Tim Cairns is currently the VP Creative Director of Story at Collins in NYC. He has over 20 years of experience building award-winning brands on both the agency and brand side, and prides himself on leading and creating strategically insightful work that is true to how people think, feel, and interact with products and brands. 

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Where’s your hometown?

Sydney, Australia

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In a few sentences, describe what you do.

I use words to turn brands into something you might just care about. 

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You’ve worked at some of the best agencies in the world, including Wieden + Kennedy, BBDO, R/GA and now Collins. What was your path to get here? How and where did you get your start?

I started out in a temporary position as the Assistant of the Executive Assistant to the Chief Creative Officer at BBDO Sydney. I was so excited to work in advertising, I never thought about the fact that my contract was only for 5 months, until they offered me a role in the mailroom. In between stocking beer fridges and fixing printers, I completed ad school and worked on any brief I could get my hands on. When my first billboard was approved, they moved me into the creative department. During my time working in Australia I learned how to wait for the right job, not any job. To make strategic insights the foundation of my concepting. Office politics. Dealing with being let go. How to present both personally and to clients. The work ethic required to succeed. How to play the awards game. The creative differences between Multinational agencies and independent ones. And ultimately (when my Dad passed after a long battle with cancer) to prioritize what was important to me.

I left Australia early in 2011 to travel with my then-girlfriend-now-wife around Europe and South America for 6 months. While traveling I learned: Taking a break was more beneficial than worrying about what the hole in my resume might mean for my career. 

Our trip ended in NYC, where I was lucky to be hired by Mother. There I learned: Client accountability and to let awards be the by-product of good work, not the goal. 

Then we moved to Portland. At W+K I faced self-doubt. There’s nothing like getting a brief and feeling the weight of an agency’s history on your shoulders. Everywhere I turned was someone with an intimidating portfolio. There I learned: Fail Harder. While there was an internal standard at W+K,  it didn't matter if you reached it, just that you tried. And by trying to reach the standard you’d be surprised by how your ideas evolved (for the better). 

I left W+K to join BBDO NY. There I learned: I was an Independent Agency person. 

I joined R/GA to get better at ‘digital’. I enjoyed the people I worked with, but at the same time I helped my wife launch her company. I learned: That the freedom from client layers turned my head. 

Next I joined a fintech start-up as Head of Creative. When you run an internal agency you are the client, there is no one else to blame but yourself. It’s frightening and exciting in equal measure. There I learned: Conviction.

And now I’m at Collins. The risks I took, the left turns I made, they all helped me get this job. There is the same feeling of being surrounded by people who have high standards. I’m learning: It’s great to change the core of a brand rather than create a one-off message. 

So I guess the moral of the story is you don’t have to know what you’re doing or where you’re going — as long as you learn from each step you make.

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What’s your advice for writers wanting to get their foot in the door at great agencies? 

Don’t follow ‘great agencies,’ follow great people. Find people who are making work you’re inspired by, and then do whatever you can to get in front of them. I’ve always learned more from people than buildings.

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Can you tell us a little bit about the verbal identity process at Collins. And how is it different from other agencies?

This is currently a hot topic with my team. We’ve been experimenting with where we bring ‘Story’ into the process so it can have the biggest impact (so far, early – but not too early – is the answer). 

The main difference I notice at Collins vs. other companies is the strategic rigor that is applied to each project. The conversations about the work are just as interesting as the work itself.

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Is there a project you feel particularly proud of? What made the project successful?

Definitely our Equinox “We Don’t Speak January” campaign. What made it special was seeing how everyone pulled in the same direction. And by everyone, I mean everyone internally at Collins and the entire team at Equinox (all the way up to the founder). It was the only way we could pull it off in time to hit their media deadlines.

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There are four other projects I’m particularly proud of: 

Billie - Project Body Hair
Petal - Credit for Adults?
Dodge - Don’t Touch My Dart
Short Film Screenplay: Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow, Maybe Never.

The common thread in all these projects is they all have a point of view on the world.

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What are some copywriting green flags you look for when hiring freelancers and writers on your team?

Have a positive attitude and have an opinion on your work. 

Other than that, when I’m looking at someone’s portfolio, I want to read or experience something that stops me. Finding a surprising way to express a problem we’ve all looked at before goes a long way. 

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What do you consider to be essential ingredients when building a verbal identity for a brand? Is there a framework you use or do you prefer to change it up with each project/brand?

I find the idea of paint-by-numbers verbal identity to be really restrictive, as every client has different needs. We have a framework — which is nothing radical — but I adjust it each time, depending on the client.

For a brand to be successful, it’s important for them to understand where their voice is coming from (their Persona and Voice Pillars) and how that voice views the world. 

How would the brand react to being on sale? Going on vacation? To competition? To fame? 

The more their voice has an opinion on things, the more people will connect with it. 

When you’re writing example copy, it’s best to think of it as quotes or statements rather than marketing headlines. It will help your writing talk with people, rather than at them. 

