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This is a great interview that offers outstanding insights on how Scott Goodson and StrawnerryFrog develop strategic vision and creative solutions to share their client’s brand messaging on a global scale.
Interviewed by Doug Simon of D S Simon Productions, who sat down literally on the new connecting staircase from the penthouse down to the newly renovated 12th floor offices in downtown Manhattan.
Join the StrawberryFrog Facebook Movement Page:
http://www.facebook.com/StrawberryFrog
Learn more about StrawberryFrog:
http://strawberryfrog.com/
Follow StrawberryFrog and Scott Goodson on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/frogism
http://twitter.com/#!/scottfrog
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Future of Advertising Looks Bright. Young AdLanders Share What Advertising Week 2010 Meant To Them
Advertising Week New York 2010.They say it's better late then never. This post which is a little late in terms of time, but it still offers insights and thoughts that are worthy of sharing.
I invite and travel with 50 students from the Creative Advertising Program at Seneca College to Advertising Week in New York City. This has become the "cornerstone" event of our academic year. They pack their bags, board a luxury coach and get ready for New York and Advertising Week. The anticipation sets in weeks in advance, but it's the final 10 hours of travel time before they will be in New York and what sets the stage for their future career plans and learning from industry leaders and visionaries.
Each year I arrange for private agency visits for my students during Advertising Week to get an opportunity to hear from various creative talents, strategic planners, account management and to take agency tours. This year, we visited: Saatchi & Saatchi hosted by Creative Director Tim Leake, Droga5 with a dynamic discussion lead by David Droga and Julia Albu, Strawberry Frog and Scott Goodson, RGA, Big Spaceship, BBDO, BBDO Atmosphere, TAXI NYC and Virtue/Vice.
Each year I also host a "Key Note" speaker for all students hear from and to have an open Q & A session. Last year I arranged for advertising legend George Lois (see a short video of his thoughts). This year CP+B arranged and hosted our lecture at the One Club with recently named CEO and creative genius Andrew Keller. A full speed 90 minutes of honesty, laughs, thinking and inspiration.
So what did my students take with them from Advertising Week? Here is what some of the students that attended Advertising Week had to say:
Each year I review and ask myself, "how can I top this next year". I am certain that the next group of students will make Advertising Week a wonderful experience of their own. “New York Advertising week was a great experience for me. The experience was only as great as it was because of the students and the real drive and willingness to learn. The experiences outside of the direct learning from speakers and agency visits allowed me to learn more of who I am and who the people we were around the whole week are. The agency visits to Droga5, and Virtue/Vice really allowed me to see how the style of some agencies are in comparison to the idea of an agency I had before. The speakers also really made an impact on the message I heard and felt.”
- Wilson Lin, Entrepreneur and Aspiring Account Executive
"Advertising Week in itself was an experience, from hearing Russel Simmons speak at a panel to visiting Droga5, Advertising Week 2010 left me with a new perspective on advertising. It helped me to realize that everything I do is in my own hands. In an industry that impacts so many people on so many levels, it's hard to wrap your mind around the fact that everything is in YOUR hands".
- Sabrina Tricarico, Aspiring Art Director
“I was able to visit Saatchi & Saatchi and BBDO. From both agencies I got to hear it straight from the current professionals about creativity, the creative process, and insights regarding the the structure of creative teams and how they're changing. Personally, that gave me a good insight as to what to expect in terms of the direction the ad world is moving and I also got to hear what they expect from us as aspiring creatives. Big Spaceship was a whole other can of worms. Not only did they structure their agency with absence on conventional job titles, this was my first (and only) view of an ad agency outside of Canada that is solely based on the rapidly growing, interactive side of the industry. Not only did i get a good sit down to hear what is creativity to them, but also get a good (for a lack of better term) lecture on how interactive is different from what we know orthodox advertising to be".
"Overall, not only did I get reassurance, but also I feel that the profs we know have been pointing us in a certain direction, and these agency tours, in a way, cleaned up the path a little more.”
- Nas Mohamed, Aspiring Art Director
"Ad Week in New York this year was by far and away the most thought provoking, inspiring and engaging period in my life to date. The knowledge I gained from hearing great minds like; Dave Droga, Scott Goodson and Andrew Keller was something that has had a profound change on my new career. Listening to where the future of advertising is going from people who play an integral role in changing it was awe inspiring. They spoke of a future that will highlight the need to constantly keep the consumer engaged at whatever the cost. We are already seeing the power of social media being integrated with brands and that concept, in some cases, has yielded amazing returns. Some of the more recent examples are the Old Spice Facebook campaign, the Subservient Chicken and even movies like Catfish, The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Creating movements married to brands is something that will not only keep consumers loyal but will allow them to regard brands in ways never before seen in the company/consumer relationship".
