With more than 25 years in the business, Phil Smith has carved out a formidable career at the intersection of direct marketing, digital strategy and customer engagement.
From his early days at Clemenger and Ogilvy to chairing industry bodies like ADMA’s Digital Council, Smith has always had an eye on what’s next, and a passion for making marketing measurable.
Now CEO and founder of independent agency Apparent, Smith leads a team delivering results-oriented work for clients like Optus, Volkswagen Group Australia, and Tip Top. Underpinning it all? A belief in action, curiosity and bringing strategy, data and creativity together through a direct lens.
Chatting with B&T’s Sparrow, Smith reflected on his biggest career highlight, why awards aren’t the end goal, and the surprisingly hands-on job that convinced him agency life was the better fit.
1. You’ve had an outstanding career from the early days of direct at Clems and now the CEO/Founder of Apparent. If you had to pick only one, what would be your career highlight so far?
Smith: I’m fortunate that there have been so many highlights, but from a recency bias I would say Apparent turning 15 at the beginning of June is the stand out. When we started it was all about “firsts” – starting with the first project, the first pitch, the first client, the first month, the first quarter, the first year. I’m incredibly grateful to celebrate the first 15 years and look forward to the next first.
2. Over your 25+ years, you have been at the forefront of direct at Ogilvy/Neo, plus the Chair Digital Council, and ADMA. How do you continue to stay ahead of the pack?
Smith: A lot of bite size content. I am a searcher of info and have a variety of sources from lists and feeds that I can grab and share with the team. Along with the capability and amazing experiences of the team here, it helps all to stay ahead. Isaac Newton had a point when he said “You can see further standing on the shoulders of giants”. We aim to hire giants, and to invest in developing the next generation of giants for all to benefit.
3. The agency had a brilliant first half of the year with new business growth, e.g., Tip Top, Vanuatu Tourism, and Optus. Can you share the reasons for your success?
Smith: It has been a good start, and we can add winning Volkswagen Group Australia in January to that list too, all driven by our great team and their depth of capabilities. As a project based business we’ve grown up understanding the need to lean in and always be looking for ways to help clients find, get, keep and grow customers. We talk about having a bias for action and developing understanding of buyer journeys where we can add ongoing value, rather than just execute isolated campaigns. Co-creating the brief rather than waiting for it resonates with a lot of clients.
4. As a young boy, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Smith: School holidays were spent on a sheep farm next to the RAAF Edinburgh air base near Adelaide that housed Australia’s F1-11’s. They would fly two or three times a week (jet fuel was cheap) and I thought being a pilot would be great. Then science subjects and I didn’t get on at school, so that ended that. I live vicariously through air shows and Top Gun reruns.
5. The agency has been successful in winning various awards recently. Do clients value and what are the best metrics of success?
Smith: Not sure how much clients value awards as a purpose of their work, but it’s always great for the effort of the teams to be recognised. Ultimately the best success metrics are those that can demonstrate return to the client’s bottom line. If we develop something that delivers $20 in revenue for every $1 spent it becomes a difficult argument for cutting marketing’s budget.
6. As an industry, what’s one thing you would change to make us all better?
Smith: Accelerate investment in the identifying and growing of the next generation of talent. We run a program called Expand Adland, an initiative started by one of our senior staff, who said that there aren’t enough work experience opportunities available for those living in Sydney’s outer west. She attends school career days and talks about the industry, and we regularly get groups of year 10/11 students in for a week of working at the agency. They meet our department leads, get a brief to work on and spend their time solving a problem. The feedback from the students, their parents and the schools tells us we are doing something right.
And we should abandon the “TV/radio/outdoor/mail is dead” soundbite. If the channel isn’t working perhaps it is the way it is being used?
7. What’s keeping your CMO clients awake at night?
Smith: There is a consistent range of topics irrespective of their industry. The usual list of doing more with less, the dynamic changes of the market, geo-political activity, embracing innovation at the speed of their customers. More recently it is around the themes of what AI means for themselves, their team, their customer and their business.
8. Who have been your mentors, and what’s the best career advice you have been given?
Smith: Nothing formal but I’m lucky to have five trusted voices that I can connect with that allows conversations about all things business. They ask great questions and give me plenty to think about. One is the first CMO I worked with in Adelaide who said to me “be curious and be relentless”. Both are important aspects of the agency’s values.
9. What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
Smith: My time as a roustabout working on a sheep farm. It is why I work in an office!
10. Important last question, do your parents know what you do?
Smith: My Dad read my CV once and said that he didn’t understand a word of what was written. In the simplest form they understand that we work with businesses to help sell their products.
