“The Whole Industry Has Lost Focus On What It Actually Does ”: The Hallway’s Jules Hall

B&T thought it would be a grand idea to chat to one of the winners from our very own awards this year, so we sat down with The Hallway CEO Jules Hall to get his thoughts on whether the struggles are still real for independent agencies.
Congrats on The Hallway winning NSW Agency of the Year at the recent B&T Awards. What do you think got The Hallway over the line? Was it business wins?
It’s the total story, I’d like to think. The agency’s got great momentum at the moment – we’ve had a lot of new business wins.

Pictured: The Hallway team at the B&T Awards 2016
What the clients have bought into is the service offering – the model – which is ‘Create & Connect’, and the benefit of that is data-driven creativity that’s optimised in real time. I think that need for speed, that need for quantified insights – data-informing decisions – is really critical. It’s how we’re able to demonstrate value and the impact of our work to our clients, and for me, that’s the biggest thing for marketing in this industry right now – demonstrating the impact of what it’s doing at a commercial level to their internal stakeholders.
Do you think some agencies manage to attract so much hype about themselves that awards judges get caught up in it?
I don’t know the answer to that. From our perspective, we’re in business communications – making sure the market knows what we’re doing is our core business. That’s what we do for our clients, and we’ve got to make sure we’re doing it for our ourselves as well. That’s why good agencies are good at making sure people know what they’re up to.
Is it harder for smaller independents to get recognised in the industry?
It’s a very, very competitive industry and there are some very big multinational networks that we’re competing against. You look at the number of independents in Australia that are of any size… there’s not many, and there’s a whole bunch of independents that have started and folded or not succeeded. So, looking at that evidence, it is tough out there, but there is opportunity too, and what we’re achieving and what other independents are achieving demonstrates that if you’ve got the right people and product and positioned it correctly, you will succeed.
You arguably don’t get the clients with the big budgets. Does that make it a little harder when it comes to showcasing work?
Bigger agencies are producing more work – they’ve got more out in the marketplace to be noticed. We’re not the biggest agency in town – we don’t have the same volume of output – which means that when we do have work that’s in market to be noticed, it’s got to be almost better than the work from an agency that’s got constant presence in market. So, in a way, it is tougher for us to compete.
Every piece of work we create has got to be bloody awesome – that’s the bottom line. If you look at some of the bigger agencies, there’ll be a whole bunch of work they’re doing that you just don’t hear about – stuff they’ve bashed out. You’re only as good as your last piece of work, and we’re accountable for what we’re putting into market, not just for our clients – it also impacts our own reputation.
What struggles remain for the independents? Are there still prejudices from clients?
I think it’s the opposite, actually. I think there’s a real hunger for independent agencies amongst many clients at the moment. Not every single client, but many clients.
The benefit clients get from independents is their owners are accountable for running them. You haven’t got an employee running the business – you’ve got someone whose livelihood depends on that business succeeding.
The whole industry has lost its focus on what it actually does. It’s the impact of our outputs that matter – that’s what we’ve got to focus on in the industry. There’s a whole bunch of clients that are seeing that entrepreneurship and hunger from independents and want to tap into that.
Is it harder for smaller agencies to attract and retain talent?
If you’ve got a good brand, no. For an independent agency to succeed, it needs to have a really strong brand – you’ve got to stand for something, you’ve got to have clarity on where you’re going, you’ve got to have the right clients in your portfolio to attract people, and you’ve got to have momentum. If you’ve got those things, you can generally attract good talent. The really important thing is attracting the right talent.
There’s something interesting and attractive about the independents to people that may have been at multinationals for a while, and some of them may be a bit jaded, but the people that make the switch and succeed at independents are the ones that have got that entrepreneurial drive. You’re a lot more visible and accountable at an independent, and that’s not for everyone – and nor should it be. The multinationals and other big networks need to have people that don’t want to start their own shop – they need people who just want to do their job and do it well in those environments.
We don’t have a problem with attracting people. I think the really important thing is making sure you’ve got a really strong alignment between the values of the company and those of the employees.
What are the plans for The Hallway next year?
There is some pretty exciting stuff happening behind the scenes that will become evident early next year.
From my point of view, we’ve absolutely nailed our product offering and positioning, so it’s about doing more of what we’ve been doing over the last 12 months. It’s working for us, and it’s working for our clients.
Latest News

What It Takes To Help Build Brand Trust Online In 2021
By Suzanne Mitchell, Senior Director of Marketing at GoDaddy Australia As 2021 dawns in Australia, it does so with greater stability and hope for businesses and individuals than since the pandemic intensified locally last March. The Covid-induced digital transformation boom has created, in its wake, a hyper-individualised world whereby audiences have more control over what, […]

Mumpower Launches Inaugural ‘Vote On Purpose’ Australian Business Awards 2021
To celebrate brands going “above and beyond to act with purpose”, Mumpower has announced its first-ever consumer choice awards. The ‘Vote on Purpose’ Australian Business Award 2021 aims to crown Australia’s favourite purpose-driven company, with Mumpower now calling on both corporations and Mum shoppers to nominate a value-led company or a specific brand campaign that […]

BREAKING: Justin Drape Departs The Monkeys
B&T delivers a breaking news industry scoop. And, trust us, this time we're 79.98% certain it's even correct.

