On My Radar: Mark Lewis & Matt Fitch

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

Fitch [above right]: Probably the 80 Years of Torment film and print campaign for Rustlers by Droga5 [below]. Making stand-out work for a microwaveable burger that you buy at a petrol station is to be commended.

Lewis [above left]: Harvey Nichols Shoplifter was pure genius. I know it’s not recent but it’s a great thought, executed well. It felt different from a lot of the stuff out there and still does, which is a good thing.

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

Fitch: Amazon. I hate shopping so buying everything online means I never have to leave the house.

Lewis: Visiting Facebook has become a force of habit. But it does give me a snapshot of all the other sites worth visiting on any given day, such as thepoke.co.uk or lbc.co.uk to listen to James O’Brien’s articulate thoughts on current affairs.

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

Fitch: I got an Amazon Kindle for Christmas, which will aid me in my quest to have less clutter in my life. I have an Amazon Firestick for the same reason. I guess I’m an Amazon whore.

Lewis: I don’t buy into the hype of owning the latest ‘must have’ gadget; it’s just not me. Besides a smart phone is the Swiss army knife equivalent of tech in your pocket, why would you need more tech than that?

What’s your favoured social media platform?

Fitch: Instagram. Twitter’s useful but I prefer pretty pictures.

Lewis: As mentioned, Facebook. Yeah, I’m old school.

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

Fitch: NordVPN because it stops ‘The Man’ snooping on me.

Lewis: Marvel’s Contest of Champions, I’ve just maxed out my four-star Captain America… no shit.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Fitch: My favourite show of all time is The X Files. I love all that conspiracy theory stuff. The new ‘comeback’ season was a bit lame though.

Lewis: Too many sickeningly good shows at the moment to pick a favourite, so I’ll just call out the last show I binged on. The Killing (American version); if you like twists and cliffhangers you’re in for a treat.

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

Fitch: The theatrical cut of the original Star Wars. It’s an amazing document of 1970s special effects work that should be preserved instead of written over with ‘special-editions’.

Lewis: “I’m funny how? I mean funny, like I’m a clown? I amuse you?” Goodfellas has it all; memorable lines, great casting, impressive tracking shots, and Joe Pesci kills a man with a pen… A PEN!

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Fitch: On my bike. Forward momentum always helps.

Lewis: The Imperial War Museum; Matt and I went there to be inspired as we worked on a war brief. If you haven’t been go now!

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

Fitch: I joined the industry in 2009. Back then agencies were starting to look for more ‘non-traditional’ work but you could still get a placement with a book full of great posters. It was the idea that mattered, not the medium. Now it’s all case studies and ‘different-shaped’ work. I’m all for innovation but you still need a good idea first.

Lewis: The shift of power; now the clients are the ones that call all the shots. Makes you wonder why you even bother sometimes.

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

Fitch: Less jibba-jabba. If people just told the truth and said what they meant we’d all save a lot of time and energy.

Lewis: Case study videos. More time goes into making one than the actual idea the case study is promoting.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Fitch: There have been many kind and generous people who have helped and influenced me over the years so it would be impossible to pick just one. I didn’t study advertising so everything I’ve learnt has been ‘on the job’ thanks to those around me.

Lewis: Me. You’ve got to believe in yourself and your own ideas before anyone else will. Without self-belief you’re just another ‘yes man/woman’ or ‘scamp monkey’ and the industry doesn’t need more of those.

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

Fitch: I’ve been stuck on this question for a while so I’m just going to ignore it.

Lewis: Danny Dyer’s my cousin, and I sometimes lie.

You can read more about Lewis and Fitch and their working relationship by clicking here for their Creative Connections profile.