"Throughout Ad Week I learned a great deal from many people but one experience stood out for me in particular. Meeting and listening to Andrew Keller, now CEO of Crispin, Porter + Bogusky was something that will resonate with me for the rest of my career. He talked to our class about how to get into the industry (and how he got in), the values of maintaining a personal/family life (which we’re sometimes told is very hard to do) and talked in depth to us about some of the different campaigns he’s worked on. What surprised me the most from the talk we had with him was that he’s just a really nice, down to earth and humble individual. For someone in his position he has no ego and to be honest, you don’t expect that from the CEO of one of, if not the best ad agencies in the world. In a nutshell, Andrew Keller is the type of guy you dream of growing up to be".
- Adam Bercovici, Aspiring Account Planner/Strategist
"Given the opportunity to attend New York Advertising Week was a remarkable experience, both academically and socially. The events I participated in included meeting some of the most influential industry leaders and getting the chance to attend and tour some of the most creative agencies in the world. This was definitely an experience I will never forget.
Being a student of advertising and getting the opportunity to visit a city with some of the most engaging and astonishing ads was an opportunity I am absolutely grateful for. It definitely put a lot into perspective in terms of the endless opportunities within the advertising industry and where I see myself within the industry. New York was unquestionably one of the most engaging cities and I would definitely recommend the trip to all students who get the opportunity to go".
- Lillian Hammah, Aspiring Strategist
"I visited Saatchi & Saatchi, Big Spaceship and Strawberry Frog. Each agency taught me something different. Saatchi gave me a classic, corporate feel. Big Spaceship open concept and small interactive agency = agency of future. Strawberry Frog somewhere in between and gave me the idea of creating a cultural movement. The trip was a good motivation for me to do well in school and get my portfolio ready to get a job. I got a lot out of it information wise. There is no reason not to go. on".
- Jeremy Gross, Aspiring Copywriter
“The thing that everybody got out of it was that they realized that advertising is now a fully integrated team. Technology has to be emphasized. At the core, the consumer is top-of-mind. Doesn’t matter how advanced technology is, we still have to understand all their hopes and fears. Talk the talk and walk the walk. The most fun was visiting great agencies like, Droga5, Strawberry Frog and BBDO Atmosphere and being treated like equals, not like students. We were able to bond with our fellow students and got to learn some cool things about each other. Loved the insightful presentations and I recommend anybody who is serious about advertising to go next. Make a piggy bank and save your pennies now for next year’s Advertising Week"
- David Taller, Aspiring Art Director
"Advertising Week was great. I was able to tour several incredible agencies like Vice and Big Spaceship, where they taught us the differences between traditional and non-traditional media. I had a great time listening to Nick Law’s presentation from RGA. The speakers were wonderful and on top of that, I picked up a few presentation tips regarding how to connect with the audience as you speak".
- Kristina Tran, Aspiring Strategist
"The overall experience was an eye opener because you learned about advertising in a popular place like New York. Everything is more concentrated in terms of what we know from Toronto to New York. The Accounts were larger scales and almost everyone you saw or heard of were icons in Advertising which was amazing, like David Droga, Andrew Keller and Bob Greenberg. I was able to visit Droga5 and Vice which were really cool".
"A lot of us students bonded and were given a great opportunity to become closer friends. We saw a variety of great speakers who weren’t known as “advertising people,” people like Marc Echo and Russell Simmons, their point-of-views and opinions and how they forecasted the future was very interesting because you’re gaining perspectives from entrepreneurs and how they branded themselves, which is something us students are focusing on every day".
- Vishal Raj, Aspiring Strategic Planner
"I had the pleasure of visiting Virtue/Vice and BBDO Atmosphere. From all 3 agencies, I felt it gave me personal assurance that this career path is what I want to do. It was also amazing to talk to creative directors, account executives and also what I thought was awesome was that at BBDO, they actually had 3 students who are currently interning there tell us about their experience and how it is working for BBDO. My overall experience at Advertising Week was amazing, it gave me self confidence and reassurance on the path I am going. It was also great too hear from the sources themselves on what they are looking for in an intern and what it takes to stand out from others".
- Gunika Ahluwalia, Aspires to be in Account Services
"The first agency I had the chance to visit for Advertising Week was Droga5. I really felt that they are balancing the traditional style of agency with the new open concept style very well. The space itself manages to be extremely inclusive to all departments however manages to keep them separate and specific. One of the first things I noticed at Droga5 was that every person in the shop had a huge smile on their face and seemed to be genuinely happy. This is very important for an agency, especially a creative one, as unhappy employees are not often the most creative!"
