Andy Lark on how agencies lose clients, the CommBank rebrand and why you shouldn’t work for arseholes
This week we launch a new video and podcast series featuring the best of the Mumbrella360 conference.
We begin with our keynote interview with CommBank’s chief marketing officer Andy Lark.
Lark: Don't waste your time working somewhere that doesn't inspire you
In the video highlights, Andy Lark on:
- Why agencies lose clients by failing to systematically track the relationship;
- The story of the CommBank rebrand around the word “Can”;
- The marketers he respects in a “bitchy, whiny environment”;
- How his team told him they were unhappy with the arrangement with agency Goodby Silverstein;
- How he’s seen NAB’s “Break Up” strategy many times before;
- The problem of anonymity;
- Careers advice: “Don’t waste your time working somewhere that doesn’t inspire you. Don’t work for arseholes. Leave.”
You can hear the full 42 minutes of interview and audience Q&A on the Mumbrellacast below.
- Mumbrella360 returns on June 5 and 6, 2013.
You can also subscribe to The Mumbrellacast on iTunes and other podcatchers.
Direct link to Mumbrella’s iTunes store listing for the podcast 
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large. He returned to Mumbrella as Publisher in January 2025
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You know Andy knows stuff because he’s holding a coffee from Workshop Espresso, just outside the Hilton. Barry @ Workshop makes the best coffee in Sydney.
http://www.au.timeout.com/sydn.....p-espresso
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… that around the 7-minute mark that the only acceptable score is 9-out-of-10?
Morgan has CBA’s customer satisfaction at 77.2%, and for Business Banking it was 61.5%.
QED.
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How ironic that Andy says the break-up campaign is an old idea when Saatchi’s have done ‘Can’ offshore several times
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Andy… thanks. Just made my Friday. How lucky are Ikon
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Thanks Andy…just reaffirmed my decision to move on!
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I love this line:
“Don’t waste your time working somewhere that doesn’t inspire you. Don’t work for arseholes. Leave.”
Never a truer word has been said.
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Archie, I think you missed the point, he’s saying that old vs new doesn’t matter if it’s the right strategy to solve the marketing problem
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Hey Andy if you are looking for good marketing people who know about banking, you should look this young girl up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx5Sc3vWefE
She has a really grip on some of the issues with banks and their customers.
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Don’t work for arseholes? Guess I better leave the marketing industry then..
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straight up. simple. refreshing
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Good message in any business
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To all those arseholes out there who I worked for: may you live in interesting times…………..’til the karma gets you.
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Like what he’s got to say! I’m a fan
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Seems to be a lot of moderating going on here.
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Since when is a new marketing communication, i.e. a fresh ad campaign, become a “rebrand” for Commonwealth bank?
The new campaign may be trying to reposition the brand, or more pertinently, distance itself from the previous Goodby work by adding a new tagline, but this new campaign execution does not maketh a”rebrand”.
A brand is much bigger than the latest ad campaign.
Poor.
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Whenever a new CMO is appointed to a big marketing gig, they always have two things on their to do list.
1-Fire old and hire new Agencies, and
2-Launch a new slogan.
Seldom are either done for the benefit of the brand, but rather for the CMO.
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Solid thinking Andy Lark on creating well enjoyed brands. Especially of note the things Andy is “Sick and tired of,” and sensible advice on “assholes” but the rest is right on the mark as well. Well done, Andy Lark! We love it!
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