Trevor Cairns on his transition from brand to agency, and working in an industry that takes itself too seriously
Career to date:
2013 – LOVE, CEO
2008 – Umbro International, Chief Marketing Officer
2007 – Nike, General Manager, Football, UK/ Ireland
2004 – Nike, Football Brand Director, EMEA
2000 – Nike, Head of Football Marketing UK/Ireland
1997 – United Biscuits, Senior Brand Manager
1994 – Dewhirst, Commercial Manager
As CEO of LOVE what is your primary focus?
Having and developing the right talent, working with clients of vision on the right creative projects, growing sustainably by making the right level of profit…
Please share a para on your career to date – specifically talking us through the high points.
I studied Accountancy because it followed Abattoir in the careers book. I knew early on, maybe day two, that I didn’t want to be an accountant but a financial background is a great grounding for a career in marketing. I started out marketing snack foods for KP, which was all fast moving on pack promos for Discos and Frisps (remember them?). When my role relocated to London I decided to leave and take my chances elsewhere. A recruiter asked me my ideal job, to which I replied “football marketing at Nike”. Two months later she called back with that very opportunity and somehow I won the lottery. I was there for thirteen years in a variety of UK, EMEA and global football marketing and GM roles, a rollercoaster that involved everything from presenting to Cristiano Ronaldo, playing at Wembley, launching England shirts on Kasabian and lots of not so glamorous but equally fun stuff in between. It’s an incredible brand, with incredible people.
What’s unique about your agency / business? Why did you join LOVE?
I spent the last four years of my Nike life at Umbro and LOVE was one of my key agencies. When Nike sold Umbro in 2012, it was time for a change and LOVE offered me the chance to jump to the dark side. It didn’t feel like a new job, joining people that I admired greatly doing work that I loved enough to have bought. Unique? That’s an overused word – I read that there are 17000 agencies in the UK and even the most blessed marketer can’t differentiate those. We just try to do great work for great clients.
Who are the people new to you (either within your business or externally) who have particularly impressed you in the last twelve months?
It’s a cliché, but seeing the team here deliver day in, day out without ever compromising standards. We’ve recently grown to a team of 50 but still the agency manages to have the same sense of a gang of friends and that’s down to each team member, new and not so new, all pulling together to do the best work.
What has been your agency’s best work in the last year?
Haig Club. Most of the time we reimagine brands. This time we imagined one. To identify a market opportunity, concept, design and bring to life a new whisky brand, fronted by David Beckham is quite a challenge, but one we rose to deliver.
Industry wide, what work has excited you most this year?
FCB Inferno’s #thisgirlcan is the standout for me. Brilliant on every level. Second place to Adam&Eve for the Harvey Nichols “love freebies” work.
Who or what inspires you?
I refer you back to my answer on the people who have impressed me.
How do you stay in-touch with the industry’s best work and culturally relevant news?
If it’s good enough and you and your team are curious enough, it’ll show up.
What work or agency from outside the UK do you think is particularly influential?
John St. This industry takes itself way too seriously. While most agencies try to outdo each other with thought pieces and white papers, John St. entertain and get way more engagement. There’s a lesson there.
What do you think are going to be the main challenges for agencies in the next two years?
Remaining relevant as more and more brands are building capability in house. Ignoring the sub industry that offers endless “advice” on how to grow and following your own path.
How do you see the media landscape unfolding in the next five years?
More fragmented as channels proliferate. More metric oriented as budgets stretch. More scrutiny as ROI is more than likes and views.
What’s your attitude to the ‘traditional’ pitch? Do you think there is a better/more modern way?
Anything has to be better than the current model. What other industry works for free? But it’s an impossible cycle to break as its set behaviour for both clients and agencies. If you say no, you know plenty more will fill your shoes. It’s a safety net for unconfident clients who aren’t empowered or courageous enough to select a partner on chemistry and creativity. If I asked a pitch client for £50,000 of their product for free I can imagine the response.
What’s the best pitch you’ve been involved in?
Virgin Atlantic Airways and Delta Air Lines last year. Considered stages, considered timings to allow the agencies sufficient time to understand the brand, the business and to create great work. Of course, if we hadn’t won my choice would have been different
In what ways do you think the industry can change for the better?
Stop pitching for free. Stop obsessing about awards. Stop pretending we’re dealing with life and death scenarios. Admit it, we’re not surgeons.
What’s the next big thing for LOVE?
Same as it’s always been – to keep delivering work that is loved by clients and consumers alike.
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