"Another agency that us students had the chance to visit was Strawberry Frog. This is one of the coolest agencies I have ever seen. The way in which they operate and the philosophies they follow for their creative are just amazing. Strawberry Frog is all about creative social and cultural movements. This mode of thinking is incredible because it truly forces the creative to connect to the masses by interacting with the individual"
"Finally, I had the chance to check out Big Spaceship. This agency quickly became the #1 place in New York that I would like to be interning at. They work in a total open concept space and include all facets of their teams in the creative process from the intern to the CEO. They were different than most agencies, with different titles and job descriptions. Big Spaceship really pushed the idea that you don't have to follow convention to be successful in advertising; in fact, they demonstrated the contrary".
- Michael Potash, Aspiring Copywriter
Once gain the students have taken various lessons, opportunities and plan to apply them to their daily lives and career planning.
I remind my students everyday of a personal mantra, a very simple ten words, two letters each statement, “IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME”. A simple mantra that students need to remind themselves each day. Find inspiration and believe in yourself. You set your path.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Your Career Planning: “It’s All About TLC”.
Originally posted to the Advertsing Week Blog where I was a member of their "Blog Squad"
On Day One of Advertising Week 2010 has clearly demonstrated that it has become “The Premier Event” on the advertising calendar. Sure the south of France and Cannes has the big “cache”, but it doesn’t offer the same resources and engagement with industry leaders all in one room.
On the first day I watched the many young “Adlanders” affixed to the voices of a diverse group of industry leaders sharing their knowledge, opinion and insights to where we have come from and where we might be heading. But today a great lesson was shared and learned during a networking opportunity before at the Billboard “Amp'd Up!” opening concert benefiting GeneratioNext. It wasn’t much of an exchange in terms of time, but it was a powerful exchange.
Fellow ”AdWeek BlogSquad” member Allison Walton and I managed to muscle our way to center stage and front row for the “Amp'd Up!” Concert featuring Bruno Mars followed by John Legend with The Roots. Sharing the tight confines found us chatting in a matter of seconds with an amazing young women named Courtney Gallo who works for The Partnership For A Drug Free America. She is a Field Services Manager who has enough passion, energy and spirit to fill the room. As we chatted it was a “gem” of a concept Courtney dropped on Allison who used this chance meeting as a networking opportunity.
“It’s all about TLC”. Brilliant!
Talent. Luck. Contacts.
This simple little concept is what ever young “Adlander” needs to understand.
I chatted with Courtney about how this idea came about and it was clear why she has achieved her career success to date. “You need talent, that’s your stock, that’s your commodity. You won’t get far without a depth of talent”.
“You’re gonna need a bit of luck, maybe lots of luck”, she added. To me luck is about creating opportunity and that’s were the magic of “contacts” comes into the mix. The more contacts made the more opportunities can come about. I thought about it this way, you can buy one lottery ticket, but that’s one “chance” to get lucky, add a few extra and the chances your luck will increase rises.
It became apparent quickly why Courtney strongly believes in this concept, and it didn’t take long for me.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
AdGuy Interview w/ WADV Radio - The Voice of Advertising Week in New York City
Originally posted to the Advertsing Week Blog where I wil be a member of their "Blog Squad"
Doug Zanger of WADV Radio, the voice of Advertising Week in New York City chats with Anthony Kalamut, Professor/Program Coordinator at Seneca College in Toronto, who candidly reflects on 5 years at Advertising Week, the student perspective, the evolution of advertising education and much more. Professor Kalamut has taken a group of Creative Advertising students to New York for each of the past five years were students have engaged in learning, networking and the development of personal employment strategies.
http://advertisingweek.posterous.com/wadv-2010-anthony-kalamut-interview
Sunday, September 26, 2010
AdGuy Interview w/ WADV Radio - The Voice of Advertising Week in New York City
Originally posted to the Advertsing Week Blog where I wil be a member of their "Blog Squad"
Doug Zanger of WADV Radio, the voice of Advertising Week in New York City chats with Anthony Kalamut, Professor/Program Coordinator at Seneca College in Toronto, who candidly reflects on 5 years at Advertising Week, the student perspective, the evolution of advertising education and much more. Professor Kalamut has taken a group of Creative Advertising students to New York for each of the past five years were students have engaged in learning, networking and the development of personal employment strategies.
http://advertisingweek.posterous.com/wadv-2010-anthony-kalamut-interview
Short Trip To Advertising Week, Long Journey To A Career
Originally posted to the Advertsinh Week Blog where I wil be a member of their "Blog Squad"
September has always marked the beginning of all things new for me. It is so different from New Years Day when we recover from the night before when we chased another year into our past and welcoming another year in hopes of new beginnings... but September for me always marked truly “new beginnings”.
