‘I really worry about creativity in this business’: McCann’s Nicole Taylor on the importance of diversity
Nicole Taylor, who joined McCann Australia as its CEO in June last year, has told a room of aspiring advertising executives she worries “about creativity in this business”.
Acknowledging her comment sounded “like a cliche”, Taylor explained she sees creativity being “done better in other places”.
Nicole Taylor, The Monkeys Melbourne’s Paul McMillan, Special Group’s Lindsay Evans and Richards Rose’s Digby Richards
“I see it in organisations and industries other than advertising and I see amazing talent being attracted to those businesses.
“I worry about that because at the heart of our business, if we don’t have brilliant, creative people then we can’t really offer the value that we promise our clients,” Taylor said at the Communications Council’s Hunting with One Bullet panel.
Letting the independent agencies “off the hook”, Taylor said during her time at multinational network agencies – including DDB, WPP and Dentsu – she has felt the industry “almost removing the edges”.
“We are attracting these people who have to be really good with the clients, who have to be really good with strategy, as well and yes, we need you to knock it out of the park with your ideas, and all of a sudden there is this list of demands that I think becomes a little unrealistic for how we create, attract and nurture talent.”
McCann Australia’s CEO said “unfortunately” she hasn’t seen the industry embrace enough diversity.
“Do we have enough diversity? Are we encouraging them to have a vision? Are we supporting them to be bold and brave in their ideas? What do we do? And unfortunately I have probably seen enough of the opposite, where we are almost smoothing that out.”
Taylor was previously the Sydney CEO at DDB
Taylor encouraged the industry and its leaders to be “more inspired by the creative business” rather than by management consultants, “who are consultants and accountants”.
The consultants have made major plays in the creative space over the last few years, which began when Accenture bought The Monkeys in 2017.
Later that year RXP purchased The Works and Deloitte raided McCann Melbourne for its top talent to launch a creative and media offering.
Last year, PwC took a minority stake in creative agency Thinkerbell.
Despite this, Taylor argued management consultants “don’t have creative cultures, they don’t have and support the weirdos and the different. That’s not how it works”.
Taylor said she wants to attract diverse talent and “offer them something of value, which is a career that is amazing and challenging and at its best it can change the world.
“Second of all, look for people who have gone the tough road, the hard road.
“Sometimes we just live in our own bubble and it really bothers me. It bothers me because I think we need to have more friction in us, more tension, more attitude, just more belief.
“The more difference we have in this industry, the better we will be.”
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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“. . . management consultants ‘don’t have creative cultures, they don’t have and support the weirdos and the different. That’s not how it works’ ”. Most companies don’t either.
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The more she says the better this industry is.
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What Nicole has said in Advertising is the same in so many other industries that have forgotten why and who they are in the business for in the first place.
Making money by doing what ever shouldn’t start with “If I can do that cheaper and with some smart trickery then I can make lots of money from my clients”
Thats very 80s and 90s thinking and it shows up even more in marketing and advertising.
So much marketing in Australia still looks like it has come from the 90s board room, Male , pale and stale.
Alternatively its also clear when a campaign has started with a great idea with the end consumer clearly in mind and the rest has been taken away from the creative process.
Does that still happen these days?
I think its called being disruptive.
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the management of agencies and the management of consultants are ultimately the same type. agencies seem to have forgotten their leaders are generally administrators or finance people now – just like consultants are.
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All the senior creatives are men. So, that’s not diversity, is it?
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“Taylor said she wants to attract diverse talent” – Speaking as an agency copywriter of several years and a disability advocate, it’s not just in the agency where we need more diverse talent. The CREATIVE PROCESS needs more diversity. Our copy needs to start reflecting our culture. Not just because it’s socially responsible, but because it’s a very smart and profitable business strategy.
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Brava Nicole Taylor.
I have worked with some of the greatest creatives in the business for over many years. I have also done a lot of schlock ( for the money) for a good many corporate go places type people who managed to hold the job down but had less idea about creative than a smoked mullet.
Diversity is very important, a wide mix of truly artistic endeavor must work within a commercial frame. There can be no argument that men are better creatives than women or vice-versa, we live in a world of people, and diversity is key.
I have sometimes been inclined to think that Australia is afraid of “arty farty” or “airy fairy” to the point of a kind of creative phobia.
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I just looked at McCann’s key creative people. They ARE all men. Please explain your definition of ‘diversity’.
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Yes, there is a ring of truth in what you say, but there is also a danger of creativity becoming a socio-political soft propaganda machine.
We do it already when we pander to social and political correctness, making it unlikely that the kind doctor will be a male doctor, and ensuring that the person doing the home laundry will be a stay at home dad (a house husband) There well may be a case for either or both, but there is the problem of manipulation for PC or lobby group pandering for safety reasons.
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The definition of diversity runs well beyond gender.
Would an agency whose creative people were all women be better?
Would a creative team of 50% men and 50% women be ideal?
I imagine that your question is more politically oriented than creative, and if so, I can understand why and I can sympathize. Creativity has many components to its definition, but in essence, it’s largely an art form, with a spoonful of science.
I think gender mix is desirable, but it is less about numbers and more about the freedom of the individuals to explore, share, and contribute. Creativity suffers when it is bridled by convention or politics of any kind.
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Thanks Richard, but with all due respect, I wasn’t asking you. And no it’s not politically motivated. I’m just sick to death of people ‘talking’ about diversity and not actually doing anything about it. There are talented female creatives who are looked over time and time again because… why? It’s very easy to write an article about diversity, but when you are not actively promoting it, it’s very hollow indeed.
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