On My Radar: Margaret Levingstone

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

I really love the Castorama Magic Wallpaper campaign. It’s simple, clever and effective.   It brings children's story books into the modern era by using technology to create a new way of telling stories. 

They illustrated characters on wallpaper which, by scanning them on the Magic Wallpaper app, allows the discovery of different stories featuring those characters. There are hundreds of story combinations to be told. Genius.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

The Daily Mail is my guilty pleasure for non-work related news!

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

We bought the Samsung Gear 360 camera for work so that we could test it and assess its suitability for mobile production. Now I personally want one!  It’s just so easy to use and any of the bug bears are now gone. 

What’s your favoured social media platform?

I go through phases but it’s probably Facebook. It’s definitely the one I use the most and gets a daily visit.

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

The Fitbit app. It’s made me more aware of my physical activity and sleep patterns which is intriguing. Spotfiy comes a close second.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Narcos is the one that sticks with me of late.  It’s addictive watching. Wagner Moura is a brilliant actor who plays Pablo’s part. I like the way it’s gone down the Scorsese/Goodfellas narrative approach.

It has the darkness of Breaking Bad and the intensity of The Wire. Based on a true story, I’m not sure how accurate it is but it looks great, the acting is great and every episode gets the adrenaline pumping.  

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

Surely everyone has seen it, but if not it’s Ferris Buellers Day Off.  I never get tired of watching it. Every kid has dreamed about pulling off what ‘Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?’ did. It also comes up so many times as a reference for creative ideas from performance, comedy and music.  It’s a classic.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

It has to be the Cannes Lions festival. You can’t help but coming home inspired. I love meeting new people and making new contacts. I also felt very proud to see Rothco doing a talk on the international stage again this year. 

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The introduction of social media and how quickly it is constantly changing and evolving. And the industry's adaption and evolution alongside it. When I started working, e-mail was only being introduced. Smart phones didn't exist and now I can’t put my phone down for any length of time. The ongoing challenge is striking a balance. It’s a work in progress!

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

How hard we all work. It’s an intense, high-pressured, demanding industry. It’s long hours, shorter deadlines, more outputs, less money, better creative ideas, so it’s tough. However, if you asked me what else I would do instead, I think I’d do it all over again. It’s an addictive career and I’ve obviously got an addictive nature!

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

I always get most inspired by incredibly talented women in the industry. Very clichéd, I’m sure, but when I meet amazing women for the first time or work with them, it always spurs me on and reminds me to stop being so hard on myself and appreciate what I have achieved in my life. Cindy Gallop and Sheryl Sandberg [below] are two women I really admire.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know.

I’m an identical twin!