In today’s guest post, Australian strategist-in-NYC Grace Gordon urges young creatives to think carefully before ‘doing their time’ overseas – and while you’re at it, lose the cultural cringe.
There are two social phenomena that we can agree are uniquely Australian and handed out in spades amongst those in advertising: Tall poppy syndrome, and cultural cringe (incidentally, a great wiki read).
Cultural cringe leaves the more impatiently ambitious amongst us feeling stifled in Australia; we hit a self-imposed ceiling and feel like there’s only so much we can learn on our home turf. We romanticize the big budgets and big names of American and European brands and agencies – the ability to influence at a global level, the dollars to make a real dent. There’s an air of legitimacy about those who’ve ‘done time’ in New York or London over those who’ve climbed the ranks at home.
And then the ol’ TPS – Tall Poppy Syndrome. It’s a double-edged sword amongst our kind. On the one hand, the industry demands and breeds a particular kind of ego. On the other, it’s much easier to coast by as a yes-man, enabling the status quo and being everyone’s mate. Those who stand out are considered aggressive self-promoters, ‘a bit full-on’ or precocious and bratty if they happen to be on the wrong side of 30.
Since coming to NYC (and I fully admit I’ve only been here a year), I’ve come to truly appreciate how much we as Australians need to lose the cultural cringe and tall poppy baggage.
For one, the work we do in Australia is brilliant. A decent percentage of it is done with greater efficiency, flexibility, and sheer creativity than most of what I’ve borne witness to in NYC.
Our process is the definition of NYC buzzwords ‘lean’ and ‘agile’. Australian ideas are shipped from concepting to production at the speed of light compared to the incredibly sluggish and prohibitive nature of American consumer testing, legal and creative reviews. With small budgets, we’re forced to operate in remarkably creative ways to communicate to the masses in an intuitive and cost-efficient way. Instead of hampering ideas, I’d say this makes them thrive. We’re cheeky, irreverent and grab opportunities by the balls.
And that’s where our Tall Poppy Syndrome is interestingly flipped on its head. The Australian advertising world curiously allows dissenting voices with brilliant ideas to make it through despite our in-built cultural tendency to chop people down, and regardless of rank. Particularly in the case of Digital, we’ve seen some brilliant ideas coming through from the underdog independent or smaller shops; from agencies like Soap Creative doing innovative, world-renowned work for Lynx, to more traditional agency ideas such as Leo Burnett’s BYO Cup Day for Slurpee and Ogilvy’s Share a Coke.
Conversely, the hierarchical and deeply political nature of American advertising often means that a few VP’s and C’s in a room will dictate the outcome of any given year, despite the ideas that may bubble up from the side, or beneath, at any given moment.
I’m not sure exactly what my conclusion is. Perhaps it is to encourage Australians to keep being subtly defiant and rebellious in getting those ideas through. If this is how we perform with Tall Poppy Syndrom, imagine what we could get out there without it? Where everyone is allowed the full breadth of self-expression that they secretly crave?
Or, perhaps it is to urge us to collectively drop our cultural inferiority complex. If you’ve got your sights on Europe or America to progress your career, think about it first. Contemplate the reality of outrageously long production lead times; legal review after legal review until your copywriting has about as much flair as the nutritional guidelines box for the very product you’re advertising; hierarchical structures for agencies where you’re not sure if you’re aspiring to be an associate assistant executive director or if that’s who you’re delegating to.
In writing this, I’m completely aware that my experience is my own and there would be many in Australia and America alike ready to dispute me. I know things are often frustrating and stifling back home, and the production budgets in USA allow a gloss seldom possible in Australia. Nonetheless, I say – all hail the Australian advertising industry. You’re doing great work, and are truly a vision of the future.
Grace Gordon (@1800GRACIE) is a strategist, Australian-in-NYC, and Nextness fan. Her last post was “Hell, no. I can’t fall off my hustle”: lessons for creatives from the world’s biggest rappers.