The New Wave ~ Born
The New Wave is Campaign Brief’s Q&A series spotlighting the next generation of independent creative companies and exploring how the indie model is evolving. From structure and speed to culture and capability, we unpack where these businesses are finding their edge and what’s driving client decisions today. Next up is David Coupland, Strategy Director and Co-Founder, Born.
1. Give us the elevator pitch – who are you and what do you do?
I am the Strategy Director and co-founder of Born the Agency, the creative agency that believes brands are the great storytellers of our time, that brands are important, and that they play an important role in shaping our reality. And we firmly believe in creating a more progressive industry; in role modelling a more open, vulnerable and fair agency; in doing what we can to improve the industry. And as an independent agency,we take this responsibility seriously!
2. Are indies still challengers, or have they become the norm?
They will be, and should always be, challengers. They should always exist in opposition to the mainstream and to the institution. The creative industry requires an ongoing and constant innovation in how it brings ideas to the world. And this begins with independents, particularly new independents, believing in a new way.
3. What’s your unfair advantage over the networks today?
That we have everything to prove. Networks need to maintain a reputation, and this is a tough situation to be in, as it, inevitably, stifles risk. Whereas we have it all to do.
4. How are you using AI to compete above your weight?
We don’t think about AI too much, as it has always been as part of how we work. Because we started in 2023, AI was operationalised as part of our business from the very beginning, creating workflow, management and operational efficiencies that informs how we work, how we price and how we deliver. It also means that we have never been too impressed with it, because it has always just been there. If an agency is shouting about its AI capabilities, it is already behind.
5. What kind of clients are choosing indies right now – and why?
I am not sure how to answer this, as we are noticing clients from different sectors, different sizes and different risk appetites all reaching out. In general, we are noticing a trend toward agency / client relationships that are more transparent, more open and more partnership led than anything else.
6. What’s next – growth, staying lean, or something else?
Something else.
Check out the other New Wave Q&As below:
Read The Many Australia’s Q&A here
Read Bureau of Everything’s Q&A here
Read Art of the Possible ANZ’s Q&A here
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