Tuesday, April 04, 2006

CURIOUS EASTWOOD SPEAKS TO MADC


Matt Eastwood, the new National Creative Director and Vice Chairman DDB Australia and this year's MADC jury chairman, spoke at the MADC (Melbourne Art Directors Club) Chairman’s and Finalists Lunch yesterday at the Botanical, and called on all agency people to keep up with the rapidly evolving nature of the business by maintaining a curious mind.
“I believe curiosity is what makes us great. It’s about being open to new ideas. Curiosity encourages us to investigate. Interrogate. Invent. It’s about learning everything you can, such as the advancements in technology like blogs, podcasts and mobisodes and then applying it to our business.
“The different agencies within DDB Group create a vast pool of skill and lateral thinkers, from mass communication like Advertising and PR to on-to-one communications like direct marketing and to the virtual medium and health specialists and we need to take a combined responsibility for searching for ideas and sharing new thinking.
“I’ve started the ball rolling by sending out a weekly email called ‘What a Great Idea’. It’s usually a media-related idea that suggests a new way of delivering a marketing message and is an effective tool to awaken curiosity and raising awareness of advancements in our business. It’s already working; people in the agency are starting to think differently. Everyone is looking for ideas, not just creatives. Account managers, finance, studio people are all sending me emails about great ideas they’ve seen. It’s really causing a lot of talk in the agency and getting people excited.”
Showing film clips, exciting ads, graffiti and blog concepts from around the world, Eastwood spoke for about half an hour then took questions from the audience.
“Being curious is essential for creatives”, said Eastwood. “I know it’s a simple concept and there are people who will say ‘yeah, yeah this isn’t new!!’ but think about it – do we force ourselves to be curious or are we curious by nature? Those who are innately curious are the early adopters, the ones who spot the trends, sniff out new ideas, are in touch with all strata of life.
“Curiosity is how we can transform cultures, not just our own at agencies but, more importantly, our client partners. And for me, that’s reason enough to keep being curious,” Matt said.

30 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Would this thread be an appropriate place to discuss the MADC finalists?

3:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yes

4:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

MADC! Why bother? I went to MADC once and there was this crappy poster saying "Get off work early" and it was from ANZ bank. it won all the bloody awards! What's up with that? It's even worse than the london international, in fact, I think winning at MADC may even have the reverse effect on your career.

I mean if international CDs don't even look at Asian adfest or AWARD what the hell is an MADC going to achieve?

Sorry Melbourne, I'm not from Sydney and I'm not trying to bash your town but MADC should just give up now.

4:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I believe the line was "Leave work early" and that was 4 years ago. Awesome post tho 4.37pm.

Have the finalists for MADC been posted anywhere online?

4:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nike, Fosters and a couple others.

4:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yeah, yeah this isn’t new!!

4:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

madc's are absolutely WHACK!

what awards are 'city only'??

whos entering this years Christchurch (NZ) or Bristol (UK)
Art directors club awards? you cant enter if your from Auckland or London respectively but the works supposed to be red hot! so its worth alot!

Curious? errrr NO!

5:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Did Matt Eastwood do a video link-up from the Sydney Harbour? Just curious.

5:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Would love to reveal all, but I signed a confidentiality agreement at the lunch and if I breach it, I will be stripped of my MADC trophies and membership.

5:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a fucking immature bunch of sad junior tossers.

Learn your Australian Advertising History A1 before you blurt, losers.

The MADC was founded in the early 80's when Melbourne was still the creative heart of Australia, and there was a serious justification to have a local show to counterweight AWARD which was always seen as a Sydney Boys' Club.

Best of Show at MADC over the years include:

Only wool can do it. Mojo MDA.
All Creatures Great and Small. Leonardi & Curtis.
Transport Accident Commission. Grey Advertising. Yellow Pages. "Goggomobile" George Patterson
Spinal Tap - Nestle. Mojo Melbourne.
Yellow Pages outdoor Clemenger
Fried Eyes: Campaign Palace.
ANZ Bank Television Campaign M&C Saatchi
Berri Lawn. M&C Saatchi.
Run Rabbit Run. Publicis Mojo.
Dulux Ghost: Clemenger

All of them multiple AWARD and international winners. So what is your fucking point exactly? So Adelaide and Perth can have a local show and a city like Melbourne can't? What the fuck?

They are not without their flaws but when they get it right it's spot on. This years' best of show wil go to (you guessed it) a certain beer ad that's clearing all the shows around the world. MADC for bad or for worst, it's ours and it's here to stay. Now that AWARD has gone all kiwi and Asian, MADC remains a truly 100% Australian show.
It's a wank, but it's our wank, so piss off!!!!

8:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Spot on Bro, Melbourne Forever.

8:41 PM  
Blogger CB said...

A Big Ad Club indeed, the biggest in the land. But did you know the MADC was founded in 1955, not the early 80s to counteract AWARD? It's 50th anniversary was last year - we should have organised a party.

9:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

matt, watch that curiousity stuff, i've heard it kills cats.

12:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

in the eighties sydney played second fiddle to melbourrne. now both play second fiddle to Auckland

1:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fuck, no-one's pretending that MADC is Cannes or anything. But for people who question the validity of Melbourne agencies entering their own Melbourne show, I reckon it makes a shitload more sense than Melbourne (or sydney, perth, etc) agencies spending good money to enter barely relevant o/s shows like NYFestivals, Mobius etc.

In many ways it's a bit weird that pretty much every show in the world is now international or regional. Like, they just end up duplicating each other.

Really, what's the difference now between Cannes, OneShow and D&AD? Aside from the shape and weight of the awards, they're all doing the same thing as each other. Of course, we'd all give our right nut to win big at either show, but over time they're losing their distinctiveness.

AWARD is now like a poor man's international show, a bit like the Commonwealth Games. Kind of international, but the really big boys can't enter. Weird. It used to be Australia's best, now it's sort of quasi-regional/a bit global but not quite anything really.

Personally, I reckon we'd be better off with regional shows like MADC, PADC, doing away with AWARD altogether (it's neither Australian nor international) and then going straight to the major international shows.

Those questioning MADC's relevance should maybe consider the relevance of AWARD. With AdFest more than likely to become THE asia/pacific awards show, what's the point of AWARD?

7:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like playing with my fiddle.

There's so much hate in this world, shit award show here, stupid ad over there.

MADC, I couldn't give a toss about it. I've never entered it and I don't want to work in Melbourne. But I don't care that it exists. It's not my money going into it and I don't want to stop the industry getting together in Melbourne to get pissed and encourage good work.

As for Matt's 'curiosity' speech, I always find it hilarious when people pick up on a word and stretch it as far as they can.

Just look at what Kevin Roberts is doing with Saatchi. He's creating words. That'll be next for Matt.

Too funny. Well at least for little old me.

Out of curiosity, what graffiti was shown?

7:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank God for advertising 1.17am, because Auckland doesn't really have much else. Which is probably why you were on this blog in the middle of the night.

9:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

8.35 thanks for that rundown of madc's best of show 'great australian ads' that all pretty much went onto do jackshit overseas!

who really cares!?

the point is my foolish freind that there should be one decent awards in australasia
rather than all these diffused ones that hold no weight.

ive come over here from overseas and have won a few madc's that were entered
by the agencies i worked for at that time. i have never been and would never even put it on my cv as really if your anywhere else but melbourne it means absolutely nothing.

sorry just being honest. that is the reality

one world. one awards

have to dash, i now have to play my peace pipe!

9:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

madc finalists on the madc website now (for those who give a toss)

10:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Curious.

That's a word you read in personal ads isn't it?

Wonder what it means?

11:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok.

Let us for a moment assume we all love Big Ad. Let us also assume that we all have some respect for its creators grant and ant.

If MADC is so crap then why do these boys enter their work in it? I mean it's not like they're not going to win a crap load of other trophies for it all over the world, so why would they bother with the MADC awards?

They obviously still think it's relevant and worthwhile in some way.

I'm sure all those people who whinge and say its not relevant etc, either don't enter it, can't enter it or never win anything.

Maybe sydney should set up their own if they're feeling left out....SAD Club....oooh...ok...maybe not.

12:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Josh, get back to work.

12:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

12.05pm josh oh 'oh so BIGM very talented' robbins?

im sure grant & ant dont give a toss about madc's
all it is is, is big boys with their toy's - Spiller V Mcgrath
in a Melbourne agency face off - who cares!

the MADC is worthless and thats that, anyone who thinks they have hit the big time winning an madc is sadly mistaken.

It was almost embarassing last year when clemenger had almost every crap just jeans ad they had made in the finalists, with emma conveniently as president
and a guilty mike o'sullivan (who left the sinking ship of HMS clemenger in the lurch) as head of jury.

Everything about madc stinks.

1:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So, like, you can always tell when Josh Robbins is the hand behind the prose.

Eh Josh?

5:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's getting personal now, because, as usual, is the sad people that never win them or are not allowed to enter them that craps about how shite awards are.

6:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"People that downtalk award shows are like that kid on the playground that doesn't have a red ball, throws a tantrum and then says to the other kids "red balls are stupid"

Luke Sullivan

6:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

8.35 - do us a favour and retire you old fart

9:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"People who talk award shows are like that kid on the playground who has the only red ball, throws a tantrum and then says to the other kids "you're all stupid because you don't have a red ball"

Fluke Sullivan

6:08 PM

5:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm starting my own MADC.

It's going to be called My Art Director's Club. I've entered all my work, even my scamps, and I just got a call to say they've all gone gold.

You can enter too, if you like.

In fact, just for entering you are guaranteed a silver.

On my tiny planet, MADC rocks.

11:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Carlos the Jackel sneaks into Sydney?

12:50 PM  

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