for their weekly delivery of burgers, courtesy of client Hungry Jacks, and the boisterous enthusiasm of the agency’s four key leaders, the impression is that all the cogs in the 160-strong agency are oiled and moving as one.

“We feel like we are riding the crest of a wave at the moment, where it’s all just coming together,” enthuses executive creative director Paul Nagy.

And the glue that is holding it all together is a culture which Nagy says has been built from the ground up over the past two-and-a-half years.

The culture

“An utter disaster,” is how he jokingly describes the agency before quickly getting serious: “That’s probably not the best start,” Nagy laughs. “Look, I think the culture is one of the greatest strengths of the agency at the moment.”

The rapport Nagy, Pontin, managing partner Gareth Collins and executive planning director (or agency leviathan, as he requests to be described) Al Crawford share that forms the backbone of the agency.

 “We’ve recognised that when we do work together, and all the teams work together like that, we produce our best work,” says Pontin.

“All agencies talk about how important their people are, but more important than the individuals are the combinations of individuals.”  The result, he adds, is an agency that is “relentlessly anti-elitist, relentlessly collegiate and collaborative”.

The St Leonard’s office has recently undergone a redesign to facilitate and reflect that philosophy, with more common spaces, communal tables and divisions removed.

“It’s nice and open and it comes from a belief that if we get the right people on any project, we know we can produce something amazing,” says Collins. “It’s changed not only the environment, but also the way we work.”

It is not hard to imagine that the agency’s culture or staff morale may have taken a bit of a hit during the two small rounds of redundancies that were made last year. The cuts came after clients pulled in their budgets and were unavoidable, explains Pontin: “Unfortunately it’s a reality of the advertising industry, the only place you can cut in a professional services industry is your biggest cost, which is your people.”

But the economies have turned around and when B&T visited, the agency was getting ready to welcome new creative duo Ian Broekhuizen and Malcolm Caldwell, from Publicis Mojo, into the fold.

 

The work

Clemenger Sydney has been firing on all cylinders.

The team has won eight out of the last 10 pitches it has participated in (including Legacy and Visa), and last year won its first Gold Lion in 20 years for the ‘Aus to USA’ outdoor campaign for Virgin Australia.

The agency has also just picked up a Grand Lotus at Adfest for Mimeisthai, the spoken-word trending machine created for Tedx Sydney.

Clemenger BBDO Sydney is also behind Skittles’ ‘Telekinize The Rainbow’ campaign, which allowed Facebook users to move skittles on the screen with their mind. Telekinize used eye-tracking movements from players’ webcams to move wi-fi controlled robots.

V-Rentals, Campbell’s ‘There is only one real stock’, Virgin ‘The Romance is back’ have all been driven out of the Sydney office.

“We’ve got the client list that is the envy of the city. We’ve got the best people, no doubt about that,” says Collins.

The philosophy

“Creativity is the last legal means of competitive advantage,” says Nagy. “Creativity has never, ever been more important.”

But how does the Sydney team feel about having such a creative powerhouse, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, as a cousin?

“Who wouldn’t want to have shared DNA with an agency like Clemenger Melbourne?” responds Pontin. Nagy says those that knock the Sydney office are “in some cases maybe a little bit jealous of what we’ve got here”.

The team also believes it’s never been a better time to be in advertising. “The industry tends to be a bit down on itself at the moment, and I think that’s completely false,” says Pontin. “I think it’s a brilliant time to be in advertising because you can either look at all the change as a challenge, or you can look at it as an opportunity. Not enough people are seizing the opportunity. I think they’re trying to defensively survive, rather than positively thrive.”

 

The future

“The year ahead is full of opportunity for us,” says Collins. “The challenge is realising that.”

Another challenge will be remaining flexible and nimble to ensure the agency is able to “roll with the punches” the changing market deals it.

“I always walk around with a shit-eating grin, because the business does give you its fair share of kicks to the baby-maker,” Crawford says.

“But, even though I walk around like a shriveled version of Yoda, I walk tall within the agency because we are in a good place – and it’s going to be great.”

