A bit of background, Simon moved over from South Africa with his wife where he previously ran a successful online creative boutique called Mojo, he then decided to sell up and come over to the UK with his wife Simone.
Now that's out of the way, let's begin
Why did you move to London
After selling our boutique agency and looking for a new adventure I decided to move to London.
It was a tossup with Dubai (which seemed like better money at the time), however I expected to gain better experience in London, since most of the UAE agencies are run by ex pats from around the globe anyway.
So what were your expectations at the time?
Cutting edge advertising – its part of the BIG3: London / New York / Paris - guess I was mistaken. Don’t get me wrong - the quality of work being produced in London is good - but only if a ton of money is spent. Exorbitant sums of advertising fees are accrued before the concepts are even briefed. Processes seem to dominate the creative industries and I’m yet to see great creative work that is produced on low budgets. They seem to be far and few between, but when they do appear they shine.
Were the realities drastically different?
O’h yes. Peoples roles and responsibilities seemed to be quite pigeon holed. But not to say it’s all bad… I guess it allows me to do what I do best.
What's your view on the local market as it stands?
I think the quality of online material from the smaller digital agencies seems to be much better than that of the larger marketing giants. Far too many of the larger agencies sell themselves as media neutral and integrated specialists. It seems to be cheap talk, which many clients/brands are catching onto. What the hell is media neutral? What were they before they were media neutral. And just because you have a web-designer – it doesn’t make you a digital specialist. I guess it’s bound to happen the more ad spend shifts to online.
Any regrets on moving over?
Not really – it’s been an interesting experience. I would like to attempt the same move to New York at least once in my career to compare notes.
Did you come over here to cause a change or to learn?
Not really, the decision was based on an adventure – and it’s been one. Learning comes naturally when you’re having fun – and yes I’m having fun.
Top tips to survive?
· As a foreigner, make sure you acquire many recognisable British brands in your portfolio as soon as possible. Many agencies seem to require this regardless of the fact that you have international brands. How is Microsoft not a recognisable brand – go figure. I guess the requirement should definitely apply if you are applying to agencies working with FMCG brands.
· Make sure you find a decent agent to represent you. They seem to be far and few between.
· Never stop updating your portfolio – what’s great today seems crap tomorrow.
· Don’t be afraid to network. Keep yourself informed of all industry events, whether showcases, speaker events or just general get-togethers. I meet up with a group of folks from different agencies every Thursday evening for drinks. It’s a great way to meet other creative’s and learn about their latest achievements and their companies.
Top places that you have found whilst out there?
This is advertising – I don’t believe that there is such a thing as a good or bad company. There is however good and bad creative.
Some great creative to surface out of London in the last while seems to be from the folks at Glue London, Goodtechnology, Lowe London. There’s plenty more but we all know who they are.
Predictions for the market.
If you are working within an online environment - good for you. Ad spend is definitely heading your way. Especially with the gloom on an English recession, marketers will gain greater reach online at lower costs, with the reassurance of measurable ROI. Consideration for the future of digital is film experience as the IPTV arena is growing rapidly, an area many above the line agencies will try and cash in on if not already.
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