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Gerry Hopkinson
Co-founder of Unity
Creativebrief
Creativbrief
Career Highlights to date:
2005 - Unity (Co-founder)
2001 - Band & Brown (CEO)
1997 - Mastercard International UK (Head of Corporate Affairs)
Creativebrief: As Co-founder of Unity what is your primary focus?
Gerry Hopkinson: I focus almost entirely on coming up with great campaigns for our clients – and a little bit left over is for getting inspiration.
Creativebrief: Please share a para on your career to date – specifically talking us through the high points.
Gerry Hopkinson: 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.
“If you can solve short-term problems with long-term thinking, you are winning.”
Creativebrief: What’s unique about your agency / business? Why did you join Unity?
Gerry Hopkinson: 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.
Creativebrief: Who are the people new to you (either within your business or externally) who have particularly impressed you in the last twelve months?
Gerry Hopkinson: 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.
Creativebrief: What has been your agency’s best work in the last year?
Gerry Hopkinson: 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.
Creativebrief: Industry wide, what work has excited you most this year?
Gerry Hopkinson: 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).
Creativebrief: Who or what inspires you?
Gerry Hopkinson: 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.
Creativebrief: How do you stay in-touch with the industry’s best work and culturally relevant news?
Gerry Hopkinson: Propping up the bar in the right places, industry events, awards, magazines, and of course creativebrief.
Creativebrief: What work or agency from outside the UK do you think is particularly influential?
Gerry Hopkinson: Droga5, 72&Sunny, IDEO and KesselsKramer.
“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.”
Creativebrief: What do you think are going to be the main challenges for agencies in the next two years?
Gerry Hopkinson: Keeping up with the ever-changing world, business challenges, social shifts, economic bumps and general chaos that makes up the 21st 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.
Creativebrief: How do you see the media landscape unfolding in the next five years?
Gerry Hopkinson: 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.
Creativebrief: What’s your attitude to the ‘traditional’ pitch? Do you think there is a better/more modern way?
Gerry Hopkinson: 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’, Butlin’s by Unity
Creativebrief: What’s the best pitch you’ve been involved in?
Gerry Hopkinson: The one I’m working on. Then the next one, and the next one…and every one I’ve ever done.
Creativebrief: In what ways do you think the industry can change for the better?
Gerry Hopkinson: 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.
Creativebrief: What’s the next big thing for Unity?
Gerry Hopkinson: Doing what we do harder, better, faster, stronger, to quote Daft Punk.
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