Now happily retired, here Aussie adland legend John ‘Steady’ Steedman takes B&T’s fast 10 questions to ruminate on his biggest learnings during his lengthy career and how he sees the current lay of the land…
1) Steady how is your retirement and do you miss the craziness of the media/advertising world?
Enjoying the next part of life’s journey. I do miss the business at times, more so the people. I do however keep in contact with a few.
2) Do you stay up to date with industry news? Assume you are an avid B&T reader.
Keep up to date through daily reading of trade magazines and pod-casts particularly B&T.
3) WPP AUNZ had some bumpy leadership times after you left. however with Rose Herceg at the helm would you agree they are in great shape?
WPP is in good hands under the leadership of Rose and the many talented business leaders across the group. Great to see they are a major partner in the SXSW Sydney Festival that celebrates innovation and creativity.
4) Do clients really value their agency partners as much as they should?
Depends on the client. A great many value the contribution of their creative and media agencies to their business and remunerate accordingly. Fortunately, there are only a few that do not value their agencies and consequently don’t remunerate properly. As they say, pay peanuts, get ….! Agencies should weed those clients out and walk away from those who are not prepared to remunerate fairly.
5) As an industry are we investing enough into training and developing of our talent? At GroupM it was one of your priorities.
You can never over-invest in talent. Next to a pay rise, career development is the biggest motivator for people.
6) The industry is definitely talking about diversity and inclusion however are we doing enough from your perspective?
There certainly has been a concerted effort on this front. However, there is still a lot to do.
7) In your heyday at such great agencies as McCanns & JWT we had more characters, braver clients, and fun. Have we become too bland, data-driven and and boring?
I do not think so. The environment has changed significantly from when I first started and I reckon for the better for many different reasons. I encourage both clients and agencies to take considered risks. Some will fail, some will succeed. You will take learnings from both.
8) On reflection what clients and major developments are you most proud of?
My proudest moment was being part of a group that convinced WPP to extract the media departments out of the creative agencies in the mid-90s. As a consequence, investment in the media offering increased significantly and clients greatly benefited. Creative agencies also focused on delivering enhanced creative product. Both creative and media agencies work in harmony to the benefit of the client.
Some believe creative and media should be housed under the same brand. I don’t agree. To quote Harold Mitchell, you cannot put the toothpaste back in the tube.
9) I know you are very close to Pat Crowley and family, what more can we do?
The industry has been incredibly supportive of Pat and their family both from an emotional and financial perspective. I know they have been overwhelmed by what has been done to date. However, any additional support given will be greatly appreciated by the family as they have some big challenges ahead.
Visit the GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-crowleys-need-your-support?
10) If you could change one thing about the industry what would that be?
Spending more time physically together as opposed to meeting through Zoom. Great ideas are developed through a collaborative team approach. Also, personal development will only occur through those physically around you, not through a computer screen.
Check out the other instalments in the Fast 10 series here:
- B&T Grabs Fast 10 Questions With Mike Rebelo!!
- B&T’s Fast 10 Questions With Rose Herceg!
- “Awards Won’t Win You A Pitch!” 10 Quick Ones With Initiative’s Award-Winning CEO Melissa Fein
- It’s 10 Quick Questions With CHEP CEO Lee Leggett
- “Adland Has Defied The Doomsayers!” It’s 10 Questions With Omnicom Supremo Peter Horgan
