James Wills

“How the heck did you do that?”

It’s a question I often get asked with this idea. Here’s the lowdown.

"Electronic Spectrum Systems Operator" is a complicated name for an important job in the Australian Navy. It involves analysing the electromagnetic spectrum to identify threats to Australian national security.

To recruit new candidates, we created the world’s first print ad hidden inside audio. We did it by manipulating sound frequencies to create an image when viewed with a spectrogram. If you could analyse the electromagnetic spectrum and decipher the message, you'll find the job offer.

The Audio Ad You Can See won awards at global shows, including a Graphite Pencil for Innovation in Audio and a Wood Pencil for Audio in Direct at D&AD. 

Our creative team was also invited to speak at Mumbrella's Audioland Conference to reveal how the idea was made.

“James collaborated closely with Squeak E Clean to push the boundaries of audio sound design and production to create a technical masterpiece. Not only a world first in advertising, but a truly successful campaign for the ADF, and it collected a plethora of shiny metal objects from around the world too!” Hamish Macdonald, Managing Director, Squeak E Clean, Australia/EMEA

Campaigns don’t come bigger than this. Launching in 2024, ADF Careers brought Navy, Army and Air Force recruitment together under the one masterbrand. It was a two-year project that reimagined military recruitment from the bottom up: new name, logo, tagline, design, tone of voice, website, sonic branding and campaign material. 

Is it working in market? Absolutely.

Within six months of going live, Defence Force had its highest application volumes in 20 years, up by 31%. Recognition of the brand was twice the average for a federal government campaign at 56%. ADF Careers was also awarded gold for sonic identity at the Transform Branding Awards.

This campaign was a significant strategic piece, made possible with extensive military and government stakeholder engagement. The “Make Your Impact” platform has been designed for longevity - it will provide the strategic and creative groundwork for years to come. 

On this page are just a handful of the campaign elements my team created.

“James was the creative architect of the ADF Careers Masterbrand campaign, one of the most comprehensive brand projects ever undertaken by the organisation. He is a clever, measured creative leader who understands the importance of bringing people on the journey. He is passionate about his craft and generous with his time. I would recommend James to lead any creative department.” Sarah Bailey, VML Managing Director, Melbourne and Sydney

“VML's innovative thinking, combined with their candidate-centric strategic approach, has not only driven significant progress but fundamentally reshaped how we communicate the benefits of a career in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and built a pipeline of highly qualified candidates.” Fiona Boughton, Head of Sourcing & Attraction, Defence Force Recruiting

April 25 is Anzac Day, a day of remembrance for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. However, in recent years we’ve commemorated the day in isolation of one another. Our brief from Legacy Australia was to reignite the true meaning of the Anzac spirit and enable Australians and New Zealanders to share Anzac Day together. So, we took an iconic symbol over 100 years old – the Anzac biscuit – and reimagined it.

The Half Biscuit won bronze in outdoor at Cannes, and gold and two bronzes at AdStars.

“James is one of the most insightful creatives I’ve ever worked with. It was his thinking that made the Half Biscuit idea so emotionally charged.” Jake Barrow, CCO, VML Czechia

CHANGE IT is the platform that underpins every piece of communication Monash University creates. It was designed to be the antithesis to how every other university markets themselves. While they were all playing in a sea of sameness, Monash shook tertiary education up and redefined why universities exist. 

It needed to launch with some firepower. Ladies and gentlemen, drumroll please… say hello to Australian rappers, AB Original. They wrote ‘Blaccout,’ a new track specifically for the CHANGE IT campaign. It was released via Spotify and Triple J, Australia’s number one youth radio network. Conservatives hated it. But the university sector – students, researchers, teachers and staff – loved it. 

CHANGE IT won global awards for excellence in university advertising. It was showcased in a New Zealand museum. And it was a finalist at Cannes in the “Entertainment Lions for Music” category. 

The platform has since provided a framework for creative campaigns that get noticed around the globe. CHANGE IT has accounted for over 200 awards at every major creative advertising show.

“Change It has changed everything for Monash University as a powerful, long-term brand platform – and James is not only the brains, but the heart behind it. He is very strategic and he’s made sure the Change It platform is consistently fresh and freshly consistent. One of the things I love about James is that he is always ready to think about using a new channel, or trying a new craft technique or element – but he makes sure everything is of a crazy high standard. He’s a born leader, clever but with a heart of gold.” Ali Tilling, CSO, VML APAC

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with James for over a decade, and in that time he has consistently proven himself to be an outstanding creative force. As one of the key minds behind Monash University’s Change it campaign platform, James has played a pivotal role in shaping bold, meaningful work that truly stands out. He brings not only original, out-of-the-box thinking but also a deep understanding and respect for our brand. James has an incredible ability to push creative boundaries while also navigating internal dynamics to gain support for ambitious ideas. His work has been instrumental in keeping our brand fresh, distinctive, and relevant.” Caroline Knowles, Director, Global Marketing, Monash University

2015 marked the centenary of the Anzacs landing at Gallipoli. Legacy commemorated the event by publishing a daily podcast, bringing to life the letters written by soldiers 100 years ago, to the day.

