'I would like to restore optimism about this industry': Meet Saatchi & Saatchi's New CSO

Taking over as chief strategy officer after the departure of the unendingly energetic and ferociously analytical Richard Huntington is no easy task. Fortunately, the agency has a ready-made successor with Sam Wise, who joined Saatchi & Saatchi as a planning director in 2013.

With 12 years of experience under his belt, he has played a crucial role in major client wins, including John Lewis, BT Group, and Direct Line.

He has led on planning or strategy across works and categories as wide-ranging as Deutsche Telekom's 'No Excuse Chatbot', British Heart Foundation's 'The Greatest Treasure', and Robinson's 'Get Thirsty', to name just a few.

Prior to joining Publicis, he worked for both R\GA and Anomaly.

Despite the various challenges and changes that have taken place in the industry - the rise of technology, shifting agency models, and the digital transformation brought about by the pandemic - during his tenure at Saatchi & Saatchi, he remains optimistic.

"I would like to restore a sense of optimism about this industry as a place to build a career. Sustained growth is just as important for people as it is for businesses," he says.

Equally refreshing is his measured take on the impact of artificial intelligence, which he views as a tool for ideas and effectiveness, rather than a means to efficiency.

"I'm much more excited about the possibilities of AI as an input. I'm more interested in the intelligence bit of AI, versus the artificial part that is represented by quicker and more efficient output," he explains.

From his fascination with psychoanalysis to his first introduction to the world of advertising and creating a campaign starring Billie Eilish alongside CCO Franki Goodwin - speaking to Creative Salon, he shares his ambitions and what he thinks a modern CSO truly needs.

Creative Salon: Congratulations on the promotion, Sam. What skills do you feel a modern CSO needs to offer? 

Sam Wise: Strong perspective on the future, willingness to be in a learning mindset

You’ve spent 12 years on the planning team at Saatchi & Saatchi - what about the agency has bolstered your strategic talents?  

To me strategy has three audiences: the people it seeks to eventually influence, the people who have to execute against it and the people who have to agree to it. While I think all strategists have some instinct about the end audience, Saatchi & Saatchi has taught me to think just as hard about the humans in front of you in the room.

As head of strategy for the last seven years, you have already made your mark in the agency. What do you hope to achieve in the role? 

I would like to restore a sense of optimism about this industry as a place to build a career. Sustained growth is just as important for people as it is for businesses, and I often feel like the best strategists at some point feel a pressure to turn into something else to continue to find it. If we can give strategists a bigger canvas we can create more opportunities for them to continue to grow.

What more do you think needs to be introduced within Saatchi & Saatchi’s planning offer in the age of AI? 

People obsess over AI as an output, which is of course much more simple for people to see and grasp, personally I am much more excited about the possibilities of AI as an input. I’m more interested in the intelligence bit of AI, vs the artificial part that is represented by quicker and more efficient output.

How did you get started in the ad industry? Was it always in the plan? 

My amazing godmother Lisa Pember, an elite thinker and copywriter who can be found at rememberpember.co.uk, told me she thought advertising would be a good mixture of creativity and the opportunity to argue with people!

Is there one campaign, in particular, that you are particularly proud to have been involved with? Why? 

I think it would be the Billie Eillish work for Deutsche Telekom I did with Franki Goodwin as it felt like a meaningful step forward on our collective journey, and it nailed an insight that was big and felt very true at the time. 

What has been your proudest moment, so far, on the way to becoming CSO? 

I think it would be some of the bigger integrated pitch wins I have led strategically. These are the moments when your ambition for what an agency can be in the world becomes real. 

What excites you most about the industry right now? 

Maybe it sounds a bit grandiose, but probably the opportunity to be a leader in its reinvention. I refuse to participate in an industry that is pessimistic about its own prospects, but to do that we have to look to the new things that are now possible, not the things that are no longer possible. After all, what is the personal credibility of a strategist who doesn't seem to believe in their own choice of industry?

If advertising has never existed - is there another career or interest that you might have  taken up instead? 

It’s a cliche to say a psychoanalyst isn’t it, but I did study and really considered it…