So what?
Grappling with some of the big questions leads me to write about them. Writing helps me formulate my thoughts, take the time to think deeply, and consider the possible.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about the world, whether through my own writing on Medium, articles written for publications or interviews in the media.
SXSW is coming to Sydney, with public voting shaping the agenda
As featured in Consultancy.com.au
Among the consultancies to have spawned proposals is Canberra-based Synergy Group, with only one percent of submissions to reach the voting stage by state or territory originating from the nation’s capital. Synergy Group, via creative director Jason Perelson, who leads Synergy’s behavioral change, communications and people strategy line creativeXpeople, lodged three separate pitches, all of which were all accepted to enter the next round.
The Arcane Dance Of Creativity & Neuroscience: A New Symphony For Behavioural Change
Strap in as we tango with neuroscience and cha-cha with creativity to rewrite the playbook on impactful behavioural change. We explore how the interplay between brain prediction theory and creative stimuli drives real, meaningful, behavioural change.
How will you cope if the other side wins the election?
An interview by Region Media
Synergy Group offers advice to Australian governments of all levels and is taking to ‘The Pitch’ segment on the ABC’s popular Gruen Nation show this week with a plan to unite each and every Australian, no matter the outcome of the election on 21 May.
The Synergy Group pitch focuses on finding that human element to every issue because, from there, we can begin to feel empathy.
When Creativity, Science and Possums fall in love
A Neuro-Strategic Approach to Culture and Behavioural Change. If the previous decade has taught us anything, it’s that the convergence of creativity and scientific understanding can revolutionise our approach to people, culture, and behavioural change. The irony is palpable, given that just a few decades ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find science and creativity sitting in the same sentence, let alone at the same conference table.
It STILL takes a village to beat COVID-19
As appeared in TheMandarin.com.au
While the term “unprecedented times” became all the more memefied for its overuse and buzz-wordiness through 2020 and 2021, these were, wholly unprecedented times. We certainly have a stronger understanding pandemics, virology, and communications.
While these elements were not new, never have we had a viral pandemic in the midst of an infodemic of misinformation, mistrust, and division in a globally interconnected, and interdependent world.
There is a range of things to focus on when it comes to shifting behaviours or priming community cultures in times of crisis; but there are three key elements that are part of the fundamentals of trust-building, engagement, and connection.
Why would you work anywhere else?
An interview by Region Media
With an ad featuring an array of tempting locations aiming to convince Australians to never go back to the office, Synergy Group’s creativeXpeople won The Pitch competition on this week’s episode of the ABC’s Gruen.
Why brand awareness is actually bullshit!
As featured in B&T Magazine
Society is too bright, the world too fast, information too available, and messaging too crowded to rely on the old tropes of pure brand awareness.
To truly be effective in creating something meaningful, useful, and ultimately commercially tactical, you need to attack the consumer journey every time, in different ways and at different velocities.
It takes a village to beat COVID-19
As featured in TheMandarin.com.au
This pandemic taught us all how to cope with true uncertainty. In our well ordered and largely predictable lives it is usually only personal misfortune that brings chaos to that structure. Today, globally, nationally, and personally the structured patterns of all our lives were shattered.
In the context of COVID-19, we were looking to make profound and rapid changes to community behaviour. This meant we will needed to work with fabric of community attitudes, norms and behaviours that were already in place. These moments are not a time for approaches that tinker at the margins of behavioural change
The Quantum Leap of Strategy: Why Right-Brain Thinking Holds the Quill That Scripts Tomorrow’s Triumphs
In the arid landscapes of corporate boardrooms and government policy hives, the term “strategy” often echoes like a Pythonesque hymn confined to the scope of quantifiable metrics, data-driven insights, and over worshipped models. It’s as if Apollo, the God of Reason, has dominated the conversation, muting his twin Artemis, the Goddess of Intuition and Creativity. If art, culture, and humanity as taught us anything it’s that these 2 cannot exist without each other.
You want to change my behaviour? Get the message right
As featured in TheMandarin.com.au
In crisis, it is often the case that in designing and delivering strategy we rarely consider the need to change behaviour. We tend to lead with ‘facts’, instructions, and direction. This is necessary but alone it is not enough. Facts alone are not convincing and rarely have been.
COVID-19 was a major disruption to all our lives. New patterns of behaviour are required to contain the virus, and there is little doubt the greater portions of our daily lives will continue to be affected for some time to come. However, if we want behaviour to change, then we need to work at it in structured and persistent way
Synergy's creative function for governments puts people first
As featured in Consultancy.com.au
“We wanted to reinvent the way creativity is delivered to government, with a view to how best to do that as part of a consultancy,” explains Jason. “The average consultancy leverages having a creative agency, yet creative agencies don’t tend to leverage the consultancy.”
While the typical creative team – responsible for brand identity, graphic design, creative ideation and execution – receives a brief and then goes back to the client with a proposal or pitch, Synergy’s focus was on broadening the link between creative output and human behaviour.
Consultancy firms VS creative agencies: how to take a creative approach when dealing with government
As featured in B&T Magazine
Many believe the words “Government” and “creativity” don’t go hand-in-hand. The reality is, it takes a special kind of person and special type of agency to navigate creative work within Government departments.
Understanding who you’re talking to and with, are carefully balanced elements in the recipe for success. Rather than getting frustrated with the message not landing, look inwardly in how the message was crafted (more often than not, it’s not for the right audience – your client).
The Heartbeat of Innovation
Why Empathy is the Lifeblood of Modern Strategy.
Imagine stepping into Da Vinci’s studio, witnessing firsthand his Mona Lisa unfold.Now, switch gears and poof, you’re in a bustling start-up filled with bare concrete, Converse sneakers and flannel, where the seeds of the next tech marvel are being sown.
Canberra creative agency Zoo Group launches Vegemite ad to secure ‘Yes’ votes
An interview by The Canberra Times
“Instead of just sticking a rainbow flag on our logo, we wanted to actually change behaviour – that’s what advertising boils down to anyway. Understanding human behaviour, psychology and our day to day lives are vital ingredients to how we design.”
The Facebook graphic, cleverly-written and using the Vegemite brand colour palette, has so far reached more than 20,000 people online.
“The whole concept came from my wanting to actually do something for the debate,” Perelson said.
Spray and Pray doesn’t work
An interview by The Canberra Business Network
In a traditional advertising agency the stereotype of a Creative Director has always been the guy who wears converse sneakers and graphic t-shirts, sits on a bean bag and thinks of cool ideas all day.
However, that’s changed over the last couple of years and its going to change exponentially going forward. Creative Directors are less and less likely to be the person sitting in a back room thinking of how you can change the world with a cool slogan but rather the strategic thinkers and client service and implementation people.