Outbrain Signs Three-Year Deal With Australian Community Media
Outbrain signs deal with Australian Community Media. Discover the brains behind the deal in this insightful synopsis.

Stan Sport Subscription Price Revealed
Sports fans will have to pay $10 a month to sign up for Stan Sport when it launches later this year, according to reports. The Nine-owned Sydney Morning Herald, is today reporting that Stan (also owned by Nine) will offer Stan Sport as a supplementary service, meaning fans must also have a subscription to Stan’s […]

Guardian UK Honours Kamala Harris Inauguration With Full-Page Ad, Via Uncommon
Once again the power of print is on show here. It's also on show for those who enjoy craft using papier-mâché.

Sitecore Secures US$1.2B In Funding
Sitecore has secured $US1.2 billion in funding. Said to be prioritising internal chocolate river and flying elevator.

Mintel Announces Global Consumer Trends For 2021
It's the latest global consumer trends report that, as you'd expect, continues to be bad news for airport duty frees.

2021 Data Predictions: What To Expect In The Year Ahead
Once again, data set to join omnichannel and full-service as the advertising industry's most ubiquitous words.

Sarah Wilson Launches New PodcastOne Australia Series
You have to hand it to Sarah Wilson, doesn't eat sugar AND has so far refrained from murdering anyone.

David Beckham Leads Star-Studded Adidas Football Promo, Using WhatsApp
David Beckham - women want him, men want to be him. Despite his wife constantly taking all the wardrobe space.

Morse Micro Appoints Milk & Honey PR To Enhance Brand Identity
Have absolutely no idea what Morse Micro even do? Discover the power of PR by reading this submitted press release.

Metro Commercial Radio Ad Revenues Down 10.4% In December Quarter
Kyle forced to eat beans from a tin in fingerless mittens as the great plague continues to savage ad revenues.

Endemol Shine Announces Leadership Shakeup
Endemol Shine announces management shakeup. Still no news on the enduring appeal of the actual edamame, however.

Stan Inks Exclusive Content Deal With Walter Presents
Stan inks latest content deal that unfortunately doesn't include Best Of Red Faces or Ask The Leyland Brothers.

Bohemia Appoints Chloe Schneider As Head Of Content
Chloe Schneider joins the Bohemia team and provides DIY press pic thanks to local passport photo booth.

News Media Bargaining Code Remains “Unworkable” For Facebook
Sure, you may not be reading any of B&T's News Media Bargaining Code coverage, but you have to admire our persistence.

Oz Premiers, PM Share Lamb Chops In Berlin Wall Art Parody, Via The Monkeys
Look, it's the second instalment of the lamb ad. And it's even better than the first, like Radiohead's second album.

UnLtd Board Welcomes Verizon Media MD Paul Sigaloff
Verizon's Paul Sigaloff joins the UnLtd board. Forced to sit on milk crates until arrival of leatherette swivel chair.

Sorrell Grabs Another One As MediaMonks Merges With German Auto Agency Staud Studios
Sir Martin invests in new set of lederhosen and felt alpine hat after snaring latest German agency.

Shutterstock Reveals Visual Trends 2021
Global creative platform Shutterstock has launched the 10th anniversary edition of its annual Creative Trends Report, highlighting the trends that will inspire creative expression and ingenuity in 2021. Announcing the report, Shutterstock creative director Flo Lau said that, after the year that was, the company was encouraged by the “positivity, originality, and resilience displayed by […]

Ogilvy Australia CEO David Fox To Head Middle East & North Africa Office
David Fox hurriedly learning where Tunis and Marrakesh even are after landing North Africa-Middle East role.

Vic Gov Chooses QMS For Its Holidaymaker Fire Warnings
It wouldn't be a B&T newsletter without the latest outdoor news. Well, save for the past four that is.

Jobs On The Rise: 2021’s Looking Good For Marketers, Digi Pros, Podcasters & Bloggers
It's the latest hot jobs report! Get set for that unsettling, stomach churning nausea feeling if yours ain't on it.

Have We Entered Peak Podcasting? 2021 Predictions
This columnist asks have we reached peak podcasting? We've definitely reached peak cavoodles, Aperol Spritz & man buns.

Lenovo Turns Aussie Tech Review Into A Death Metal Song
By playing this death metal song backwards you may conjure Satan himself, or really annoy the shit out of colleagues.

Are Media’s BEAUTY/Crew Unveils Seasonal Digital Issues
Look, here's the latest industry beauty news that'll have your sagging epidermis glowing by the end of the third paragraph.

Bastion Collective Launches New Interactive Experience Agency Bastion Interactive
Bastion Collective launches new arm, Bastion Interactive, which is a specialist interactive experience agency headed up by ex DDB Tribal Managing Director.

Major US Networks ‘Boycott’ Trump Farewell Address
Outgoing and twice impeached President Donald Trump released a pre-recorded farewell as he departed Washington. But many of the US’ major networks didn’t show it. Trump was banned from Facebook and Twitter in the wake of his supporters’ attack on the US Capitol on 6 January. His personal account on YouTube has also been suspended […]

Facebook Journalism Program Helps News Publishers Find New Subscribers
New data from Facebook shows that an initiative aimed at supporting local news publishers is showing early signs of success. Australian and New Zealand publishers participating in the Facebook Journalism Project’s Reader Revenue Accelerator in 2019 and through 2020 secured more than 24,000 new paying subscribers and more than 160,000 new loyal readers (whether through […]