This story was originally published in the Spring 2023 issue of strategy.
Every year, strategy’s Creative Report Card tracks and tallies the awards taken home by agencies, advertisers and creatives over the past year to help the marketing community know who’s at the top of their game. This week, we are talking to this year’s cream of the crop to get their thoughts on creativity, challenges and the secret sauce to creating a winning shop. You can see interviews with the other honourees here, and be sure to check out the full rankings.
Aaron Starkman
Partner, Chief Creative Officer, Rethink
#1 CCO
#1 Agency
How important is it to take creative risks?
The riskiest thing a brand can do is come off as boring. Brands that have partnered with us did so because they already believed that creativity is good for business. But there’s a considerable difference between simply asking clients to “be brave” versus following a repeatable process that yields the kind of work that stands out and is highly effective.
At Rethink we’ll never tell our clients to take on crazy risks. Any time breakthrough work for a brand goes to market, people incorrectly assume substantial risks were taken by the brand team. Frankly, the Rethink process was designed and refined to take much of the risk out of getting to exciting ideas that deliver results.
What is the Rethink creative process?
Well Chris, Tom and Ian wrote an entire book on this – available on Amazon and major book stores – but here it is in a nutshell: After ideas have been conceived and peer reviewed under the lens of C.R.A.F.T.S. (clear, relevant, achievable, fresh, true, shareable), we share five to seven ideas with the brand team called “shallow holes.” At this stage our client partners suggest one or two shallow holes to dig deeper on. Eventually, there is a familiar “ta da” presentation with blown-out work, but because the brand team is involved early in the creative process, there are never any surprises during that meeting.
As the agency’s creative leader, what’s the most important thing you can do to set your agency up to be successful?
Leaders are repeaters. Whether I’m meeting an intern, talking to our creative directors, having a coffee chat with future Rethinkers or talking to press outlets, I will repeat why I think this is a special place, highlighting our values and process until I’m basically blue in the face. Leaders are repeaters. Did I already say that?
Why so much consistent success in recent years?
We’re all singing from the same song sheet. Every office, every Rethinker, every role in the agency, including accounting. Frankly, I haven’t seen anything like it since I got into the business, and it’s the biggest reason for our success the last few years.
What creative work do you do in your own time?
I host a podcast called It’s Only Fucking Advertising where I chat with other creative leaders from around the world about their journey and provide advice for students, marketers and agency professionals. I love having a different kind of creative challenge outside Rethink and IOFA satisfies that.
But! I don’t need it anymore. I don’t need to paint, create art installations, do poetry or anything else. In fact, in order to fully recharge for work, I run away from anything creative. I think it’s important to take true mental breaks. My preferred formula is beach, book and phone locked in hotel mini safe. After four days, I come back recharged, and laser focused on tackling written goals.
The biggest challenge you faced in the last year?
Sorry to get real here, but my mom Eleanor unexpectedly passed away this year. It was personally challenging, for sure. During the weeks and months that followed I got closer with my sisters. One thing I didn’t expect to happen is that I also got closer with my partners at Rethink and so many other people here. Rethinkers had my back this year and I’ll never forget it. I know “work family” is over-used. But for me Rethink is family and I’m so grateful for it.
What work or project did you admire most from the previous year that neither you nor anyone else at your agency worked on?
Easiest question of all time. Apple’s detective spot.
Rethink also took the top spot in other CRC categories:
#1 Creative Director: Mike Dubrick is an inspired contrarian
#1 Planner: The playmaker, Sean Mcdonald
#1 Art Director & #1 Copywriter: Zachary Bautista and Geoff Baillie are the creative culture hackers