As part of its exclusive industry interview series, Modern Marketing spoke to the newly appointed chairperson of the 20/21 Loeries board – Fran Luckin – who is also the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at Grey Africa and has been in the industry for over 22 years.
What do your responsibilities as a chairperson of the Loeries board entail?
You are asked to bring your particular passion and cause to the party. The Loeries board comprises a lot of creative people and your purpose is to represent creative leaders while emphasising on your own cause or passion.
Former chairperson Suhana Gordhan’s cause was around women in advertising, while Tseliso Rangaka’s cause was around transformation in advertising. Being a chairperson is about being a flag barrier for what we want the Loeries to stand for and believe in.
I do not want to re-invent something but I want to build on what people who came before me had started. Gordhan did great work with Open Chair, which emphasised encompassing female leaders. I come into this role at an interesting time – during a pandemic. It is terrifying but it has also created new opportunities that we can use to perhaps broaden the reach of the Loeries.
Now that we are moving to more virtual platforms, that could be a way of bringing more people into the industry, such as women and people from different backgrounds that we might have been missing. There is so much talent out there that doesn’t just live within five kilometres of Sandton. Through virtual platforms, we can extend our inclusiveness, use this opportunity to increase our reach and bring in a wider range of people.
How does The Loeries make a difference in the branding/advertising industry?
Award shows are important because they highlight excellence in a field in a way that inspires younger people. When I was very young in advertising, going to the Loeries and seeing all the amazing work showed me what was possible and helped me learn what great work was and who was behind that work. Award shows illustrate what can be done when you break the rules, and they show people new possibilities.
What kind of campaigns do you think matter most for this year’s awards?
It will be quite interesting because you have to weigh out worthiness with great craft. There will be a lot of work about the pandemic that is worthy in that it has a noble end, but we have to think about the craft and originality – that is what the Loeries awards are about. Work that will be noticed is the kind that acknowledges the situation we are in but does it in a fresh way and delivers a tried and tested message that breaks through to audiences. I see some brands have taken a humourous approach – which is refreshing and nice.
To learn about what important industry-related changes Luckin has observed, her favourite advertising campaign, as well as her interests and more, watch the interview below. For the latest industry content, visit our YouTube channel.
One of Luckin’s favourite advertising campaigns:
