Who would win The Ashes of advertising?
The latest series of The Ashes – the 135 year cricket rivalry beween England and Australia – gets underway tonight. But what of the real battle – the advertising rivalry between the two countries? In this guest post, Steve Coll – who has worked in both markets – calls a winner.
When I got my first agency job in 2000, the idea that Australian creativity could rival the UK was frankly, outrageous. Back then, it seemed as unlikely as the Poms ever winning the Ashes again.
As Gilchrist relentlessly sledged Mike Atherton and co, we in the Australian advertising industry looked up to UK creative with simpering reverence. In fairness, there was no question who was top dog. From Pot Noodle to ‘Good Things Come to Those Who Wait’, the Economist posters, the Honda ads, John Smith’s Bitter, and Tango, the Poms seemed to smash everything over the stands and into the car park.
A fair chunk of our creative and strategy would be ripped off, sometimes unashamedly, from campaigns in the UK. Sure, there were moments of true Aussie genius. But generally London was doing it with bigger budgets, better directors, better post-houses, more time and more money. And to universal acclaim. On the last Saturday night at Cannes, the big stuff would inevitably be won by the latest lavish installment from Levi’s or some epic brilliance from Guinness. Australia wasn’t even in the mix. The Ashes of Advertising would have been a ludicrously one-sided affair.
The Ashes is only 131 years old. The first four years of Tests – eight in total – predated the Ashes concept.
Regardless of this, Australia was actually playing the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) for the vast majority of this time. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) wasn’t founded until 1997, meaning The Ashes has only really been played between Australia and England for 26 years.
er…16 years?
@Nick Dr Mumbo would probably point out Muphry’s Law right now… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law
could be that seemingly half of the London marketing & creativity community have moved to Aus over past 10 years to make a mint from exchange rate, non-GFC pressurised salaries & LAFHA !
As a pom who’s lived there and moved back, I’m not convinced Australian agencies are any more talented, but they are a hundred times more flexible with fewer chips on their shoulders.
So it’d be a contest between our blokes in their agencies and their blokes in our agencies? Bring it on.
Blokes and Sheilas and intermediates, just so I don’t leave anyone out.
Please. Clemenger Melbourne are majority Australian, and the majority have never left Melbourne. Three Drunk Monkeys, BMF, Clemenger Sydney (yes they’re good now) TBWA, McCann Melbourne – not many (if any) poms in leadership roles, none in creative roles. Australia has always killed it in integrated, direct and promo, some of us even do ok in TV. And don’t forget the clients who buy the award winning work – can’t think of any English making a dent on that side of the fence.
The reason Australia does so well is because they make ads that aren’t at all English in style. They’re different and finally have the balls to celebrate the fact that they’re different from the rest of the world.
Nobby = Wicket keeper
Coll= bowler
Keogh= Slips