Year in Review: Jonathan Devereux, Mi9

Every year, StopPress asks players in the local industry for their reflections on the year that was. Here’s what Jonathan Devereux, Programmatic Manager at Mi9, had to say.

1. Favourite local campaign

I’m a fan of the Chorus “Fibre, it’s how we internet now” ad. I’ve had a few people mention it in passing and I think the relatable humour does the trick in these interesting and troubled times.

2. Favourite international campaign

Love the new Volvo ad “A terrible idea”. Volvo opened up the patent on the three-point seat belt so all carmakers could use it rather than milking it for profit which is commendable, so I’m glad they’re tooting their horn about it in their latest ad.

3. Least favourite campaign

Anything to do with “one weird trick doctors hate”.

4. Pick three words to describe 2020

Working from home.

5. Most memorable moment from lockdown?

Looking out from my apartment and seeing Queen St completely barren, very surreal, it felt a lot like a scene from 28 Days Later.

6. First thing you did in Level 1?

Nothing of note heading into Level 1, I remember a cheeky MaccyD’s on the first day of Level 3 though! The lines were very long, and it was not as good as I had imagined it would be.

7. First place you’ll travel to when borders open?

Thailand, my partner and I were planning to travel there right before the lockdowns began, we’re lucky we decided to see how Covid played out before finalising our booking.

8. Heroes of 2020

Uber Eats drivers, when you’re unable to dine out due to lockdown, the real heroes saved me from my own cooking.

9. Villains of 2020

Covid super-spreaders, imagine going to a crowded event in the middle of a pandemic.

10. What have you learnt about the world this year?

Humans are not as omnipotent as previously assumed; it will be interesting when antibiotic resistance becomes a bigger problem, it feels like it is just around the corner.

11. What personality trait got you in the most trouble this year? 

It is probably best to not announce any controversial qualities I may or may not have, to the internet.

12. What achievement are you most proud of this year?

Mi9 as a team have done well in the face of some tough advertising conditions. We had our biggest day ever this Black Friday, which is encouraging considering the environment.

13. Silver lining of 2020? 

Working from home.

14. Lamest trend of 2020

The rise of LinkedIn “Influencers”, I’m very close to implementing a Gary Vaynerchuk quote = Instant Unfollow rule, it’s surprising how short it took for LinkedIn’s feed to look as superfluous as Facebook’s.

15. Best innovation

Microsoft Teams, it’s really helped our team navigate lockdowns and remain productive while working from home.

16. What died in 2020? 

International holidays (clearly still bitter about the Thailand trip).

17. Guilty Netflix obsession?

I haven’t watched much Netflix at all to be honest, The Queen’s Gambit was good, don’t feel guilty about it though!

18.  Twitter or Instagram?

Twitter, it’s a great place to get diverse viewpoints on any number of things, the only caveat being you actually have to add people with diverse viewpoints.

19. What should be uninvented?

TikTok, I guess I must be getting old, as I don’t see the appeal.

20. What’s the biggest mistake advertisers will make in 2021?

Not adequately preparing for a cookie-less world, I imagine Duopoly will have a solution baked into their stack, but I still think it is going to have a significant impact on the total available data and change up how campaigns will be planned, bought and measured.

Year in Review is brought to you by Discovery New Zealand.

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