Letters of Gallipoli won metal at Cannes, LIA, Spikes and AWARD. It was Australia's most awarded radio campaign in its year.

The following year, the letters were read by some of Australia’s most well respected actors. It received airtime on The Project, Studio 10, Fairfax and News Corp.

“James wanted the experience of this campaign to be as visceral as possible. He pushed the limits of sound and performance, and the result was astounding. He understands the power of audio and always brings an exceptional ear to the studio. A pleasure to work with.” Paul Le Couteur, Head of Sound, Squeak E Clean, Melbourne

Australia Post’s new mail service lets you squeeze anything into a parcel for a flat postage rate. So, we thought we’d squeeze some items into our radio ads. This campaign won a bunch of gongs at Ad Stars, was a shortlist at One Show, a finalist at the Siren Awards, and a finalist for copywriting at AWARD.

To promote Melbourne’s all-night pubic transport service, we showed a whole city how to stay up later. Our team of 80 ‘Late-Night Explorers’ stayed up till dawn to explore Melbourne and capture enough content to create over 200 executions.

This campaign was a finalist at Cannes in the Media Lions.

Over the last 100 years, humanity has made a lot of good change. But right now? Well, these are strange times we live in. Things we thought we’d solved still need to be fought for.

This poster campaign for Monash University reminded students that change must never be taken for granted.

From 2019-2024 I was the creative director on Australia’s largest recruitment brand, Defence Force Recruiting. Here’s a collection of some of the brand campaigns and targeted recruitment work we made. Scattered amongst the work is recognition from One Show to Spikes to AWARD to various online “picks of the week”.

“Defence is a huge client with multifaceted challenges, but in James’s hands it never felt like that. Through his guidance, the work was vibrant, exciting and just plain cool. The platform work was epic and hard-working, and the tactical stuff was genuinely interesting enough to create famous conversations among target audiences. The result was the most effective recruitment numbers they’d enjoyed for a decade. It’s rare to find a safe pair of hands that can also create this kind of magic.” Paul Nagy, CCO, VML APAC

The new five-door Mini fits more fun in a small space, so we did the same thing with our radio ads.

In 2019, the Melbourne Advertising and Design Club needed a bit of a kick up the bum. The creativity industry had a soft spot for “MADC,” but things had gone quiet. So, a new committee was formed and I put my hand up to be co-Vice President. 

First thing? Rebrand. We changed the name from MADC to… MADC. From Melbourne Advertising and Design Club to Melbourne Advertising, Design and Creativity. Because we thought it should be bigger than just advertising and design. The aim was to welcome any creative person from any creative industry to get in on the fun – and we made sure MADC was going to start having a lot of it. 

Along with education courses, industry talks and student competitions, we reimagined the MADC Awards night to be one of the most memorable and most creative of any awards night on the planet. 

On this page is the last awards promo MADC created during my tenure.

“The MADC has an astounding output for a small place where no one gets paid. So, to help lead it, you need inspiring, thoughtful, passionate, community-minded people that are quick on their feet with ideas, and who’s positivity is infectious. Thankfully, James is exactly that.”  Matt Lawson, CCO and Founder, ATime&Place, MADC co-President

Your wellbeing is a lifelong journey of moments. It’s not just about the big things, like births, deaths, weddings, celebrations and accomplishments. It’s also the in-between moments. The little ones, the seemingly insignificant ones, the forgettable ones. They all make up the fabric of your life.

When Australian Unity helps you get all the important stuff sorted, like your health, your finances and your standard of living, you can make the most of the in-between moments. That’s what real wellbeing is.

‘The In-Between Moments’ was shot by Emmy award-winner, Glendyn Ivin, and was Australian Unity’s first brand campaign in its 180-year history.

Instead of serving generic content to potential students, Monash University let them create their own. To get an insight into the world-class thinking and research that happens at Monash, we turned students into directors, and let them create their own documentaries on topics like automation, terrorism, the ethics of neuroscience and more.

The site features hundreds of hours of interviews with academics, cutaways and music tracks in order to create millions of possible documentary edits, instantly.

This campaign is an extension of the successful Monash documentary series that explores the most pressing issues of our time. It’s been running for over five years, and you can watch some of them here.

Melbourne is the home of live music in Australia. Now that public transport runs all night to help music punters get home after gigs, we got one of the country’s best live bands to perform Melbourne’s Longest Ever Encore all over the city. The catch? They had to ride public transport from venue to venue.

To encourage the top 1% of high school leavers to accept their scholarship offer, Monash did more than send them a letter. They renamed their university after them. 

Your Name Goes [Here] won silver at Spikes and featured in The Work.

To launch a new soft drink inspired by flavors of old, Schweppes held a Facebook competition where you could vote for your favourite. 

For the record, Lime Spider was the winner. 

The staff at RAC Insurance are incredibly dedicated bunch of people. In fact, they wouldn't let anything stop them helping their customers.

As part of the Virgin Australia AFL Film Festival, we were asked to showcase the Fremantle Dockers. We thought we'd show one of the lesser known blokes at the club. 

This commercial was a world-first to link alcohol use to cancer. In 2017 it was named the most powerful alcohol education ad in the world by the British Medical Journal Open.