Taking the work to the next level
While Hoak thinks the work coming from Martin is very good, he thinks it’s not quite where it needs to be yet.
“I still don’t think we have the reputation on the global stage that we need, from a creative standpoint. We’re very well known and people envy us, but we haven’t had the big home runs that the entire industry is constantly talking about. And that’s where I want us was to get,” said Hoak.
He does believe that all the pieces are in place to get to the top, including ecds Ashley Marshall and Jordi Martinez, along with a highly talented batch of group creative directors. Plus, he thinks the agency’s talent for design should be more widely recognized, as it is now an integral part of the creative process.
Hoak has ties to the Richmond area, where Martin is located, having graduated from VCU Brandcenter in 2005, and he is also an adjunct professor at VCU Brandcenter. He remembers back in his student days, Brandcenter shared a coffee shop with the agency and he got to hear gossip, but more importantly he learned about how now deceased president and creative icon Mike Hughes was equal parts about the work and the people.
As a childhood cancer survivor, Hoak has an appreciation that there’s only so much time to get things done, and he wants to maximize his time in the CCO role.
“There’s only so much time to do great work and if I’m going to like dedicate my life, which I almost lost, to this business, I want good shit to come out of it. There’s so much invisible work out there, and I don’t want that to contribute to that,” said Hoak.
Robinson is glad that Martin promotes leaders who understand the agency’s culture, but he lauds Hoak for being able to keep an outside perspective on the agency and the work.
“He’s able to see what we need to do to get better and grow, and that’s a really important thing to be able to do as a creative leader … I couldn’t be thrilled to have him as a partner,” said Robinson.
Hoak will report to Robinson, who was just named CEO of The Martin Agency, taking the leadership responsibilities from Cavallo, who led the agency for the past six years and was named global CEO of sister agency MullenLowe Group in November 2022.
Being promoted from CCO to CEO isn’t the norm in the agency world, but Robinson’s elevation seems natural at a creative agency such as Martin.
“Business solving is innovation and reimagination, and that’s the definition of creativity. Leaders of companies need to be able to reinvent and reimagine and create, and that’s what the job of a creative is, so why shouldn’t a creative be the person running the company?” said Robinson.
