Screenshots don’t disappear, comment sections don’t forget, and apologies, no matter how well worded, are no match for the collective power of passionate fans.
Talent partnerships are a critical part of any brand’s marketing mix. But talent are also human, which means they can be brilliant on their best day, unpredictable on their worst, and occasionally capable of making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
That’s why choosing talent is not, and never should be, a decision made lightly. Instead, it’s a risk calculation, a brand decision, and a business decision. One that deserves the same rigour and due diligence as choosing a media partner, creative agency, or global platform.
Too often, talent selection stops at reach, relevance, and recent accomplishments.
Are they popular right now?
Do they over-index with Gen Z?
Have they won recently?
Are they trending?
All fair questions, but all wildly insufficient with so much at stake. What matters more is what can’t be found at first glance.
Who are they when the cameras are off?
What do they sound like when they’re not media-trained?
Are they shy, guarded, cocky, earnest, funny, awkward?
Do they believe what they’re saying, or are they just saying it well?
This is where brands can get exposed and where the right agency earns its keep. The difference between the right and wrong talent decisions lives in the details others don’t see. The habits, tells, contradictions, motivations, and history that explains their behaviour. The life moments that shaped the athlete, the gamer, the artist or relevant influencer. The things you only know if understanding them isn’t just your job, but your passion.
Talent management has been a pillar of Octagon for more than 40 years and creating talent partnerships for brands is a core strength of Octagon APAC and our agency offices around the world.
To start, our rigorous process ensures brands get the right talent for the job, whether athlete, personality, team, league or tournament. But we go far deeper than agencies that don't specialise in this field. And we know that work featuring talent doesn’t start with a logo placement, it starts with empathy.
Take Rexona’s “Not Done Yet” campaign last year. Same brand, same category, using two very different athletes for different messages and executions.
Nathan Cleary is reserved, thoughtful, softly spoken, and not built for chest-beating monologues. So Rexona didn’t force him into one. Instead, while injured mid-season, Rexona focused on his work ethic, his preparation, and the quiet repetition behind greatness.
Max Gawn on the other hand, has presence for days. Big personality, humour, and energy. So, Rexona leaned into it, let Max be himself, and let his charisma do the heavy lifting and carry the message.
Same brand truth, but two completely different creative executions. Because authenticity isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.
Then there was Sam Kerr. Injured hours before the mighty Matilda’s first match in a home nation-hosted FIFA World Cup. The easy response would’ve been a token social media post and a crossed-fingers emoji. Instead, Rexona saw something bigger, and Octagon reacted in real-time by bringing a topical television spot to life in that moment which celebrated Kerr, her strength, and everything she stands for.
A career built on resilience. A history of setbacks. A player who had been here before and come back stronger. Yet as famous as she is, a lot of people didn’t know about her incredible tenacity. So we told that story. Not as spin. As truth. Wrapped up in the brand line, “Not Done Yet.”
With Sam, Rexona didn’t pretend everything was fine, instead they gave a nation hope by reminding them who she is. And sometimes, the right talent doesn’t just carry a message, they are the message.
Choosing the right talent matters and choosing the right agency to unlock that talent can be equally as important. Because without the right guidance, even the biggest star becomes a talking head. A script reader. A logo holder. A missed opportunity. Or worse, the ultimate way to get fans and consumers offside.
The right agency protects brands from risk, but more importantly it unlocks incredible rewards. It ensures talent is used in ways that are timely, genuine, and deeply relevant to fans.
The right agency briefs talent properly. Onboards them thoughtfully. Directs them humanely. And creates work they’re proud to share, not contractually obliged to post.
One of my proudest moments in the last year was receiving a call from a Real Madrid player’s manager, requesting that he be made more prominent in a social campaign that featured the entire team. A star of one of the biggest football clubs in the world wanted more action.
This doesn’t happen by accident; it happens when talent and brands feel understood. This is important to me. I don’t believe in work that just makes clients happy, I believe in work that makes players, artists, stars and most critically of all, fans, happy.
In a world where audiences can smell inauthenticity instantly, the quality of thinking is everything.
Bad PR might be better than no PR.
But bad talent, or even good talent used badly?
Well that’s just bloody expensive silence.
Author Bio:
Guy Futcher is Executive Creative Director for Octagon APAC, where he leads creative, strategy and technology. With more than two decades of experience across Australia and Asia, Guy has held senior creative roles at agencies including VCCP, VMLY&R, Leo Burnett, DDB and M&C Saatchi. His work spans global brands, major sporting partnerships and culturally driven campaigns, earning recognition across Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, Spikes Asia and AWARD. Guy regularly serves as a jury member, mentor and speaker within the creative industry, including a place on the 2026 Sports Entertainment Cannes Lions Awarding Jury.