Nearly a decade ago, Simon Joyce burst onto the creative advertising scene with a bold anti-ad campaign for Optus featuring Ricky Gervais. Since then, he has channelled his energy into growing Emotive, the agency he founded, into a multi-disciplinary powerhouse renowned for its innovative culture and creative impact.
With an insane collection of accolades under his belt, Joyce has transformed Emotive into a magnet for top talent and major brands, all while redefining the role of advertising in business, culture, and community. B&T was honoured that Joyce took some time out of his hectic schedule to answer 10 very fast questions with Greg “Sparrow” Graham.
1. Lately, your work for Google Ads, Revlon, Dan Murphys, etc., has been getting lots of attention. Is that the name of the game?
You bet. And it all ladders back to our purpose. Ideas that change how people feel. And, unless our ideas are changing the way people feel, our work isn’t having the impact it needs to in the real world.
2. Does the use of celebrities such as Daniel Ricciardo, Magda, and Delta etc garner extra cut through & attention?
Firstly, it is about the idea. Nothing trumps that. But when it comes to performance, quite often celebrities can take the idea to the next level and we know that aids cut through. Furthermore, the fact that many of them bring significant social audiences can provide the campaign with an extra boost to capture attention.
3. Your very cool office is in Coogee. Does that help you attract great talent?
Absolutely. You walk out the front, and you are 50 metres from the sand. It gives you that holiday feeling. And equally important we think being by the beach helps people think more fluidly and expansively. There are less rules than the city, and all of those little elements can help our teams creatively thrive.
4. Your positioning line – Emotive creates ideas that change how people feel. How vital is the “feel” part?
It is our north star for everything we do. Because the majority of brands are met with indifference, and people actively dodge ordinary advertising – ad blocking, ad skipping, dual screening, and subscribing to ad-free services. We know that if we create feeling through our ideas people are more likely to act. What this means is ideas first not ads, and fame (is it an idea worth talking about) as an essential not just desirable.
5. As an industry, what’s one thing you would change to make us all better?
A greater focus on education and training. The rate of change in how people consume content is wild. There is an explosion of channels and that leads to a lot more complexity in how you truly engage an audience. More effort is needed in this area – from a strategy, creative and production POV. Any beyond that greater support around balancing work and life. As an industry, we tend to talk about these challenges, but the question is whether we do enough consistently to truly provide long-term support.
6. The agency offers a diverse offering, e.g., Part agency/production/brand experience. How would you define the agency in a headline?
In a line. An independent Creative agency, creating brand fame across advertising, entertainment, experiences, products and design.
7. When you founded the agency in 2015, what were your expectations for growth, and what has been the reality?
It is hard to believe it has been 9 years. And without doubt the best 9 years of my working life and I am loving it more than ever. For me, it had to work. There wasn’t a plan B. No contingency if you like and therefore no distraction. And in those 9 years it has grown every year bar one, delivering nearly methodically on the plan we set. And the ambition is to be the best indie agency, just not the biggest (we have set a ceiling of 70 people which we are closing in on). So that start-up ambition is still very much present.
8. With the current economic headwinds, are your clients still investing in brave creative ideas?
We are all working harder for the money but pleasingly the appetite for our clients for brave work has only increased. There are only a few brands that have a large enough media budget not to be brave. For our clients, they subscribe to the fact that marketing is a growth driver so this means doubling down on bigger ideas that can change the way people feel and therefore deliver an exponential payoff.
9. What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
My love of fitness and prioritising health in general. With three kids, a dog, and supporting my wife’s business, it is all a bit of a juggling act. Which makes the payoff of smashing a good train even sweeter amongst the chaos of life.
10) Important last question: do your parents know what you do?
They have no idea. And my kids are equally confused. The consensus is that I send emails and make lots of phone calls for a living.
