10 minutes with Linda Locke

Eachweek Campaign Brief Asia sits down with a prominent creative talentfrom our region and gets to know them better. This week in this regular”10 Minutes With” column is one of the legends of Singapore advertising- Linda Locke, former Regional Executive Creative Director, LeoBurnett, Asia. Locke made an enormous contribution to Leo Burnett’screative reputation and inspired a generation of creatives in Singapore.

What did you do before getting into advertising?

Iwas a graphic designer working for a Savile row fashion house. Andbefore that I had aspirations of running a hotel and trained to do so.

How did you first get into advertising as a career?

Ifound graphic design in those days lacked enough depth of thinking bothstrategically and from a business point of view. It was also a bit dryand narrow compared to the avenues that advertising offered.

Who gave you your first big break?

Through a friend I wasable to land a job at JWT advertising in London but before I couldstart I had to fly home to sort out a family matter. In the interim Imanaged to get a job as a designer at Batey ads and subsequently afterelecting to stay in Singapore, Ian Batey gave me a job as an artdirector and that was the beginning of my career in advertising. Agreat mentor.

What are your career highlights to date?

Probablycreating Engage to accelerate the development and thinking in the newcreative media’s. The idea spawned Wildfire at Cannes which is now oneof the must attend events. Keeping the Leo Burnett network in the topfive creative networks for almost 8 years. Winning the Hall of FameAward in 2008, the first woman to do so.

Your two best ads/campaigns that you have been involved with?

At Saatchi’s The “Drink Drive TVC” which won Singapore its first Cannes TV gold (the only version CB Asia can find is on the Cannes Lions subscriber only Archive).

The Breast Cancer ad “If only women..” which won gold in all the major international awards.

As campaigns it would be the Phillips “Monsters ” campaign and the Aquent Head Hunting campaign.

What exactly have you been doing these last few years since leaving Leo Burnett?

Ihave done training programs, brand and product development, developedand run the second successful Engage conference and for the last year Ihave been working on the other side of the fence as a marketingdirector to Singapore’s largest luxury fashion retailer – the Club21group. I am enjoying learning what really moves sales and being able toactually create a product. A service I have initiated is a StyleService and it is proving successful despite the downturn.

Inbetween I still chair the 4A’s creative standards committee andrecently chaired the two jury forums at The Chillies in Sri Lanka. Itwas great to be focussed on great ideas again.

What gives mesatisfaction is always pushing the envelope and trying to make adifference whether it is an creative idea, raising the bar in newthinking in creative and the new media, creating and evolving a productor developing the skill sets of the people that work for me.

What is you take on the current shape of agencies and creativity in Singapore?

Ithink digital agencies have a better take on client business issues andare more focussed on solving them. They generally bring greaterstrategic and business thinking skills to the table. There is no less acapability to deliver ground breaking ideas but there is a disappearingability of ad agencies to truly understand client business issues andcreate ads that solve them and thereby convince them to buy the ads.

Adagencies are also not moving fast enough to embrace the digital, PR,activation, design and social networking landscape. The interrelationship of these skill areas is in my opinion the way forward.

Is there an ad that makes you green with envy?

Thereare so very many but the one that always comes to mind is an ad bySaatchi & Saatchi in the 8O’s for BT featuring Stephen Hawkings forits intelligence and daring to use a man who can only communicatethrough technology – it made people like BT again.

And if I can be pushy the classic Volkswagon ad “funeral” – brilliantly written, directed and cast by Bill Bernbach.

Do you have a ‘worst mistake’ or a most embarrassing moment in your advertising career to date?

Yes,presenting a campaign to the MD of DHL Singapore that the marketingdirector loved only to watch his boss turn to stone with total dislikeand disapproval. The first time in my life when I mistook who thedecision maker was.

Is there a person you have enjoyed working with the most?

Again there have been so many.

VicNg and Jon Loke – I have never known a hungrier more passionate pair ofcreatives. And I have loved watching them grow and develop and now theyare in senior positions and doing wonderful work.

Who is the most interesting, or most inspiring, or funniest person you have ever met or worked with?

My ex Neil French – as he is all of the above.

Yasmin Ahmad.

And my son.

What’s your favourite leisure activity/hobbies outside of advertising?

Spending time with my family, travelling and movies.

Favourite holiday destinations?

To date India, Kenya and Peru.

Favourite hotels?

Colombe d’or St. Paul de Vence, France,

Casona – Cusco in Peru,

Lords of the Manor, Upper Slaugters in England,

Metropolitan London,

Dukes, London,

Grand Hyatt Roppongi, Tokyo

Tell me something about yourself that not many people would know.

I am a Sci-Fi and Who dunnit fan.

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