AdFocus Industry Leader of the Year

For the Industry Leader of the Year Award, the jury were looking for someone who not only performs their role to an exceptionally high standard, but who also makes a significant contribution to the advertising industry. That person is Fran Luckin, the executive creative director at Grey South Africa.

Luckin has been instrumental in leading Grey back into the big league as it leapfrogs into the large agency category.

The judges said Luckin is a creative icon and a voice for the industry, both locally and internationally. “Her contribution to the industry is significant and goes far beyond her agency role, while her passion for young people and nurturing the next generation of talent is critical at a time when the advertising industry is feeling the talent squeeze.”

Luckin joined Grey South Africa in 2016 as chief creative officer. Under her watch, the agency was voted the No 1 creative agency by industry peers, topping the 2022 Scopen Competitor Opinion list, while Luckin was ranked the fifth top creative in the Scopen industry survey of 2021/2022 and was the only woman to feature in the top 10.

She was the 2021 Loeries chair and is deputy chair of the Creative Circle. In 2022, for the second consecutive year, she was selected as a Cannes Lions judge, this time in the film category.

“Not only is it an honour sitting on these highly respected industry bodies,” she says, “but participating in awards judging panels is an opportunity to learn from other creative experts. I don’t think of being on a judging panel as giving back to the industry because it’s too enjoyable to be a purely noble deed!

“It’s a great experience getting to talk about ideas all day long with other creatives because you learn so much. As a creative leader, it’s always a good idea to have a point of view and a perspective that extends beyond your own agency.”

Luckin didn’t start out intending to go into the advertising industry. Having studied English and drama at university but then realising that her future was not on stage, when the AAA School of Advertising came to recruit graduates during her honours year, she was intrigued enough to sign up for a copywriting diploma.

Her first job was with the Jupiter Drawing Room, where she worked under Graham Warsop. She recalls that in those first two years she rarely got home before 11pm because it was such fun being at work. She subsequently went on to work for other advertising creatives including John Hunt and Tony Granger at TBWA and Gerry Human at Ogilvy, all of whom helped hone her skills.

It was while working at Ogilvy in 2010 that she won a Gold Lion at Cannes for a TV commercial for the Topsy Foundation — South Africa’s second film Gold ever — one of her career highlights. Winning a Gold Lion at Cannes in 2017 for a radio campaign, just a year after she had joined Grey, was another highlight.

“It’s pretty unheard of to win a Gold Lion less than a year after you’ve joined an agency team that’s working to transform the agency’s creative output,” she says.

Winning the Distell tier one brands in 2019 as part of Grey/WPP Liquid also counts as a major career highlight.

After navigating the turmoil of the Covid pandemic, Grey South Africa has bounced back bigger and better than ever before. It has grown existing clients’ business and added a number of new clients to its roster. This year, it was one of only two South African agencies to win a Cannes Gold Lion — for Distell’s Savanna cider brand.

The pandemic has irrevocably changed the way many agencies, including Grey South Africa, work. “We’ve found that most people enjoy working remotely and creative people say they are getting more done,” says Luckin.

“We now come in two days a week, though some people come in more often. I personally don’t think our industry will see a full-time return to working from the office any time soon. “Focus time is vital to what we do and I think as leaders we have to get over presenteeism and needing to see people at their desks. In this industry it’s easy to see who is working and pulling their weight and who is not. Our work as an agency is stronger than it’s ever been.”

This hybrid way of working has made it possible to employ people who don’t live in the same city. Luckin says she has creative staff who live in Cape Town and Durban, while a business director lives in Portugal. “I’m embracing this ability to employ people from other cities and countries.”

She describes her leadership style as leading from the front. “I would never ask somebody to do something that I’m not prepared to do myself. I like to be involved and I see my role as growing and nurturing people and ensuring they thrive. It upsets me when people are stressed and stretched, though I’ve had to learn that I can’t always make this problem go away completely. I do try, though!”

Renowned for keeping calm under pressure, Luckin says her measured approach is very intentional. “It’s important to see things in perspective. I like to keep things a little free-flowing and bring calm and order to how we work.”

She admits she’s become more sensitive to the feelings of others the older she’s become. That wasn’t always the case.

“When I was younger,” she says, “I wasn’t always sensitive to other people’s feelings and could be quite impulsive, but over time those rough edges have smoothed out and I now tend to keep my sarcasm in check. I work hard at choosing my emotional response. This is a tumultuous industry. As a leader, if you panic, so will others. I’ve learnt that an impulsive response does not serve me well and that there are better ways to get results.”

The industry has changed significantly since those early days at the Jupiter Drawing Room, she says. Due to the proliferation of media channels, there are many more creative opportunities to execute an idea than there were then. Another change is that most agencies today are owned by international holding companies which brings with it its own set of pressures, as does the rise of procurement departments. “There’s much more emphasis on money, margins and keeping costs down, which is challenging when your biggest costs are talent,” she says.

Another major change is less hierarchical leadership and far more collaboration. “More so than ever before, agencies are working with other agencies they would traditionally deem to be competitors. At Cannes, it’s sometimes hard to figure out exactly which agencies are responsible for the work because of the long list of agency names that are attributable to the work.”

The ambit of creativity has also increased, she says, pointing to the success of the Checkers Sixty60 app as a good example of creative thinking that’s been applied to user experience, rather than a purely rational approach.

What hasn’t changed is the need for strong client partnerships. “Client relationships are everything in this business. Gerry Human used to say you need just one person on the client side to turn a brand around. If the client doesn’t buy into the work — no matter how good it is — you’re back to the drawing board.”

Her advice to aspirant young copywriters is to come into the industry with an open mind and be open to learning new things and having diverse experiences. Given how fast change is happening, she says, they could end up anywhere.

Despite the myriad challenges facing South Africa, Luckin believes the industry locally continues to offer good opportunities for those with a creative bent. “We are good problem-solvers and very resilient. Though it can create staffing challenges, I’m encouraged that local creatives are so sought-after globally. That has the upside of creating opportunities for up-and-coming young talent.”

Luckin has decided to take her own advice about the need to keep on learning. In 2015, she completed her MBA and followed that with bass lessons.

Known for mentoring and guiding young people in the industry, she’s proud that two of Grey South Africa’s bursaried creatives won the Young Creatives Gold Loerie in 2021. Luckin says she’d like to be remembered one day for helping steer young creatives in the right direction and for giving them confidence in themselves.

Grey South Africa CEO Paul Jackson says that while no-one can argue that Luckin isn’t a creative rock star, her most admirable qualities are humility and kindness.

“Because of this, Fran is one of the most sought-after creative leaders to work with. She is patient and only sees the best in people … it’s no wonder she has nurtured some of South Africa’s most talented creatives. I am privileged to have her as my creative partner and I’d like to congratulate her for the deserved recognition at this year’s AdFocus Awards.”

The big take-out: Luckin has been instrumental in leading Grey back into the big league as it leapfrogs into the large agency category.