Year in Review 2022: Gavin Becker

Each year, StopPress asks a group of talented professionals in the local industry for their reflections on the year that was. Brought to you by NZME, this year we speak to individuals who made their mark on 2022 and brought us truely impactful work.

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It has been a big year for Gavin Becker. Not only did he officially become a New Zealand citizen, he also took on the role of Managing Director at Digitas a mere eight months ago. Here he reflects on some of the stand out moments of 2022.

2022 summed up in three words…

Brave new world

A personal achievement I’m most proud of in 2022…

Becoming a New Zealand citizen. 

I will remember 2022 as the year…

That was 2021’s dark, antagonistic twin. 

Eight months as Managing Director at Digitas has taught me…

That we’re just scratching the surface of what’s on the other side of the pandemic and the need to not only re-think, but act in new ways across company, culture and capability.  

We’re in a period of re-invention, innovation and adaptation and, at first blush, it seems daunting because it’s new and unknown, but I’m finding it to be one of the most exciting moments of my career. 

How did this year’s events change the way you approach digital experiences?

How we approach them hasn’t changed, but how we’re thinking about them has. As the world comes back to physical places and interactions after a nearly two-year hiatus of being practically digital-only, new realities and expectations have emerged – in particular: 

• sustainable solutions that last, grow and become indispensable
• continuous, non-linear orchestration across moments, messages and experiences
• scalability of value for organisations and their customers/consumers 

Who did great things digital-wise this year?

Midjourney.

Self-described as “an independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species,” Midjourney has created an AI-powered system that creates images from user prompts. In fact, it does it so well that a US  artist won an art competition using it. The backlash and debate it’s sparked speaks volumes about the sheer potential a tool like this can offer. 

What were the biggest lessons brands learned in 2022?

There was a lot of mixed results this year – so I can’t say for certainty if these are lessons that need to be learned or the anamoly that is 2022. 

However, one that stands out in a year that saw increasing prices due to material shortages, supply chain failures and a general panic among businesses is over-investment in promotion. A lot of brands over-reacted by driving price promotions to goose short-term sales at the expense of long-term brand building. Consider yourself lucky if you didn’t fall into that trap.

Best innovation/invention/launch of 2022…

ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that can write a press release, code, even help decorate your home. It uses plain language, making it easy for almost anyone to get into the mix with. 

Biggest mistake marketers will make in 2023…

Over-investing time, energy and money in TikTok.

A proud moment for the Digitas team this year?

One of our goals this year has to become an agency worth belonging to – for our team members and clients alike. If our satisfaction scores and industry recognitions like Campaign’s 2022 Specialist Agency of the Year are any indications, then we’re knocking it out of the park. 

A person who inspired me the most this year was…

Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In 2023 I want to perfect the art of…

Negotiation. It may very well be the only leg I have left to stand on with my 10-year-old daughter. 

Quick fire 10

Most memorable local campaign:

Skinny’s Phone It In campaign. 

Favourite international campaign:

Reddit and Coinbase for their Superbowl campaigns. It’s nice to see some simple, effective innovation in non-interactive channels like TV adverts. 

Campaign I wish I worked on: 

The Unfiltered History Tour, Vice.

Best news of 2022: 

The launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Biggest flop of 2022: 

Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter.

Top artist on Spotify Wrapped: 

The Meters (specifically, 1974’s album Rejuvenation).

Best part of being back in the office:

That there isn’t an expectation that we need to be in the office. We’re back in the office because we want to be, not because we have to be. 

A 2022 trend I’m looking forward to leaving behind:

Rising inflation.

Furthest place travelled in 2022: 

Fiji.

Best book I read in 2022: 

Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson for the third time. I felt I needed to re-read it given it coined the word ‘metaverse.’

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