WPP ‘Young Gun’ Tim Carrucan On 2021: “I’m Hopeful We Don’t Lose Empathy”

We’re closing out the final week before Christmas, rounding out a year of challenges, ahead of the expectation for bigger and brighter things in 2021. But what will the year look like, and what ought we to take with us from the learnings of 2020?

Tim Carrucan is one of Wavemaker Melbourne’s digital directors, and a young gun among the WPP AUNZ flock.

He’s also the third in our series of interviews speaking with some of the industry’s new blood, on what 2021 will look like, and their hopes and aspirations for the year ahead.

Recently, B&T had the chance to see what the journey ahead looks like in the eyes of Carrucan, who revealed he’s excited to see how the industry takes automation further into the future.

He also offered his two-cents on what he sees as the industry’s biggest challenge—mental health—and how he believes the next generation of ad-landers are tackling it for the better.

It’s that and more within this candid interview with Wavemaker Melbourne’s young gun, Tim Carrucan.

B&T: Tim, why do you choose to work in the media?

TC: I am fascinated by how people make decisions and how these decisions can impact a brand. It really wasn’t until I started my marketing degree that I realised how much I enjoyed psychology and economics when applied in a more practical sense.

It would certainly come as a surprise to my high school teachers!

Has your perspective on the industry changed since you began working in it to now?

I think it has. The media industry is dictated by how marketing teams are structured within an organisation. As their role and remit expands, so do their expectations of us as their media agency.

What I have enjoyed is working alongside a marketing team to solve their business problems beyond media.

After all that has transpired across the industry during 2020, are you hopeful or resigned to what 2021 holds? What will the year look like?

It depends which day you catch me on! This year has been tough. The one element which has become apparent is the show of solidarity across the entire industry.

We’ve all felt for those who have lost jobs or feared losing them. People have been more understanding because they themselves are feeling the exact same pain we are.

I’m hopeful next year we don’t lose that sense of empathy.

What are the greatest learnings of 2020 that will serve us well as an industry in 2021? And what aspects of our industry should we leave behind?

I’m excited to see the progress we make in automation as it feels like we’ve only just started to scratch the surface. I would imagine we will need to balance the aftermath of forced cost-cutting from this year with the same growth ambitions from the previous year.

To do this, we’ll need to work smarter than ever before. I’ll be happy to leave behind presenting to an audience with no cameras on.

What are our industry’s greatest challenges? How do we solve them?

Mental health. While it is certainly not an issue confined to the media industry, there is a deeply entrenched concept that overworking is both noble and an expected cost for success.

Thankfully, the next generation coming through appear to have a much firmer grasp of work-life balance, which should allow us to make significant changes for the future.

And, finally, what are your hopes for yourself? What could bring you fulfillment in 2021?

I recently attended an event where Ben Crowe (leadership mentor and life coach) was a guest speaker, and one of his quotes resonated with me: “achievement without fulfillment is the greatest failure in life.”

In 2021, I will attempt to better prioritise my values and try not to sweat the small stuff. If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that family/friends, self-care, and travel reenergises me—making me a better person both at work and outside of work.

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