How Diamond Is Gearing Up to Shine Its Brightest with the Hiring of Peter Ignazi
This week, Diamond announced the signing of its first ever CCO, Peter Ignazi. Considered one of Canada’s most acclaimed and respected creative leaders, Peter was most recently at Cossette, where he worked for seven years as the company’s global chief creative officer - leading award-winning campaigns for the likes of the SickKids Foundation and McDonald’s Canada, and winning Strategy’s ‘Agency of the Year’ three times. It comes as no surprise then, that this move is big news for the Canadian industry.
According to president David Diamond in a press release, Peter’s joining follows a strong year of growth for Diamond, which has seen it add several new clients including theScore Bet, Accor Hotels, and the Ontario Tourism digital assignment. With all this in mind, it seemed the perfect time to check in with Diamond; to take a closer look at their history, their ethos, and naturally, to find out why Peter Ignazi ended up joining.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with company president David Diamond, as well as Peter, with the hopes of learning more.
LBB> Diamond’s been around since 2006, but has evolved quite a bit in recent years - coming to fruition with the hiring of Peter. Please give us some background to the agency! How and why did it go on this evolution journey?
David> Diamond's story is definitely a unique one. In fact, when we started the company 15 years ago, we didn't even know what agencies were! We were a startup in the truest sense of the word, and where we are now is just the logical evolution of that. Because we've been (sort of) outsiders in the agency world, we've been described as having a healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo, and I think that's what's led us here.
I think with Peter, it's really exciting for us, because in our view, Peter represents the best of the industry. And so, bringing the best of the industry to a company like ours, I think, really sets the stage for some exciting things to happen - for ourselves, for our clients, and for the industry.
LBB> The news that everyone is talking about is the recent pickup of Peter Ignazi as the company’s first CCO. Please tell us how this came to pass! What were the talks like, and what does Peter’s arrival mean for Diamond?
David> For one reason or another, our agency had crossed paths with the agencies Peter had been at - more often than not. And I, like everyone - whether they know it or not - have seen Peter's work in the market. But I've also had the opportunity to see Peter work in the boardroom. So, when I first met Peter to sit down and have this conversation, I was very clear and said, 'I've already seen everything that I've needed to see'. If you do sit with him in the boardroom, you will see very quickly that he has a sharp eye for creative, and an instantaneous point of view that is almost impossible to disagree with. It's really quite something to see him work, and truthfully, I'm excited to work with him. When we were in joint agency situations, we always collaborated for the best interests of the client. And now, it's going to be really exciting to be working with him on one team - in the best interest of the client.
LBB> In your eyes, what does Peter bring to the table? How does he fit in with Diamond’s long term strategy, and what made him the right person to help realise this vision?
David> As far as I'm concerned, Peter is synonymous with world class creative. To put it succinctly, he is able to get the best out of the teams he works with. Frankly, in my opinion, that skill is very few and far in between. So, Peter brings world class creativity to our clients, which will help our team develop its own system of world class creatives. And you know, bringing that level of expertise to a company like ours instantaneously makes us the shop that clients should think about when they're evaluating the right agencies to get them to where they want to go.
LBB> Peter, you were at Cossette for a long time before leaving that agency. What was it about the opportunity at Diamond that was too good to pass up?
Peter> Well, first of all, I liked the people - which is something that's extremely important to me! I've had a long career and I've worked with a lot of talented people (some of whom weren't that nice), but there were some I really gelled with, like Lorri MacDonald and Dave Stevenson [both of whom work at Diamond]. I really respected them for what they do, and I wanted to restart that relationship with those guys because I knew I could work well with them. But also, I really like the Diamonds [the agency is founded by brothers] too, as well as other people in senior positions. All in all, I really just gelled with all the people here. Even though we come from quite different backgrounds in the marketing world, the direction that we felt this industry was going - and where I wanted to go and where they wanted to go - just fit together really nicely.
LBB> What was your opinion of Diamond before starting talks to join them?
