Why the biggest agencies creating the most iconic work are mostly the independents; where great work comes from; how to build one of the fastest growing advertising companies in the world; and why you’ll “f***ing love ADFEST” too.

Thinkerbell doesn’t follow the standard ad agency formula. It comes from an earned media background, and leads with really smart strategy and creative ideas that call culture home. Its work gets in and out fast, capturing people as it swooshes. Thinkerbell calls its way of solving business problems, Measured Magic. And damn, it has been successful. The agency is currently ranked #1 globally on BestAds, is a multiple Agency of the Year winner in Australia and one of the fastest growing advertising companies in the world.

Jim Ingram is one of its founders and Group Chief Creative Tinker. (Thinkerbell tinkers are “creativey-types who hit things with hammers, pull things apart and put them back together again.” They work with thinkers, “a cross between strategy-types and suity-types, they ask a lot of questions and listen very carefully for the answers”.) Ingram’s bio notes that he loves ideas and hates spiders. He has also judged and chaired multiple international creative award shows, has spoken on stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and helped nurture the next generation of talent by chairing the highly regarded creative education program, AWARD School. He says that he is still trying to get over the fact that he created the second most awarded film globally in 2009 with Schweppes Burst, being pipped by a gorilla playing the drums. You may notice in his interview below that he “hates that fucking gorilla”.

Here is that interview:

What is your take on advertising in the region?

‘Straya is a funny old place. There’s enormous creative ambition here, but also very real commercial pressure. So, you can definitely push the boat out creatively, but you gotta keep a firm grip on the bowline. I think this shows in the way the Australian market has changed over the years, most notably the rise of the independent agencies. ‘Indie’ no longer means small or startup. The biggest agencies creating the most iconic work are mostly the independents, because they can operate with creative freedom, but also have built a strong professional backbone to enable growth and deliver proper problem solving for the biggest brands in the country (world). As the co-founder of an independent agency, with over 150 staff across three offices, creating ideas for globally recognised businesses - it’s a fun time to be alive.

How would you define great work? What are the greatest challenges for making it?

The common answer here is budgets are tighter, timelines are shorter, and the accountability for clients and their agencies has never been greater. But don’t listen to commoners, they’ve missed the point. I’ve always found (and it’s certainly what we believe at Thinkerbell) that limited time or money don’t restrict great ideas – in fact they often make them better. It makes you think about how you’ll do things differently or in an altogether fresh way. I also think the best work, comes directly from the heart of the brand, product or even the logo. There was a trend for a decade or so to hide the logo, keep the brand out till the very last second or have some cryptic connection to the product (a gorilla playing drums to sell chocolate??) but my view on the best work at the moment is the stuff that heroes the very essence of the thing you’re selling, in a creative way. I love what we’ve just launched for Vegemite, because it uses one of the most iconic and distinctive brands in our country, and strips it back to basics (the yellow, black and red of a jar of the good stuff), all while revealing it’s been the secret weapon to Australia’s vitality all these years. Measured, and Magic coming together.

Thinkerbell has a very distinctive approach to advertising.

We try very hard not to be an advertising agency. We much prefer operating as a creative company, using any means possible to help solve the problem, or change the behaviour. We built the business with an earned media mindset at the heart from day one, which basically forced us to have the types of ideas that would generate more interest than the marketing budget would ever allow for. So, no matter how small (or big) the budgets were, we consistently created ideas that punched above their weight. And this philosophy has remained as we grew, and expanded what we could offer. We now smash up all our thinking and intertwine brand strategy, CX, brand design, PR, social, films, stunts, activations, inventions, new media or Martha Stewart rubbing butter into a turkey. Whatever we need to make the best version of our thinking, we pull together to make happen. We do it fast, and we do it often. And we think it keeps things interesting.

You attended ADFEST as a judge last year. What did you think of it?

Last year was my first time judging (even attending) ADFEST. And I fucking loved it. It’s got all the feels of Cannes, without the price tag or oversized bottles of rosé. A similar amount of linen clothing though. It’s a very well-run show, with tonnes of great content over the three days. And just enough schmoozing and entertainment to have a bloody good time, but still feel good about yourself afterwards. The work doesn’t feel regional either, it’s basically the best agencies, and the best work they produce on display, to rival any other global show. And I’m not just saying this to get invited back next year, I truly think it’s up there with the best. And if you come, make sure you check out the Young Lotus presentations, they blew me away last year. And scared me a little.