30 from 30. The people who have helped shape the industry and Campaign Brief: Ken James

For Campaign Brief WA’s 30th anniversary, over the thirty days of June we’re looking back on 30 people who helped shape the industry and us.

Ken James’ story is a great one.

He started his career in 1970 as a despatch boy at Compton Advertising in Sydney. He came to Perth in 1975 and in 1977 joined John Gill Advertising.

By the time CB started in 1984, that agency had morphed into the Perth office of multinational D’Arcy MacManus Masius (later DMB&B), of which James was the Managing Director. The ambitious James had been promised a transfer to Asia but when they reneged on that agreement, he moved to McCann Erickson Perth in 1989. McCanns was having a horror run at the time and he quickly set up a deal to buy local shop The Thompson Partnership to bolster the agency’s position.

Part-way through that negotiation, McCann decided to pull out of Perth, so James put together a management buyout that included senior McCann staff and the directors of The Thompson Partnership and in July 1991 The Brand Agency was born.

The story looks pretty straightforward but there were so many things that could have derailed it, it is an absolute testament to James’ vision, tenacity, business acumen and leadership. Because of those qualities, The Brand Agency has become THE most successful agency in Perth’s history, with offices in Melbourne and Auckland as well as Perth.

Of course their fortunes have been inextricably linked to Bunnings. McCanns had rival hardware chain Alco as a client. In 1990, when Bunnings bought them, McCanns had to pitch against Bunnings’ agency JB&B. Against all expectations, McCanns won the combined account.

James bucked the odds again in 1993 and pulled off the biggest single account gain in WA advertising history, winning the McEwans hardware business in Victoria and South Australia after that business was taken over by Bunnings. It stunned the eastern states agencies they pitched against and set The Brand on a path from which they have never looked back.

The Brand Agency has played a pivotal role in making Bunnings one of the biggest, most trusted brands in Australasia, and James has been there all the way.

In an interview with James in 2011 celebrating twenty years of The Brand Agency, his enduring passion for his agency and excitement in the industry was palpable. The people, the work, the competition, the challenge – he loves it all.

Best of all, ‘Jamesy’ loves a party. ‘Work hard, play hard’ is absolutely his mantra and he loves to celebrate the agency’s success with his staff and clients. We’ve also enjoyed some (just barely) memorable lunches with him. His conversation is always frank, honest, informed and entertaining.

It’s impossible to do justice to Ken James’ achievements in this short space. Suffice it to say he is an absolute giant of the industry and a legend of Campaign Brief’s thirty years.