Love our work: Jimmy Williams on the wild bar scene at Innocean

The humble ute is one of Australia’s most popular vehicles. Whether you’re a farmer or someone who likes to pick things up from the side of the road, the right ute will find its way to you.

KIA and Innocean recognised a gap in the market and took the opportunity to remind Australians of their beloved car with the help of some sporting legends.

Jimmy Williams, art director at Cocogun, admires Innocean’s courage and artistry. The vehicle is not seen once, but in a noisy pub where patrons are debating what the new SUV should be called.

Jimmy spoke with LBB’s Casey Martin about the craft featured in the spot.

LBB> First, why do you like this work in particular? Does it solve a problem in a creative way? Does it make you jealous? I want to hear your professional and personal opinion on why this work is great!

Jimmy> I love it when agencies go all out with briefs that you wouldn’t normally think of as a big ‘creative opportunity’ and the launch of the new KIA ute is a great example of what can be achieved with that. KIA is a well-known brand but not known for its advertising. This work made me jealous and I suddenly and unexpectedly wished for a car brief. And as for my personal jealousy… doing this ad would have meant getting to know the faces that made up about 70% of the wall space in my childhood bedroom.

LBB> What do you think makes a great job?

Jimmy> Great work happens when you put your mind to it. From the early stages before the brief is even typed up, to the polished piece of work you show your grandma for Christmas. This campaign particularly caught my eye because you could tell that every stage had been thoroughly thought through.

The demise of the iconic Holden pickup left a gap in Australian culture that is hard to fill, especially by a foreign carmaker that has never built pickups. So KIA’s idea of ​​capitalising on our penchant for nicknames and sporting legends was a smart move. Directing so much sporting talent could have been a sport in itself, yet Ariel Martin managed to get performances out of them that were almost as good as their moments on the field (how good was Ash Barty’s dry line “I got it for a couple of weeks work”?!)

What I admired most, however, was their courage to create a spot for a car without showing it. Not at all. Not even its name (at least at first). They were confident in our faith in these Australian legends and left it at that. Showing the ute alongside them would have changed our perception of their role – from vessels of Australian culture to plain old advertising vehicles. It’s clear they cared enough about the subject matter to show restraint when necessary and as a result they rocked the category.

LBB> Do you think it is important to look beyond your own agency when looking for inspiration?

Jimmy> Absolutely. Seeing agencies produce groundbreaking work like this is often a good reminder for all of us in the advertising industry to work harder. I think it’s important to look at the people (and agencies) next to you because the standards are constantly rising and the goalposts are constantly shifting. People will now think twice before assuming that a car advert can just be a grab bag of cliches about freedom strung together with an 80s song. And that’s thanks to those who approached it differently.

Simply put, it’s just beautiful to see what can be revealed when we see others tearing down the wallpaper. And beyond the agency world, I think it’s imperative to look to other areas – art, sport, business and so on – for creativity and inspiration. Lately, I’ve been engaging with Larry David’s “Leave it, Larry!” Mainly because of the wealth of human truths. It makes me think more about how we treat and interact with each other and definitely influences the way I look at the things I make.

LBB> How do you refine your own creativity and how do you encourage the creativity of the team around you?

Jimmy> I often find that I can think creatively when I’m doing something completely uncreative. My mind can wander anywhere – so doing the dishes isn’t such a bad thing. There are also more and more games at Cocogun that help the team to loosen things up. I remember a talk by Alex Derwin where he mentioned the concept of “transient hypofrontality,” where you essentially take your mind off what you’re doing and come back to it with fresh eyes. And playing foosball does just that for many of us.