Peter> Like David said, I had a lot of interactions with them through partner relationships at various agencies - especially at Cossette, where we had quite a few overlapping clients. And one thing I noticed early on was that Diamond was always extremely well-respected by the clients they dealt with, and really trusted for what they did. That is something which I think is very hard to build and maintain. For example, look at a client like TD Bank. Even now, I'm getting great texts and notes from TD clients that I used to work with, who are very excited that I'm here because they love working with Diamond. So all in all, my opinion was very positive of this organisation!
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LBB> Peter, how does Diamond’s history inform the way you approach leading the agency’s creative?
Peter> One of the things I found myself looking at during my time between jobs was where this industry is going. In the context of the world we live in, it's very clear that things are changing. So much has changed even in the past eight months! And when looking at change, you hear a lot about the fear that goes along with it, but personally, I think there's a lot of opportunity that goes along with that as well. I believe that these opportunities are going to be taken advantage of and made the most of by the nimble, the entrepreneurial, and the creative. And these are things that Diamond has always been excellent about, and that's also something I really want to develop in myself, and for my clients.
LBB> What are your main aims and ambitions for your work at Diamond?
Peter> My ambition for Diamond is to make them the best agency - all around - in the world. I think that they have already done a lot to build a great base, and I just want to help make that bigger and broader. I want to grow, and I want them to grow. And this goes back to my love of people. I think that it's important to get the best people, and then just let them do what they do. My style has always been about nurturing and guiding creative - directing people to get the most out of themselves. Something I've had with bosses myself is that they want you to do things their way, and they want to see their ideas come to life through you. However, I'm more of a 'let's get the best out of you' type person, and I think that goes for Diamond as well.
LBB> Tell us about Diamond’s principles! Why are they essential for the agency?
David> We’re less principles, and more about using the approach that we have found greatest success with. For us, one of the big ones is deep integration. And when we talk about it, it means having a core team that's dedicated to our client's business, works on the same side of the table, and truly is that client's partner.
When we talk about radical collaboration - and again, I say this from the perspective of an outsider agency - I think there's a bit of folly in the agency mindset. Traditionally, the idea is 'you hire us because we know best', and I don't think that's right. Clients know their business better than their agency, generally, ever will. And they want to collaborate. They want to be in the process. Creativity is a magical process and when you bring your clients into it, we truly believe you get to better work. If you look at the work we've done recently with theScore Bet, our client was integral to creating work that I think is unanimously regarded as some of the best work in that category.
A third thing I'd like to mention is courage and collaboration. For a lot of people, it's easier to take the safe road - and I think that's what's interesting about risk. With risk, people can look at it and see the downside of risk, or the upside of risk. And when you're in the creative process, you want to have a team that's pushing people to take chances and take risks, because that's where you get the magic. So, courage and collaboration are the hallmarks of what we see as a great partnership between client and agency.
Diamond and theScore Bet launched the creative platform 'Get into Bet Mode' for the legalisation of sports betting in Ontario
LBB> You’ve discussed the idea of Diamond being outsiders, and not like other agencies. What makes you and the work you produce different?
David> When we talk about being different, we do so in a number of different ways. Our agency story is a different story. Our constitution is different. The approach that we take to our clients when we talk about radical collaboration and deep integration is different. I always joke that all you need to be an agency is a computer and a relationship. And generally, every relationship that gets formed comes from people who have been in the business forever and are starting a different version of the same thing. For us, having been outsiders, we follow the logic of 'how can we best partner with and service our clients in a way that gets them to the best results?'. At the same time, we also really embody that idea of resisting the same old. We never really settle. We always push, and especially with someone like Peter, I think that the art of what's possible really comes to light.
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LBB> What have been some of Diamond’s most pivotal moments over the last few years?
David> Every time we've had a pivotal moment in our history, it's come from a good partnership with our clients. In the past few years particularly, with covid-19 and much uncertainty in the world, we've had to work collaboratively to get to new solutions for our clients, so that they could be there for their customers. And from this comes new ways of working! So I would say that every pivotal moment sort of starts with a breakout: when something needs to be done differently. We've always been a creative shop - even if our creativity was more aligned with channels - and I think especially now with Peter, we're truly embracing being a top creative agency, and being the number one creative agency for our clients.
