Michael McEwan and Emma Robbins Believe Droga5 is “Sharp Edge Of The Creative Spear”

It’s been just over a year since Michael McEwan took up the mantle as director of Droga5 Melbourne, and he has “a greater appreciation now of just the depth of capability and also the breadth of different capability that sits in here.”

Looking back on the last year since he left his previous role as CEO of M+C Saatchi AUNZ, he said there was “not one particular thing I'm really proud of specifically”. Instead, it is “more about shaping this version of Droga5.”

“We're really hungry, we're really focused on being much more agile, and still maintaining those core values around care and craft. But also because we've got this incredible capability sitting behind us with Accenture Song, we’re really finding a way to make that as accessible as possible.”

Describing the creative talent in the agency as “phenomenal, across all the different offices,” Michael said, “The thing we love about this industry is when creative people put work on the table, you're like, ‘How did you come up with that?’ That is a great part of being at Droga5.”

Looking ahead, he wants to continue “broadening what the definition of this creative agency can be. We are strong believers that Droga5 is the sharp edge of the creative spear – it's a good place to be.”

The latest addition is ​Emma Robbins – in May, she was announced as Droga5 Melbourne’s new executive creative director. She rejoins Michael for what she laughs is the “third time around the advertising sun for us,” most recently working together at M+C Saatchi AUNZ, where Emma was CCO.

Droga5’s model was a particular drawcard for Emma, who told LBB “that really felt to me like where the industry is headed.”

“That older agency model, largely built around making campaigns, is what it is, but it just feels like clients need and are looking for much more than that now,” she said.

“This whole model is all about solving bigger business problems, creating experiences, and building relationships with customers. Obviously creativity needs to be at the heart of that, but then you start to be able to pull on all of those awesome tools here like technology, data, and AI – everything works together to do that.

“It felt like a very powerful combination for me, like the creative spirit of an indie, but the scale and intelligence of Accenture Song behind it. That was very attractive.”

Michael said of bringing Emma into an already “stacked” creative team, “She's an exceptional leader, but she's also a really generous one.

“Humanity is certainly a key part of Emma's leadership makeup and the way she approaches things. Anyone that's worked with her has pretty consistently fed that back. I think she's got really high standards around the work that you have to have in this role, but especially here at Droga5, because the teams that work with her and our clients will demand that.”

Emma said as an industry, “we should tip our hat to AI,” looking at it “as an opportunity, but also as a challenge that's facing the industry. I don't think it's avoidable.

“What's wonderful about it is it's giving us this ability to create hundreds of possibilities idea-wise, and it's allowing us to work faster and cheaper. In a world where we can make almost anything now, the real creative advantage is knowing what's worth making – I think judgement is going to be everything going forward. Knowing how to find the unexpected idea in a tidal wave of ideas, and understanding how it will move people.”

At the same time, she said when clients are “asking much bigger questions of agencies and they don't just want another campaign,” there is “a huge opportunity" for the industry “to stop thinking about creativity as a thing we make, and start thinking about how it's the thing that can change the outcome or have influence.

“It's going to take a lot of very clever, creative humans to do that, to keep doing that hand in hand with AI.”

Michael’s message was clear. “Droga5 is about humans and their judgement and their creativity. AI is a tool that we will use to our advantage, and we think we're in a pretty good place to be able to do that.

“That technology exists, we are fortunate to be within the world's largest creative technology business in Song. Having that capability to service our clients enables us to do things quicker and more efficiently for the tasks that require that. If anything, that frees up time to think, create, and make better decisions.”

As director of the Melbourne office, Michael works closely with his counterparts in Sydney and Auckland to “break down any divide” between the offices, saying the team “are a lot more connected than perhaps what they were.”

Even though the agency’s teams are inextricably linked, he said Melbourne as a market “has always punched above its weight creatively.”

“There's definitely a nuance in Melbourne, there's a thoughtfulness and a care in this market, especially around ideas that endure,” he said.

“It's a small town, everyone seems to know everyone. So the work that you do, you want to do work that matters. You want to do work that is doing the right things, achieving the right results.

“You only have to look at the types of businesses that are set up down here as their headquarters to realise there's ample opportunity in Victoria. We're certainly keen to get our fair share of it.”