CB Spotlight on Nicole Conway + Tim Batterham: A Decade of Partnership and New Chapter at Dig

After joining Dig’s senior creative team earlier this month, Nicole Conway and Tim Batterham bring with them over a decade of experience as creative partners. Having honed their skills at agencies like M&C Saatchi, Havas Host, VML and The Core Agency, the duo was ready for a new chapter where they could have more ownership over their work and a closer connection with clients. In a catch-up with Campaign Brief, they discuss their move to Dig, their creative process, and what keeps their work fresh in a constantly evolving industry.

When we sat down together to compare our answers we realised we were saying the same thing. That got us thinking… after 10 years together, maybe we’ve finally merged into the same person? With one brain between us? If we’re a single-brained organism, who are we? Ticole? Nimothy? Wait… We’ve got it.

What drew you both to join Dig at this point in your careers? Was there something about the agency or its culture that stood out to you?

CONNERHAM: We’ve spent time in all kinds of agencies over the last 10+ years (wow, where does time go?) and we were ready to be somewhere that we could have more ownership over the work and closer relationship with our clients. After meeting with Joubs and instantly got good vibes, we knew Dig had all the ingredients that we want in an agency; a great roster of diverse clients, a tight knit team of excellent humans, and the desire to create insightful, playful and interesting work. What more could we ask for?

You’ve been working together for over a decade. How do you feel your creative partnership has evolved over the years, and what strengths do you each bring to the table?

CONNERHAM: We’ve grown a lot as creatives and people, but the foundations of our partnership haven’t changed a lot over the years. We both deeply respect the craft of what the other person does, but we’re also not rigid in how we work. Depending on where we are in the project, we’ll both write lines and scripts and play hovering art director (I’m sure our colleagues love that). Teamwork makes the dream work and all that.

Having worked across a wide range of agencies and brands, how do you approach the challenge of keeping your creative work fresh and innovative?

CONNERHAM: It’s definitely important to keep up with what’s happening in Adland and the great work that we all wish we’d done — but it’s equally as important to look outside the echo chamber of our industry, because that’s where most of our audience exist. So we try to take inspiration from all kinds of places… Film, TV, art, books… The people around us are a wellspring of inspiration and insights. Assuming we’re the dumbest people in the room has also been a real asset to us. When you’re not an expert on a topic there’s no bias, opening you up to thinking about things differently.

Can you share one of your favourite campaigns you’ve worked on in the past? What made it special for you, and what was the outcome?

CONNERHAM: Whenever we’re asked this question, we both gravitate toward BIG W’s Santa Hands for several reasons. For one, it was an awesome brief: Make an iconic Christmas ad for an iconic Australian brand. We wanted to tell a uniquely Australian Christmas story and were fortunate enough that everyone believed in the idea and rode hard to bring it to life – from the amazing marketing team at BIG W, to the team at M&C and our partners in Good Oil and Res. The fact that it then delivered BIG W’s best Christmas in 13 years made it all the more sweet.

You’ve both freelanced at various agencies like Havas Host, VML, and The Core Agency to name a few. How have those experiences influenced your creative process and your ability to adapt?

CONNERHAM: For us, freelancing has been a great way to get under the hood of different agencies and see what makes them tick. It’s taught us how to work with all kinds of people, as everyone has a different process and different preferences on what they’d like to see in the work. Working on so many different brands has taught us how to slot into different brand voices and styles quickly, as often you don’t have lots of time to onboard yourself.

You’ve mentioned admiring Dig’s work from afar. What about their recent projects caught your eye, and how do you see yourselves contributing to their continued growth?”

CONNERHAM: We loved the Good Value work for Bottle-O. Simple, fun and a little bit weird. All the things we love. Joubs and the team have already laid the groundwork for tonally interesting and stand out work so we see ourselves building on that by continuing to push the work, hopefully win some more business, and keep fostering good relationships with Dig’s clients.

Creativity often involves navigating moments of doubt or tough briefs. Can you share how you support each other during those times and how you push through creative blocks?

CONNERHAM: Tough briefs are going to happen. So are less-than-ideal debriefs and re-briefs and you-didn’t-understand-the-briefs and you just gotta keep on keepin’ on.

That’s wildly unhelpful, so here’s some obvious advice: Whenever one of us is feeling tapped on a brief, the first step is always to admit it. Then the other person is able to start throwing things out there to get the cogs turning again. Some of that stuff might be absolute garbage, but it wouldn’t be the first time that trash becomes treasure. Oh, and go for a walk. Mix up your environment, mix up your thinking.

In terms of doubt, well, that’s part and parcel with being a creative. Anyone who says otherwise is full of shit. One of the biggest learning curves as a creative is learning how to push through even when you feel like the world’s biggest fraud. A wise CD told us many moons ago that our job as creatives isn’t to kill each other’s ideas – leave that to everyone else. Self censorship is letting doubt win.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to emerging creatives about building a successful partnership like yours, especially in today’s fast-evolving industry?

CONNERHAM: Why give one when we could give five?!

1. You’re a “we” now. There’s always going to be a time when you feel like one of you is ‘having the ideas’, but it’s the discussions, interrogating, affirmations and so on that make an idea live. Over the course of a long partnership, you’ll both have good ideas and shit ideas, so leave the ego at the door and concentrate on how you can make those ideas absolute bangers.

2. Always have each other’s back. No one likes a bus thrower. It’s okay to disagree — that’s part of the process after all — but once you’re putting work forward to the team, you’re a united front. Use your disagreements to work out a way forward that you both believe in.

3. Say it even when you think it’s stupid. Some of the best ideas we’ve had have started with “This is stupid but…” Then next thing you know you’ve stumbled across gold from “what if we milked whales for cheese?”

4. Be nice to each other. That goes beyond your partnership. This is a stressful industry and things can get heated quickly. There’s a difference between being constructive and being an asshole. Learn it.

5. Just have fun with it 😉