Mike Wilson is a veteran marketing and media executive with over 30 years of experience. He currently chairs Hatched, a modern media agency focused on helping brands innovate and grow. Additionally, he serves as a Non-Executive Director and Advisor for several companies in the scale-up, media, technology, and creative sectors, including BeingIconic and Hypetap.
In this chat with Sparrow, Wilson unpacks his extensive career and reflects on some of the more memorable moments.
Wilson would like to dedicate this piece to the memory of Alex Pekish, a good friend and former colleague who just passed away. “He will be remembered fondly by everyone who knew him”.
1. You’ve had a diverse, extensive career from working in the UK for DDB, Warner Music, co-founder Naked Aust, MEC, Havas and now a successful indie Hatched; if you had to pick only one highlight, what would it be?
Wilson: I wouldn’t do it. There are too many to mention. The common thread is the powerful relationships that have been built and that endure to this day. For example, I’m currently working on a project with my very first boss, from my first agency role in the 1980s! God, I feel old.
2. You have always championed innovation & creativity; are they still important today? In a complex, competitive world, how do you gain an unfair advantage?
Wilson: You still need memorable, motivating ideas and communications, and thankfully, it is now accepted that ‘Creativity’ is not just the preserve of ‘Creatives’. More people in more agencies need to be empowered to produce and promote their ideas and strategies. There’s amazing talent in this market – it’s just not unleashed enough.
3. On reflection & some of the brilliant clients you have worked on, does one campaign/client stand out?
Wilson: Success has many fathers (and mothers), but the Share a Coke work we did at Naked (in conjunction with other agencies and a great client) was a great experience and very successful.
4. The business is tougher, more complex & challenging; however, has some of the characters/personalities, human intuition, gut feeling and fun disappeared?
Wilson: Bollocks. Human nature is primed to be nostalgic and look at the past through rose-tinted specs. You forget the dross and only remember the hits. It’s like saying that all the music in the seventies was great when most of it was rubbish. There are plenty of great characters around in the industry today. They do tend to get hammered by ‘anonymous’ every time they try to do something different, though. A lot of the ‘great characters’ from yesteryear wouldn’t be able to get away with half the things today that they did then. That’s a good thing.
5. Who have been your mentors/champions that have influenced your career?
Wilson: A legendary team at my first agency in London, BMP. Very many of those teams went on to great success in many different organisations all over the world. I was so lucky to have started there. And it really was just luck. When I arrived in Australia, Mike Porter was a great support and mentor. In recent years, I’ve learned more from colleagues than from bosses. Imogen Hewitt will be an all-time great. She didn’t even tell me to say that.
6. As an industry what’s one thing you would change to make us all better?
Wilson: Stop promoting sociopaths. Stop rewarding bad behaviour for the sake of a quick buck – that’s how you lose promising talent.
7. You are down to earth with a great sense of humour. What leadership traits have helped your career trajectory?
Wilson: I’ve always tried to extract the fun as well the opportunity. It’s a fun industry – we’re very lucky. And I’ve always tried to be empathetic and kind. Tried – not always succeeded. It’s still a work in progress.
8. With the current economic headwinds, are your clients still spending?
Wilson: I think it’s a really tough time for the bigger companies, but the good Indies are doing ok. Next year will be better – we’re nearly there.
9. What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
Wilson: I was in the recording studio when Chelsea FC recorded their Cup Final song in 1997. You can see me in the video (for just under 2 seconds). It’s a brilliant performance.
10. Important last question: do your parents know what you do?
Wilson: I left home when I was 17 and left the UK 27 years ago, so it’s safe to say that Mum probably isn’t too au fait with the vagaries of the Media Mix Modelling debate and the nuances between the different programmatic trading platforms. Mind you, neither am I.
