On My Radar: Nick Wright

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What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently and you think could be a contender in Cannes Lions 2016? 

I can't say there is one 'ad campaign' that really stands out. I thought Lidl did a great job at Christmas by injecting some humour into their campaign [below] and steering away from the overly worthy fluff that others were knocking out.

I'm also liking the new Baby Bay ad from Evian [below] and, irritating as it is (but I'm not necessarily a fan), the Just Eat TV/Radio ads are stuck in my head...

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

I'm obsessed with Rightmove. We've just bought a house but I still can't keep away - house window shopping. I also have other 'staples' - BBC, The Guardian and NME.COM (which has, for quite some time, been far superior to their printed offering).

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

My wife would say 'what hasn't he bought!?' I was at CES at the start of the year and went a little mad - Go Pros, VR, Wireless speakers... to be honest I'm holding off on VR, I'm not sure it's quite there yet, although I think Samsung are making the right moves by developing a platform and their own content.

The one I love the most? New CarPlay system [above] for the car. I'm pretty much locked into the Apple world so I was buzzing when they launched their in-car systems.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Depends. I switch and change but at the moment I'm loving Instagram, especially now they've updated it to allow dual accounts which is great if you want a private one just for family and friends.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

Deliveroo. My wife and I love eating out but we've just had a little boy so we're having quite a few (sleepless) nights in, so it's great to still be able to experience some of our favourite restaurants from the comfort of our domestic mayhem.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

The Walking Dead. I seem to have pretty much stalked Andrew Lincoln for the past 15 years - This Life, Teachers, The Walking Dead. My mate gifted me the first series. I wasn't sure about it at first, but now my wife and I are obsessed - as are all my mates. The key to a good series is owning that pub conversation, which The Walking Dead definitely does in my local.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Quadrophenia. I'm a mod at heart even if my thick, outward growing, ginger hair couldn't quite match up. I also love the fact that the whole movement is completely dismissed at the end.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

In bed. It takes me forever to switch off and I quite often wake in the night and have to write stuff down that has popped into my head.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The breaking down of silos and pointless tradition. The fact that nobody, because of what they call themselves, should really own the ideas or the creative process. I've seen great work come from 'non-creative' agencies and equally the opposite from the 'creative' agencies.

The influx of data into the creative process has also been massive, especially from a media POV. Some creatives hate it, I love it. Data helps cut out everything that you don't need to think about and, in my opinion, points you in the right direction.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

TVC defaulting. Nothing new, but still a challenge I think we face. TV is massively important and can deliver what other channels can't, but it shouldn't always be the starting point. We get so many briefs where we have to work from a TVC script to develop other channel ideas rather than starting with a central idea that answers a business need that all channels/activations can be built out from.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Change. I've swapped about a fair bit and also ran my own label/club nights on the side, which helps to create a reality away from an industry that can become a living parody.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

My dad was a massive golf fan and I'm named after a golfer (Nicholas of Jack Nicklaus [above] - I'm glad they switched the spelling) and my middle name is from a golf course (Andrew). As a result I ended up with the enormously creative name of Nicholas Andrew Wright.