MANILA, APRIL 22, 2013 – Richmond Walker could have been either a journalist or a theater actor if not for the creativity and financial viability that advertising brings.
Walker is the new executive creative director of Ogilvy Manila. Fresh from his five-year stint in Malaysia as ECD in BBDO Proximity Malaysia, and creative director in Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia before that, the Londoner is determined to adjust fast to Ogilvy Manila and the Philippines’ culture as a whole.
adobo Magazine sat down with Walker to talk about his initial perception of the country to his mission in Ogilvy Manila.
adobo: What were your perceptions of the Philippines before you moved here?
Walker: My perceptions were determined by the people I worked with and the campaigns from the Philippines in international shows. Moving to the country wasn’t something that was planned. I only began to consider the idea when I spoke to more people because then it seemed more attractive.
adobo: What made you decide to work in the Philippines?
Walker: It’s about timing for me. I felt that there were a lot of new things happening in the country and the agency. You can do world-class advertising in the Philippines. The other thing has a lot to do with the economy. I don’t quite know how to say it better than, “there’s something in the water”. I certainly got a sense of that when I first came here for the interview. But just in the advertising community and beyond, there is a feeling that this is a good time to be here.
adobo: How do you get inspired?
Walker: That’s a very difficult question. I guess, the reason I came to advertising were the Levi’s campaigns done by BBH London. I was going to become a journalist but, from a writing perspective, I would always add something (laughs). I attended a three-day course in journalism in London and the first two days were about journalism. On the third day, there was this unglamorous talk about advertising. It was then that I realized I find it difficult to take in the black and white reality [that comes with journalism]; to take all these emotions and filter them into bullet point information. [In light of this,] advertising is the opposite and I was drawn towards embellishment rather than reduction.
adobo: How can we push the limits of creativity?
Walker: There was a campaign for helmets that we did in Vietnam where we had to shoot real people who were affected by road accidents. In an environment where most ads were sanitized, it was something very cut-through. It helped push government policy to wear helmets. Now to help clients approve award-show worthy work, one thing that’s very useful is the use of video case studies where everything is set in front of them. This way, clients can see the effect the campaign had on the people. People being affected by creative work and brands can completely change the landscape for a client. They would be more willing to approve work that’s going to win at award shows.
adobo: Since Gavin Simpson, Ogilvy advertising hasn’t really been making waves in the awards circuit. What can you do to change that?
Walker: Most of the people in the team I have now are the same people who have worked with Gavin. They’ve been there before so they know what it takes to get to the top. It’s just a case of re-prioritizing. In an agency’s life cycle, priorities shift and I think as a network, Ogilvy’s focus is now back to creative and that’s what I’m here to do. Although bad things are often the barrier in most agencies, the only answer to that is passion. And that’s part of my job: to create an environment where guys can do their best works and re-inspire them to do the work.
