5 Minutes with… Sharon Edmondston
With a career spanning major brands like Lexus, Samsung, and McDonald’s, Sharon Edmondston, group creative director at M&C Saatchi Sydney, has a wealth of experience in the advertising industry.
As the co-chair of M&C Saatchi Group's Employee-Led Network for Women (FEMM&C), Sharon has been a champion for diversity and equality. Speaking to LBB’s Tom Loudon, Sharon shares insights into her initiatives, such as the FEMMarketplace, and the power of positive storytelling in addressing gender inequality.
She also reflects on her journey through the industry and offers advice for aspiring creatives, discussing the challenges and rewards of working on global projects, the evolving advertising landscape, and her involvement in initiatives like Woman Corp Through initiatives like the Forever Reef Project, Sharon also aims to save biodiversity - and she also finds time to provide invaluable advice for aspiring creatives navigating the industry's evolving landscape.
LBB> As the co-chair of the M&C Saatchi Groups Employee Led Network for Women, FEMM&C, you've been actively advocating for diversity and equality. Could you share a story about a particularly impactful initiative or project that you've been involved in through FEMM&C?
Sharon> Over the last few years, Sev Griffiths (GM of Bohemia) and I have tried to use our platform to move women forward across the group. We’ve brought our own experiences and insights to inform our initiatives and there’s definitely been some highlights along the way. Personally, I’m most interested in enduring platforms rather than one-off moments, and when we created the FEMMarketplace, it really sparked something special. We’ve only created a beta version of it (to date), but having a hub where we can promote the side hustles of our female entrepreneurs has had a surprising knock-on effect. We uncovered unknown talents and it created connections and opportunities for those creators that would’ve not existed otherwise. We even inspired others to realise their entrepreneurial ambitions by just seeing that someone else managed to do it. We even became the foundation client for one of those businesses and enabled them to the next phase of business development. Real-world stuff is the most rewarding.
LBB> You launched Women & Creative (W&C) at the Australian 3% conference to address gender inequality. How do you believe positive storytelling can create lasting change within the advertising industry?
Sharon> With M&C Saatchi as a major partner of the Australian 3% conference all the way back in August 2017, we were given a platform to launch Women & Creative (W&C - A new perspective can change everything), an M&C Saatchi initiative born to tackle the issues of gender inequality and effect change by celebrating positive stories from inside the agency out. We told the real stories of the opportunity we knew existed in our industry at the time. We literally flipped our logo of M&C to become W&C, changing the perspective of our own agency and the perceptions of it in the landscape of Australian advertising agencies. I know we’ve made massive strides since then. I mean, at ECD/creative director levels, we have 65% across the M&C Saatchi Group, which would’ve been hard to imagine in 2017.
LBB> Your experience spans across major brands like Lexus, Samsung, McDonald’s, and more. Can you share a campaign that you're especially proud of and the creative process that led to its success?
Sharon> Every brief I’ve ever worked on has taught me something. If we’re repeating, we’re failing - sometimes we fail. But we must always try to succeed. So, I’m not going to single out a campaign but I will say that when you have an inspired client and an agency team with an aligned ambition and shared attitude, you can pretty much do anything. The creative process does not live in the creative department. It involves every single person who comes in contact with the project. Agency, client, media, creative partners and anything in between.
LBB> Your career has progressed all the way to group creative director. How has this progression shaped your perspective on the creative industry and leadership? Any tips for up-and-coming creatives?
Sharon> Never forget that it is a privilege to be paid to be creative. Commercial creativity is a gift and must never be taken for granted. We are incredibly lucky that our canvas has a mainstream audience, so don’t waste it. Understand that you are an entertainer with a message to deliver. You don’t want to be the equivalent of a bad wedding DJ who plays their favourite song and clears the dance floor. Know your audience, and never ever stop learning your craft.
LBB> During your career, you have collaborated with teams globally on projects and pitches. Could you tell us about the challenges and rewards of working on a project with a global scope?
Sharon> To be fair, it’s only happened once for me, but it left an indelible mark. I was in a foreign country with a team I had only just met, presenting the creative response for a global pitch. It was the single most terrifying experience at work I’ve ever had. It's incredible to find yourself in a situation like that, and what an experience it was. I guess you have to get dropped in the deep end to learn to swim. I definitely took in a little water that day but I doggie paddled myself through. I often think back to that moment and it reminds me that nothing is ever going to be more intimidating than that.
LBB> With a strong background in areas like CRM, digital, social, and innovation, what are you most looking forward to seeing evolve in the advertising landscape?
Sharon> The introduction of fresh insights that only come from new voices. The formats will evolve and change, and social platforms will fall in and out of favour, but as it was and always will be, the ideas will always be the exciting bit. I’m looking forward to hearing stories I’ve never heard and being jealous as hell of how they’ve come to life. That’s the evolution I’m dying to see.
LBB> You've won awards and titles for agencies across specialities. What is your key priority or mandate to inspire and lead teams to deliver high-performing and award-winning campaigns?
Sharon> Don’t chase awards. You don’t have any control over the outcome, so instead, chase excellence. Figure out what you’re good at, what you want to do more of, and where you add the most value. Seek out people who complement your skills. Look beyond advertising because to be the best at advertising, you have to be better than it.
LBB> You're associated with Woman Corp, a company supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. How does your involvement in this initiative tie into your advocacy for equality within the industry?
Sharon> Woman Corp. is a campaign by the ERA Coalition working with Ogilvy/San Francisco, highlighting how the US government has been increasing rights for corporations in recent years while women’s rights have been declining. I absolutely loved this campaign and the call to action. It was so fresh and so relevant to the message.
People were invited to join the staff of WOMAN Corp on LinkedIn by adding it to their work experience. So I jumped on it immediately and joined some incredible people who did the same. WOMAN Corp is supported by a Board of Directors including Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, renowned trial lawyer Benjamin Crump, actress Gabriella Pizzolo, award-winning author Ilyasah Shabazz, Ogilvy’s Global CEO Devika Bulchandani, Kimberly Peeler-Allen of the Center for American Women and Politics, Mona Sinha of Equality.
LBB> What particular project or client piece are you most excited about in terms of the impact it will make?
Sharon> It’s hard to go past the Forever Reef Project because it’s actually saving biodiversity for the entire planet. Climate change is more and more visible as we experience bushfires, floods and more. But what happens under the sea desperately needs a voice. When the Great Barrier Reef Legacy reached out, we were beyond compelled to get behind their efforts to collect all of the reef's remaining coral biodiversity. This self-funded group of scientists (Dr. Charlie Veron and Dr. Dean Miller) had not only come up with an innovative means to preserve these species, they’d collected almost 50% of the corals. So what we have been asked to do carries with it an immense responsibility. It’s not just a short-term “campaign” but a longer-term biodiversity initiative. Awareness is phase 1. The urgency right now is to collect the coral before the next bleaching event.
Once complete, the collection’s value will be exponential. The collection is a sustainability asset that will be in great demand. Demand from the scientific community, researchers, and companies that want to invest in biodiversity projects or even credits alongside carbon credits. It’s literally the most important brief I’ve ever worked on and it’s humbling even to be involved.
LBB> Throughout your career, you've seen the advertising industry transform. What advice would you give to aspiring creatives who are navigating this evolving landscape and striving for success?
Sharon> Find your special and own it. It is your unique value and it is the story that separates you from other applicants. The days of agencies hiring replicants of old-school art directors and writers are over. What can you bring to the table that’s new and valuable?
