WATT? 303 AIMS TO BE A HOT SHOP

303 Sydney, which was created by merging McNabb Advertising and the remnants of FNL Communications in August last year, is hoping to join the creative hierarchy of Australia with the surprise hire of Cannes Grand Prix winning executive creative director Julian Watt from Net#work BBDO, Johannesburg, one of the world’s hottest agencies.

Watt will partner ex Ogilvy London planner Jon McKie, who recently joined 303 as group managing director.

Watt recently told CB: “If all we needed to do was advertise, we’d simply make more ads. Surely there’s more value our clients can add?”

Some of these things included last year’s Cannes Outdoor Grand Prix, the Nedbank Solar paneled billboard that powered a kitchen to feed a school of 1100 daily. Another was a nifty piece of software called JOBSAVER, that created the impression that you’re hard at work, when actually you’re catching ZZZs at your desk. He regards both as vital to human survival.

At only 33, and with numerous Cannes Lions to his name, Watt is seen as one of a new breed of creatives, with a thirst to engage consumers with fresh entertaining channel-neutral ideas. He has been recognised as one of the top three creative directors in South Africa and Net#work BBDO under his creative directorship was recognised as South Africa’s Agency of the Year five of the past six years. Watt has also been recognised as one of the most influential marketing people in South Africa.

Says Jon McKie: “As we head towards re-engineered creative departments we wanted a creative director who believes in the diversity of channels and the primacy of ideas. In South Africa Julian ran a creative department of over 30 that included authors, songwriters, journalists, clothing designers, photographers and illustrators. What we really love about Julian is that he’s one of the brightest creative talents in the world today, one of the new generation of genuinely media neutral CDs who has grown up with digital and one to one. Julian will play a key creative role across all 303’s in-house disciplines.”

Watt says he was drawn to 303 by its unique approach to campaign development: “303 is demonstrating that an unsiloed, open, collaborative culture that embraces smart strategic thinking and channel neutral planning together with a breadth of creative disciplines can offer up more exciting and effective solutions to its clients.

“Besides that, I found the depth of talent and the non hierarchical structure grounded and refreshing. They’ve built one of Australia’s most exciting agencies and the market is beginning to recognise their potency. We have a great story to tell.”

Says Julian about future trends in advertising and the industry in general: “New media hasn’t replaced traditional media, it has just given us a bigger canvas. Clients actually want and need ‘ideas’, not just executions. It’s not preposterous to consider an ad agency creating a product that lives beyond a media plan.”

 Watt’s recruitment further signals the rising fortunes of the Group headed by Nick Cleaver. Since his arrival, 303 has attracted a wealth of new talent: McKie joined six months ago from Ogilvy London and most recently Melanie King left DDB’s Mango to head up the group’s new PR offering. Besides opening a Sydney office, 303 has attracted a raft of new clients, winning more new business last year than any other independent agency in Australia. It now claims to be Australia’s largest independent agency.