Five minutes with…Gerry Hopkinson, Co-founder, Unity

Joanna Ray

Team Assistant Creativebrief

Gerry Hopkinson on creating campaigns to increase human happiness and long-term value for clients

Gerry Hopkinson, Co-founder, Unity

Career Highlights to date:

1997- Head of Corporate Affairs, Mastercard International UK
2001- CEO, Band & Brown
2005- Co-founder, Unity

As Co-founder of Unity what is your primary focus?

I focus almost entirely on coming up with great campaigns for our clients – and a little bit left over is for getting inspiration.

Please share a para on your career to date – specifically talking us through the high points.

I have over 20 years experience working across a wide range of brand campaigns for more than 300 clients (rough guess). The highlight of my career to date is meeting my brilliant business partner and fellow co-founder Nik Govier. Together we have built an agency that is the most awarded in the UK and ranked amongst the most creative worldwide.

What’s unique about your agency / business? Why did you join Unity?

We founded Unity to change the way marketing works. Our emphasis is on building real, lasting bonds between brands and people – we call it ‘brand love’. As pioneers of campaigns that increase human happiness, we think we’re unique in seeing beyond the obvious and creating massive, long-term value for our clients.

Who are the people new to you (either within your business or externally) who have particularly impressed you in the last twelve months?

Our clients, all of whom are brilliant thinkers, innovators and do-ers. Our staff and wider collaborative network- there are too many to mention but to name a few…KGA, Jump Studios, Paul Surety, Chiara Vascotto, RART, and many more.

#FollowTheFairies’, M&S by Unity

What has been your agency’s best work in the last year?

It’s obviously all awesome, but we have received quite a lot of praise for our work with M&S, Direct Line, Butlins, BBC, RockStar and vInspired.

Industry wide, what work has excited you most this year?

The Land Rover #hibernot campaign from our friends at RKCR/Y&R is pretty damn good, but I do have to say that they are missing a trick by not having involved us in bringing it to life (never miss an opportunity to pitch).

‘#Hibernot: Make More of Winter Time’, Land Rover by RKCR/Y&R

Who or what inspires you?

My other co-founder Nik Govier and everyone at Unity, my partner Beatrice, my family, my friends and the world around me – it’s a great time to be alive and I am inspired every day in a hundred different ways.

How do you stay in-touch with the industry’s best work and culturally relevant news?

Propping up the bar in the right places, industry events, awards, magazines, and of course creativebrief.

What work or agency from outside the UK do you think is particularly influential?

Droga5, 72&Sunny, IDEO and KesselsKramer.

What do you think are going to be the main challenges for agencies in the next two years?

Keeping up with the ever-changing world, business challenges, social shifts, economic bumps and general chaos that makes up the 21^st century. Being a category or discipline leader is dangerous because categories and disciplines are going to blur and change. It is better to be good at something eternal like ‘Increasing Human Happiness’- that’s our idea and we think it’s good for a while yet.

How do you see the media landscape unfolding in the next five years?

The definition of media owner, and what media means will radically change- which means clearly that it’s anybody’s guess. Who would have predicted five years ago that Instagram would be making programmes? Smart media plays are going to be like all other smart plays in the next five years – they are going to come from bold experimentation, learning fast and out-thinking the competition.

What’s your attitude to the ‘traditional’ pitch? Do you think there is a better/more modern way?

Pitching is healthy and suits clients’ needs, except when they don’t know what to pitch – then there’s a consulting opportunity. Pitching is part of our job – but it’s kind of nuts – I mean would you ask a hairdresser, a mechanic, a doctor, or a restaurant to ‘pitch’? But it’s part of the game and I personally enjoy it.

‘West Lake Villages’, Butlins by Unity ‘West Lake Villages’, Butlin’s by Unity

What’s the best pitch you’ve been involved in?

The one I’m working on. Then the next one, and the next one…and every one I’ve ever done.

In what ways do you think the industry can change for the better?

We need to remind ourselves that it’s all about effectiveness – but not just short-term effectiveness at the expense of a brand’s reputation or image. If you can solve short-term problems with long-term thinking, you are winning. Easier said than done, but worth fighting for every time.

What’s the next big thing for Unity?

Doing what we do harder, better, faster, stronger, to quote Daft Punk.

When asked how do you define success, Will.i.am recently said, “Adoption. That’s when you know it’s penetrated.” Metrics for success are evolving, how do you evaluate this for your clients?

You have to know what you want to build – otherwise you’re wasting your time. I mean that measurement comes after thinking and judgement. We are in danger of forgetting that truly great ideas are where the real value starts – then by all means measure the bejesus out of them. But without great ideas, no amount of measurement is going to make a campaign great.