*This feature first appeared in the May 17, 2013 issue of B&T Magazine. Later that month Clemenger Sydney won the Tourism Australia account. For more on the win click here. 




Please login with linkedin to comment

Latest News

It’s Friday Quiz Time Again!
  • Media

It’s Friday Quiz Time Again!

Take B&T's trivia quiz for your chance to win a $100 booze voucher and possible cirrhosis of a major internal organ.

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Big data technology and data science illustration. Data flow concept. Querying, analysing, visualizing complex information. Neural network for artificial intelligence. Data mining. Business analytics.
  • Marketing

SenateSHJ Launches New Trans-Tasman Practices

SenateSHJ has launched a new digital, data and insights capability designed to help clients tackle the growing complexity of communication challenges. SenateSHJ Digital, Data and Insights (DDI) will combine the firm’s existing Digital and Insights functions to create a Trans-Tasman capability focused on digital communication, and the generation and use of data to improve communication. […]

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile
  • Media

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile

Creative technology platform Bonzai has announced the launch of BrandStory – a new premium mobile ad format. BrandStory offers triple the ad space and 2.8 times greater time in view than single scroll ad formats, addressing the surging demand from brands worldwide for more real estate to drive real results by seamlessly intertwining awareness, exploration […]

B&T’s Search For Australia’s Greatest Ad Heads To Channel 7
  • Advertising

B&T’s Search For Australia’s Greatest Ad Heads To Channel 7

B&T went through the looking glass this morning, with editor-in-chief David Hovenden (above) appearing on Channel 7’s The Morning Show to get the general public involved in our search for Australia’s Greatest Ad. Hovenden chatted with Kylie Gillies and stand-in host Matt Doran about what makes a great ad and showcasing some of our favourites […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Opinion: The Tall Planner’s Kate Smither On The DBA Dilemma
  • Opinion

Opinion: The Tall Planner’s Kate Smither On The DBA Dilemma

The science is not in question – smarter people than I, with far more data, have codified it. The logic is not up for grabs…it makes sense that creating mental shortcuts to your brand keeps you at the top of your mind. Lead image: Kate Smither – Owner, The Tall Planner I wouldn’t even take […]

Opinion

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
African woman using a cellphone in an office alone
  • Marketing

Ortto & Tall Bob Partner To Deliver Better SMS & MMS For Australian & NZ Businesses

Two Australian-born technology providers have joined forces to bring more power and choice to marketers in Australia and New Zealand with mobile messaging that is more local, cost-effective, and integrated. It’s a partnership that sees two Australian software companies come together to deliver a world-class mobile-first solution for marketers building data-driven, personalised, omnichannel campaigns. While […]

Slew Of New Hires At Snap Inc.
  • Media

Slew Of New Hires At Snap Inc.

Snap Inc. has announced a number of new recruits. B&T unaware if it positively impacted SEEK's share price.

Reddit Gets Playful Brand Refresh
  • Technology

Reddit Gets Playful Brand Refresh

This will be of interest to any Reddit fans, graphic designers or lovers of an orange so bright it burns the retinas.

Zitcha & Broadsign Partner To Drive Global In-Store Retail Media Market
  • Advertising

Zitcha & Broadsign Partner To Drive Global In-Store Retail Media Market

Zitcha and Broadsign have teamed up to integrate the Broadsign out-of-home (OOH) advertising platform with Zitcha’s retail media platform. The collaboration empowers retailers to maximise and monetise in-store digital display networks and enables advertising partners to easily view and book available in-store inventory and review campaign performance alongside the retailer’s other media channels. With the […]

Double Rainbouu & 7-Eleven Launch Exclusive Summer Fashion Label
  • Marketing

Double Rainbouu & 7-Eleven Launch Exclusive Summer Fashion Label

Today, 7-Eleven has announced a one-of-a-kind collaboration with the popular Sydney-based anti-resort wear label Double Rainbouu. Dropping tomorrow, December 1, just in time for summer, this limited-edition capsule will infuse the fashion brand’s rebellious spirit with a distinctly iconic 7-Eleven flavour. The unisex collection features five must-have styles comprising two signature Hawaiian shirts, a peaked cap, a bucket hat […]