Saatchi & Saatchi’s Mike Spirkovski on being the best agency in APAC

The Drum, in partnership with Twitch, is revealing who has topped our 2022 World Creative Rankings – the definitive guide to advertising’s most creative brands, agencies and people. Earlier this week, we revealed the 200 top agencies in the world. Here we get better acquainted with the best agency in the Asia Pacific region and seventh in the world, catching up with Saatchi & Saatchi Australia’s Mike Spirkovski.While ideas for award-winning campaigns such as Donation Dollar take years to make, there are always other ideas in the pipeline or in production to keep Saatchi & Saatchi Australia busy. The agency’s chief creative officer Mike Spirkovski says 2021 was a very busy year for his team as they worked across many client partnerships. For example, the agency created several campaigns for Toyota, launching sponsorships with ‘Breaking Point’ for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. It also created a new product launch for the Toyota Landcruiser 300 with ‘This Landcruiser Drives us Home.’“We also went live with ‘Made from Melbourne’ and developed a bespoke one-off Maton guitar, along with a feature-length documentary to help save live music venues,” explains Spirkovski.“Then we launched the new Ampol to Australia after decades out of market. There are more projects in the pipeline for brands like Ancestry and NRMA, which I can’t really talk about just yet, but should hopefully launch later this year.”The Covid-19 pandemic was also a major factor for the agency, admits Spirkovski, as it was new for everyone and took them by surprise. However, being human, Spirkovski and his colleagues quickly went into problem-solving mode and found new ways to continue to make effective work. “It was just a little harder; we had to try swimming in unknown waters and accept different pathways. In the end, it worked and many other great agencies around the world did the same and excelled to deliver brilliant work too. The power of creativity can solve just about anything if you allow it to,” he explains.“Saatchi & Saatchi Australia has been producing excellent work for many decades and way before my time here. And the agency will continue to do so for many years to come. At Saatchi & Saatchi, we stand by our belief that ‘Nothing is Impossible’ and approach every brief as an opportunity to do something memorable and successful, no matter how challenging.”In the 2022 World Creative Rankings by The Drum, Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne came in as the best agency in the Asia Pacific region and seventh in the world, largely due to its Donation Dollar campaign, which is one of the most awarded ads in the past year.Spirkovski says it is a rewarding feeling for the entire agency and team, especially when considering the amount of effort and care that goes into delivering high-grade work. “It’s also great inspiration for the agency and our client partners to strive for even greater work the following year, and to never give up on trying to make an impact,” he adds.“A huge thank you to all of the award show judges and industry publications and journalists who have awarded and recognized Saatchi & Saatchi Australia and our work as some of the best in the world.”Sharing his advice for creatives and creative agencies in and outside of Australia, Spirkovski says they should never give up and always push harder than they did the last time. “Don’t listen to the non-believers and continue to persuade with powerful ideas. Encourage and inspire those who really care about having an impact by making something important and memorable.“As an industry, agencies are becoming replicas of each other with a slightly different logo. We need to find a way to retain our individuality and hold on to what sets us apart from each other. Be confident in yourself, your people and your ideas. Stand out and suddenly everyone wants you. It’s not that hard to be yourself, and it feels good too.”

Saatchi & Saatchi’s Mike Spirkovski on being the best agency in APAC

By Shawn Lim | Reporter, Asia Pacific

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