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.
Nick Salter, Head of Strategy at Ogilvy NZ, turned up the heat this year. Here he looks back on lessons learnt and looks forward to seeing ideas come to fruition.
2022 summed up in three words…
Just getting started.
A personal achievement I’m most proud of in 2022…
Doing a live cooking class of bucatini al limone e scampi for 35 of my Trans-Tasman Ogilvy strategy colleagues over Teams, attempting to link kitchen wisdom with strategy. It’s scary enough presenting thinking on doing good strategy to your highly intelligent peers, let alone cooking haute cuisine at the same time. (I’ve got a recipe for both if you’re interested — DM me.)
The first year as Head of Strategy at Ogilvy NZ has taught me…
To be ok with being more open and vulnerable with my tradecraft. To show how the sausage gets made, if you will.
A highlight of 2022 was…
Our pitch win streak.
How did this year’s events change the way you approach/view strategy work?
If anything this year reinforced the prerequisite for brutal simplicity in strategic thinking. It’s easy to get caught up in a rabbit warren of complexity and nuance, but solving for complexity simply (and of course creatively) is what will always be most impactful.
Who did great things creativity-wise in 2022?
Ruben Östlund. Triangle of Sadness is utter genius. Also just to be sycophantic for a second: Jack & Jono, our young creative team, absolutely crushed it this year with some killer ideas that I can’t wait to see IRL.
What do you think were the biggest lessons brands learned in 2022?
Not being suckers for the hype. Just because everyone else is doing it DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD TOO.
Best innovation/invention/launch of 2022…
For turning a hardware limitation into a killer piece of UX/UI: Apple’s Dynamic Island.
Best launch? Hands down season six of Better Call Saul.
Biggest mistake marketers will make in 2023…
Doubling down on deficit mindsets (exacerbated by a recession). Choosing to see problems instead of potential. Prioritising immediate sales over investing in brand building (you should do both, btw). Seeing marketing as a cost to be cut as opposed to a worthy investment in a growth engine.
Most rewarding moment career-wise this year was…
Boring answer: winning some awards for a few bits of work that’s gone out the door.
Real answer: doing it all with a bunch of bloody good humans by my side.
A person who inspired me the most this year was…
My wife, Kate!
In 2023 I want to perfect the art of…
Lost-wax glass casting.
Quick fire 10
Most memorable local campaign: Summer Never Sleeps — Kathmandu
Favourite international campaign: Save Ralph — Humane Society
Campaign I wish I worked on: Get Fucked By The Government On Your Terms — Dame
Best news of 2022: The Black Ferns crushing it at the RWC
Biggest flop of 2022: Elon Musk
Top artist on Spotify Wrapped: Bonobo
Best part of being back in the office: Culture!
A 2022 trend I’m looking forward to leaving behind: web3 fuckbois
Furthest place travelled in 2022: By the time this goes to press it’ll be Scotland!
Best book I read in 2022: Blindsight by Peter Watts
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