Ryan McManus on VML's 'hungry start-up mentality'

Following the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman, Ryan McManus was announced as the new creative chief for the UK arm of the world's largest creative agency in May this year. At VML UK, McManus will lead the agency's 250+ creative team. He had previously led the North American creative team out of VML New York and also served as CCO for the South African arm of the business for five years, where he oversaw the merger of VML and Y&R to a full-service integrated agency. In his new role he reports to UK CEO Pip Hulbert and global chief creative officer Debbi Vandeven.

We speak to McManus on why the world's largest creative agency has the ability to be nimble and fast-paced agency. And how his "media-agnostic approach" to things will augment creativity and create space for more original ideas.

McManus also offers some insights on how AI will impact creative departments, and the need to be incredibly responsible in how agencies spend a brands’ money and what type of message are being put out into the world.

Creative Salon: What attracted you to move to VML UK?

Ryan McManus: The weather…

Honestly, it’s not hard to see that this is a great opportunity and exciting time to lead VML in such an awesome city. But when I met the people and leadership, it became even more exciting. London has such a strong creative pedigree, and the talent level is really high.

After this merger, the agency finds itself with a huge set of skills and disciplines making it a contemporary and future-facing solution for clients that will attract ambitious talent. Having such a diverse and broad set of skills under one roof can feel daunting, but I love the idea of creating new partnerships and pairings of expertise that can generate new kinds of connected work for brands.

With the right constructs and a hungry start-up mentality, VML has the ability to be a nimble and fast-paced agency that can solve almost anything. I have a very media-agnostic approach to things, so it’s great to have all the tools to uncover the right solution for a client rather than just one you can charge for. Today, not every problem needs a traditional media solution.

But the part that excites me most is the chance to build out the culture, unlock its energy and bring meaning into what the agency can do. VML UK is already doing amazing things with incredible skills and people, but there is a big opportunity to turn it into so much more than the sum of its parts.

CS: You have been in the industry for a little over two decades now, what still surprises you about advertising?

RM: Two things keep surprising me.

One, it’s relentless creativity. It just keeps reinventing itself and making great work despite the odds. To me, one of the best and most creative skills of any company, in any industry, is adaptation. You find a way. It’s what helps species evolve, sports teams win, and companies thrive.

There are amazing talents, storytellers, makers, and innovators using new technology and ideas to push things forward. To create change. Most people in this industry see that and are excited by it. We also know that creativity works. It is a real differentiator that drives results and this has been proven time and time again. So it’s kind of a superpower.

But what I am equally surprised by still is the industry’s ability to ignore its own ‘magic’. To be happy to settle, and not use this incredible superpower for growth. To think that we can optimise or formularise creativity. That we can replace it. I think everyone on all sides of this business was once excited or moved by an idea. And we have to hold onto that and cherish it. That magic is the stuff that makes real change – whether it's societal change or sales results. It’s our industry's differentiator. It's our truth. And that cannot be ignored.

CS: To date, what would you say has become your most memorable piece of work?

RM: There are so many pieces I have loved making. Not necessarily for the recognition or results but for the experience of making them. Shooting in torrential rain on a jungle swing bridge in Ghana, getting a 3D printer to print chocolate, creating a new product that helps people with Cancer, starting a football team, making a hip hop album…

Most recently we did a campaign where we turned Jennifer Lopez into a Jen AI tool for Virgin Voyages which was super fun and incredibly effective for the brand. Another recent one was creating a way to distribute information to immigrants in the US in a trusted way using napkins. The Napkins of Rights helped to create a humble, scalable solution to something that is an ongoing and increasing problem.

CS: Where do you see Gen AI fitting into the creative development process?

RM: Gen AI is a fantastic tool that will help creative people tell more stories and generate more ideas. My hope is that it augments creativity and creates space for more original ideas to come to life.

With all new technologies there always seems to be a period of everything becoming average or the same. Think of the birth of photography, photoshop, and the DSLR camera revolution. All of it hailed a kind of sea of sameness for a while, until the real creators got hold of it and took it to new heights. It’s going to be exciting to see how people use the technology for so many different things.

Brands really have the chance to be pioneers in this space. To create new forms of entertainment or utility that serves their consumers. The biggest danger, for me, is that people only use it as an optimization tool rather than an imagination augmentation tool. Optimization is very different to innovation and invention.

CS: What is one experience as a creative that has made you most proud?

CM: Helping people unlock their potential and succeed with their ideas.

There’s nothing greater than seeing teams awarded and celebrated for their work, knowing the conversations and guidance that helped them get that small idea off a piece of paper and turn it into something grand and impactful for the real world.

CS: What do you think are the essential qualities to have as a creative leader?

RM: Empathy. Listening. Creating space for more voices. Taking the ceiling away. Creating space for audacious, impossible dreams… and mistakes. Taking the pressure off so that people get to play with an idea, but also putting it on when we need to perform. Reminding people that we need to be incredibly responsible in how we spend a brands’ money and what type of message we are putting out into the world - but also be total anarchists in how we do it.

CS: Is there one source in particular where you draw inspiration from?

RM: My three daughters, wife and family provide an endless amount of inspiration. There is literally never a dull moment. The ocean and surf trips. And real life outside of a boardroom or computer screen. Travelling and talking to people from different backgrounds and life experiences is super inspiring, to explore and understand the ever-evolving human condition.