Speaker interview with Kevin Lynch

Kevin Lynch is a Malmö, Sweden-based creative leader who most recently served as Creative Director at Oatly. While most of his career has been spent at creatively–driven advertising agencies in the US, Canada, and China, he’s also served as the first director of marketing at China’s oldest international school, Shanghai American School, and created side projects that attracted reactions ranging from adoration (Yearbnb) to death threats (Chicagoans for Rio). He recently launched The Wrong Agency, a creative consultancy that probably no one will ever hire.

He joins us at The Changemakers Conference in Scotland on Tuesday 22 October 2024. 

1. The Wrong Agency has a bold and unconventional name/brand. What inspired the creation of the agency, and how does the name reflect your philosophy in marketing?

Oh sure, The Wrong Agency brand is bold and unconventional, but don’t be fooled. As you can see from this video marking our one–year anniversary, we don’t actually have clients. It’s a fact that we’re a bit sensitive about it, so we ask that you stop bringing it up.

2. You say you believe in creating communications that are carefree and often funny, do you had a favourite campaign that you’ve worked on to date?

The newsletter Spam by Oatly was one of my favorites. It either violated well–entrenched rules about newsletters, or it followed them in a way that rendered the rules useless. Which is exactly what you need to do if you want someone to read a newsletter about oat milk.

3. What role does 'being wrong' play in creativity and innovation, and how do you apply this to create meaningful change for brands?

We marketers think far more conventionally than we realise – and often the “creative risks” we take are so minor, they’re not likely to get noticed outside of our own team. Ultimately, if a brand is going to break out, it’s because someone is willing to stubbornly push an idea that everyone else thinks is a mistake. It’s tough to do, but it’s also a necessity.

4. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting in their marketing career?

Don’t work for brands or clients or agencies. Work for ideas.  Champion ideas that deserve to be out there in the world – ideas that make people feel good about their lives and relationships, or about the products/experiences they’re investing in. Ideas that frame the world in a positive way, and that inspire people to strive to make it even better. A marketer’s powers should not be limited to creating commercial success.

5. The theme of the conference this year is Impact. On a personal level, what does this mean to you?

When I was the director of marketing at Shanghai American School, my colleagues would ask how long I planned to remain in the role and my answer was always, “I’ll stay as long as I’m making a difference.” I left that job after four years to become a creative director at Oatly and, blinded by the creative opportunities that awaited, I never thought about the impact I would make in my new role. Unfortunately, impact is not what the company wanted. So while I adored the brand and work my teammates and I created, I realized that if I’m not leaving an organization better because I’m there, I’m not in the right place. 

6. What role do you think purpose-driven marketing plays in creating impact?

We marketers are very quick to make categorical conclusions such as, “purpose–driven marketing is essential” or “purpose–driven marketing is dead.” It’s never quite as black and white. If you’re a purpose–driven company, that should of course be part of your vocabulary and marketing – it’s your story. If you’re purpose–driven because that’s what judges in Cannes swooned over last summer, well, that’s a bit disingenuous and short–sighted now, isn’t it?

Join Kevin at the conference on Tuesday 22 October. Tickets available here. 

Published on 23 September 2024