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Sarah Collinson is CEO of Havas New York. She’s also worked at JOAN Creative, Anomaly, and adam&eveDDB.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? Like Mad Men, but with fewer lunchtime martinis, and worse clothes.
Favorite project you’ve worked on? In general, I love anything that excites and interests people outside of the ad industry. We have a saying at Havas: “Will it make the group chat?” That is what marketers need to be chasing, whether it’s by effectively playing in culture or creating something so interesting that it can’t be ignored. One that stands out from my past agency life is the famous John Lewis Christmas campaigns. They became such a moment—the whole of the UK would wait with bated breath for the launch, newspapers would speculate about the storyline and music, and the track always went to No. 1. It created culture rather than just being along for the ride.
Another wonderful recent example of this is the work Havas does with NewYork-Presbyterian hospital. When NY had a blood shortage earlier this year (something the city faces often, so please donate!) the hospital partnered with Dominique Ansel, the inventor of the cronut. Together, they created the hottest new treat, offered exclusively to people after giving blood in place of the usual cookie. It got incredible coverage and, more importantly, it smashed benchmarks, bringing people in to donate by playing into the hype culture and exclusive drops of NYC. A very smart solution to solve a pressing crisis.
What’s your favorite ad campaign? Sony’s “Color Like No Other.” A series of truly beautiful pieces of film that broke through everything else and positioned Sony as a true leader. The bouncing balls execution was what made me want to get into the industry and really chase my first job at Fallon London.
One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I was on a game show at age 11 called Get Your Own Back, and I slimed my mum. Sorry mum.
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What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? I am a very positive person, so I’m optimistic about most things. I believe in humanity and that we learn from errors and adapt to new situations and challenges if we face them head-on.
I am optimistic that brilliant creativity is not getting taken over by robots—lazy headlines and mediocre ideas will. The GenAI explosion is a much-needed kick in the pants to an industry who became too reliant on short term and performance. Now, even the smallest brand or individual can deliver content at scale pretty much at the drop of a hat, so marketers are again realizing they need to be interesting to stand out. Long live great ideas.
These days, a lot of people in the industry are nervous and don’t want to take risks. Brand marketers are worried about their jobs and are relying on testing more and more. Testing can be extremely useful, but if it becomes the sole decider for creativity, there is a problem. And in the current climate, agencies are nervous about losing clients and so bring safe solutions rather than something challenging. In uncertain times, playing it safe can sometimes be the most dangerous thing for a brand, and for an agency, it means you are playing at the level of a vendor, just answering a brief rather than being a true business partner. This is the opposite of how these relationships should work. We all have to make an effort to bring back bravery, even though it’s sometimes the hardest option at the time.
What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? Uncensored CMO by Jon Evans. This podcast conducts deep dives with some of the best marketers on the planet, both on the brand and agency side. I always leave with something interesting, and 90% of the time, I send the episode to about eight people, insisting they listen to some section or other.
Update 11/19/2024: This piece has been updated to better reflect what marketing trends Sarah is most and least optimistic about.