On My Radar: Jonny Westcar

Jonny Westcar was recently promoted to managing director at London-based global design and branding agency Brand Union, part of the WPP group.

Having first joined the company in Sydney back in 2001 (when it was then known as Enterprise IG) he progressed to managing client director in 2006 and took a two-year break from the company to gain a client side persepective in 2011.

Westcar soon rejoined Brand Union in 2013 as client lead for GSK in London and was recently promoted to MD of the agency. Below he takes us through his creative radar, which includes a recent spot for sport, political power with Kevin Spacey and sweet memories of the old school business lunch.

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

The This Girl Can campaign from Sport England, created by FCB Inferno. I’m a huge fan of sport generally and as a father of three girls there is lot of X chromosome in my house, so this really caught my eye.

The campaign helps to address the barriers (I imagine) some women feel they face when it comes to getting started. The social media output of my female friends would seem to indicate it’s been pretty successful at connecting with them. The art direction and production is great; it’s pacey, honest and fun, as sport should be.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

I have to admit I’m a bit of an FT.com addict – it gives sharp and weighty context for client business. It’s my radar on the world.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

Xbox One – I was addicted to House of Cards on Netflix and Kevin Spacey’s character - the political power-player, Francis Underwood - would often get home from a tough day in the White House and shoot some zombies on the Xbox to relax… I had visions of being able to do the same, but in reality I’ve pretty much given it over to the kids.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Twitter. The train company that runs my commuting line really gets it and has an excellent Twitter feed, essential for avoiding more than frequent travel troubles. If only the actual train service was as good @FGW.

What’s your favourite app and why?

WhatsApp – it’s essential for ‘back channelling’ (see House of Cards).

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Right now, it’s Game of Thrones. The sheer complexity of the world as well as the astonishingly rich characters pulled me in. The parallels with our world are perhaps more than suggestive - the fact that the world’s most powerful government is mortgaged to the hilt via the ‘Iron Bank’ brought a wry smile to my mind. It’s a fantasy masterclass.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

To Kill A Mockingbird. It helped me understand that integrity is one of the most valuable things a person can have.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Running. It must be something to do with the endorphins. Running usually helps me get a real clarity of thought and perspective on things, however there is usually only a small window for this to happen as typically I expire in a heap for the rest of the day afterwards.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

Apart from mourning the death of the proper business lunch, for me it’s clear that success for brands has increasingly become recognised in terms of relevancy, engagement and interaction rather than perhaps the more traditional and one dimensional measures of reach, impressions and penetration. Technology is increasingly putting the customer or consumer in control, which is why I believe a customer ‘out’ view of the brand is the only one that really matters. Yet it is also clear that many brands struggle to know where to start with this.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

Bring back the lunch.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Our worldwide chairman, Terry Tyrrell. I worked with Terry about 15 years ago when I first joined WPP as a junior account guy at Enterprise IG (this was Terry’s business and was one of the first agencies that Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP acquired).

Terry is a serious business and brand thinker yet has a forgiving, humble side that perhaps comes from having built his own business the hard way. I learned a great deal from him. I quit the company a couple of years later to follow my girlfriend (now wife) to her new job in Australia, and a week or so before my last day Terry called me in and gave me a letter of introduction to the principal at the office Enterprise IG had in Sydney.

If he hadn’t bothered to make that intervention I would never have even considered it as an option and my relationship with WPP and the business that is now Brand Union would probably have ended.  However, he did, and I’ve spent many happy years since as part of a fantastic global brand building business. 

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

My first job was as a cook. I still spend most of my time outside of work in the kitchen.