In order of (personal) importance it would be: Persona, Pillars, Brand Quotes, Before & Afters, Tone Matrix,  Do’s & Don'ts, Manifestos. 

People always want a manifesto. But as a piece of writing, they are too often watered down to be a way for clients to get comfortable with the strategy. I think we should rethink their importance unless we’re aiming to write something as brilliant as Madeleine Carrucan’s work for The Girl Scouts or Thomas Sharp’s piece for the London Fire Brigade. 

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There’s a lot of mystique around Collins. Give us an inside look at what it’s like to work there. Does Brian Collins weigh in on your writing? Do you spend a lot of time in that famous library? Give us the deets!

There’s no magic secret. But there is an unspoken standard. Everyone who works here has self-policing high standards. I’ve found Collins to be one of the friendliest places I’ve worked. People really support each other. As for Brian, he is a very good writer (check out his prolific LinkedIn feed for proof). He weighs in on everything and I really appreciate how he makes our writing clearer. “If you’re going to say something, say it…no weasel words!” is a phrase you’ll often hear in meetings. 

The library is a wonderful source of inspiration. Just don’t think about taking any of the books home; they all have an embossed stamp inside the cover which reads: Like hell this is yours. This book belongs to Brian Thomas Collins.

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What (or who) are your go-to’s for inspiration or trends that influence your work? Brands? Literature? Thought leaders?

David Whyte is a house favorite at Collins. Everybody is given a copy of Consolations when they join. 

At the moment I’m reading Beautyland at the recommendation of a colleague, and I also like to read screenplays. In a screenplay, you don’t have room for description, you have to get to the point. You can find some beautiful turns of phrases in screenplays. 

On a project, I’m really just looking for a truth about how you interact with the brand. The first person I have to convince is myself. If I can’t do that, I won’t come up with anything worth reading.

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What are some skills beyond good writing that make the biggest difference in your work?

Making cups of tea. I can’t tell you how often my best ideas have come while the kettle boils. 

Knowing when you do your best work. If it’s in the morning, make sure your calendar is free at that time. 

Have a hobby completely removed from writing. For me it’s playing tennis. Your brain needs different challenges.

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Biggest career win? What is something you feel most proud of?

When I forgot about trying to please award shows and started doing work that pleased myself. It’s funny, when you like the work you create, other people tend to like it too. 

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What’s one thing you would like to see changed about our industry?

Brand voices that don’t aim to be perfect. No more voice principles of transparent, honest, empathet-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

We love imperfection. The crackle in a vinyl recording. The grain in film. The comeback story. The second chance. We see ourselves in the faults. 

Take the soccer player Messi. People the world over are in awe of his talent. He is a hero in Argentina, but he will never be loved like Maradona. A player who was as talented as he was flawed. When he died, people shared a quote from the writer, Fontanarrosa, that summed up how Argentinians feel about him: “I don’t care what Maradona did with his life. I care about what he did with mine.” Brilliant.

Too many brands are trying to be Messi.

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Writers go by many names in our industry – copywriter, brand writer, verbal specialist, verbal designer, and so on – what name feels most right to you? And do you wish there was more consistency with these titles or do you like the variety?‍

Yeah…it’s a lot, isn’t it? 

At Collins, we’re called the Story Department. We believe that every brand transformation can’t happen without a great story. The title focuses on the outcome of our work, rather than a description of the act. 

If it was up to me, I would call our department Verbal Design. I’m all about trying to get writers the same respect as their design counterparts. By creating title parity—Design & Verbal Design — I think it makes it easier for the clients to see us on the same level. Even if only subconsciously. 

Overall, I don’t have a problem with titles. But if I didn’t have to think about navigating Corporate America, I would just say, writer. Your title should always be the least impressive part of you. 

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Where can Subtext readers keep up with you?

timcairnswrites.com

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Bonus Round:

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Dream brief: what does it say in 1 sentence or less?

“Hey Tim, it’s the ATP Tour, can you rebrand us?”

You can also swap out the ATP for any large tennis organization. Wimbledon, US Open, etc.

But honestly, there are no ‘dream briefs’. Just the one in front of you. If you spend your time waiting for that perfect brief to arrive, it never will. Some of my most awarded work came when I was forced to reuse the imagery from a catalog shoot. Or a radio commercial that was thrown in with the media spend. Sometimes the limitation of a ‘boring brief’ can help you find a more creative solution. 

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Fuck, Marry, Kill – Copywriter Edition:

Marry: Billboards - simple, pure expression of an idea. 

Kill: Manifestos - Too often a marketing safety blanket rather than something genuinely moving. 

Fuck: Taglines - No one really uses them any more, they’ve become the marketing department’s plaything.  

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In one word, what is the enemy of good creative work? 

Zoom.

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If you could life swap with anyone, who would it be (no explanation needed)?

Most people that know me would say I’d pick Roger Federer, but I’m going with Mick Jagger.