‘Australia is constipated’ and needs to apply innovation and creativity to the economy: Russel Howcroft
“We are constipated”, declared Russel Howcroft at Interbrand’s Best Global Brands event. “Hands up who finds it hard to get stuff done? Fuck how hard is it to get stuff done? It’s actually become endemic. It’s actually become a core part of our culture is to deflect and to defer.”
Howcroft’s keynote addressed the issue of the lack of innovation and creativity in the Australian economy, which has become more apparent in light of shrinking marketing budgets.
“There’s a problem right now. We’re not going to be a highly complex economy… We do however need to apply innovation and creativity in order to get our economy more complex by simply adding value to what it is we’re good at,” Howcroft said.
He had me, spot on, right up until the point he reminded me that he literally sees everything through the prism of “brand”. I spose that’s his strength. On a side note, this isn’t a criticism, but Howcroft reminds me of that old Bobcat Goldthwaite joke when he visited some years ago: “Australia only has like 5 celebrities, they just keep changing jobs.”
To be fair this talk was given at ‘Interbrand’s Best Global Brands event’
Point taken.
Right on, Russell. You’re not hard to disagree with at any time, but you’ve hit the nail on the head.
Some good points from Russell.
There is no reason why Australia shouldn’t lead the world in areas other than mining and exporting raw materials such as solar power for instance.
We could be the ‘Smart Country’ rather that the Lucky Country.
It just requires a bit of political will, a change of collective attitude and a few tax breaks.
None of this will ever fly while we have right wing governments whose every action (let’s not call them policies, unless attributing them as such to their creators, the IPA) is designed to to dumb down and divide the public, because a dumb populace is far easier to manipulate and control. Given the way Labor is moving steadily to the right, Russel needs to establish his own political party to try and get his ideas implemented.
Just a reminder that the ad agency planning role was launched in Australia in 1966 and, together with the two UK pioneers’ efforts in 1967-68, was recognised as the most important and powerful management innovation in the advertising industry in the past half century or more. By the way, Russel, the new role was conceived at Unilever Australia in 1965, the year of your birth!
Russel’s keynote was eye opening in terms of the opportunity that sits in front of all Australian Marketers & brands. The battle of reduced budgets, the push to do more with less, conservative ‘play it safe’ decision makers and very few brands being “bold” is REAL. Strong work Nathan Birch and the Interbrand team.
Hmmm, that’s very good, Russel, but it seems that apart from some world class medical and IT innovations, Australians are not very good at adding value. Turns out that we can’t build cars or even run a major brewery, for instance, although our wine industry has done very well. Our retailers are being slaughtered by global newcomers, our banks cheat us, our national sports teams no longer dominate on the world stage and our educational standards decline year on year.
And you think ‘more creative’ advertising and marketing are the solution…..
Regurgitating the same old nonsense since 1983.
Game has changed Russel. Time to retire mate.
Does anyone know where to get the original version of the GDP chart? I’d love to look closely at it
Russel Howcroft and “iconic moves”.
They’ll get you moving.
what a shame commentator hasnt the balls to put a name to the comment obviously mr howcroft has seated coward commentator
many times in the past .l found his presentation honest,intellegent
and confronting