About this episode

Brent Smart discusses his journey in marketing and how creativity transformed Telstra's brand.

Brent Smart is one of the most respected marketers in the world. After spending more than 20 years in advertising, he made the rare move from agency life to become CMO of NRMA Insurance. Brent's most recent role as CMO of Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company, he helped transform the brand through bold, distinctive and highly effective marketing. In this episode, Brent shares the principles behind his approach to creativity, from selling big ideas inside large organisations and drawing on academic marketing frameworks to building a culture where great work can thrive. We discuss the campaigns that defined his career, including Telstra's viral "Better on a Better Network" campaign, why humour and surprise remain powerful competitive advantages, and the unique agency model that helped Telstra consistently produce standout work. Timestamps 00:00 - Start 01:03 - Why Brent left Telstra 02:31 - Why Brent moved in house after 20 years agency side 05:41 - How to sell a creative idea into a big organisation 11:01 - The academic frameworks to create great marketing 12:16 - Why you should look at your brands heritage 14:02 - The most successful campaign Brent did for NRMA…

People in this episode

Host: Jon Evans

Guest: Brent Smart

Topics covered

• creativity
• marketing
• telecommunications
• branding
• advertising
• campaigns

Keywords

• Brent Smart
• Telstra
• NRMA Insurance
• creativity
• marketing frameworks
• advertising campaigns
• humour
• surprise

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NRMA Insurance, Telstra

Books & works: Better on a Better Network

Places: Australia

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