Since we were all children, September marked the beginning of new school year, new clothes, new friendships and a new season of television shows. September marked the launch of the new “model” car year. Being in Canada, well we traded our “Speedos” for “snowshoes” (LOL) and hockey season was weeks away (cliché). September truly marked the “beginnings” of many things that would be past of our lives for years to come.
For the past 4 years September has marked what many of my students refer to as a “new beginning” to their dreams and hopes of joining the advertising industry.
In September 2007 I brought my first group of students to Advertising Week in New York City and it has become one of the greatest learning experiences that energizes like no other single event can. We started as a small group a 17 that first year and we have ballooned into a (bus load) group of 50+. A trip that now sells out in a matter of days.
This year I will be traveling with a group of 53 seniors who are all facing graduation in the spring (2011).
Each has become a “Student of Advertising” over the past couple of years and are now looking to fine tune and fill in the extra skills that will separate them from all the other future graduates fighting for those precious jobs as Strategic Planners, Copywriters, Media Buyers/Planners, Art Directors, Digital Strategist or any of the other 100+ titles that can await them.
Advertising Week is a “deal changer” for these young “AdLanders”. Event upon event, opportunity upon opportunity all lead to learning and engaging directly with the industry, with the shakers and the movers, the deal makers and the game changers. All of this is 4 full days.
Before I arrived in New York I asked my students traveling to Advertising Week two basic questions.
First, “What is it you most want to get out of Advertising Week?” and secondly, “What made you want to come to Advertising Week?.
Nicole Avolio, summed her thoughts up by suggesting Advertising Week will an experience that will take her into the future.
She said, “What I expect to get is an experience that I can take with me wherever I go in the future”, adding “I hope to get a real taste of the industry, and expect my blood to start flowing with passion and excitement”.
Advertising Week is the center of the “Ad World” for 5 days.
The industry leaders converging to share their vision of the future and catch up with some of the past with old colleagues.
Copywriters Vinay Parmar and Jeremy Gross shared similar thoughts of being close the industry leadership. Vinay noted, “I'm looking to expand my professional and social network, while being inspired”, while Jermey sees it as “... an opportunity to hear from some of the greatest minds in advertising to gain their insights but more importantly to gain inspiration”.
Aspiring Art Director Kateryna Topal dug deep into advertising's pasts for her hopes for Advertising Week.
“I’m most excited about living, in the words of Mary Wells’, the “Big Life” for a week. I look forward to having a chance to meet some industry professionals and getting their perspectives on what the future of advertising holds for us, especially when it comes to digital”.
These are just a few of the thoughts from future AdLanders, truly “Students of Advertising” simply by being here they are doing something different.
I hope throughout the Advertising Week you will get the chance meet a few my students.
How will you know who they are... chances are they will be asking you many questions, engaging you in conversation and likely sporting a t-shirt with our programs brand. Left+Right.
Say hello, you will be making a difference.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Brilliant Use of Augmented Reality for Nestlé KitKat.
KitKat UK recently launched an Augmented Reality campaign that works with its "4-Finger" bar packages.
Each of the new bar packages has a specially designed "AR" marker on the KitKat four-finger packages that hit the shelves in late August. By simply holding the wrapper up to your webcam and visiting the www.kitkat.co.uk website a special 3D video appear featuring the group "Scouting for Girls" and a song titled "Silly Song". The band will play their hit in different 3D ‘break’ environments, including a park, a train, a bedroom and a library. All places Kit Kat believes their bars are enjoyed and people will "take a break".
The Kit Kat’s new project dubbed “Kit Kat Brings Music To Life”, this represents most significant spending by Nestlé in the cybersphere to date. The experience was created by the independent agency Skive Digital of London.
The promotion includes a collaboration with with Myspace which will host four intimate concerts which "Scouting For Girls" and will launch on Facebook with the gigs being streamed live. In addition the campaign also features a chance to win £100 of Ticketmaster vouchers that can be used for upcoming concerts and events featuring Scouting for Girls.
KitKat brand manager Jemma Handley said, “Through this campaign, we’re not only demonstrating our lead in the FMCG sector for digital execution but offering consumers an enhanced experience around breaktime and music.Last week, Nestlé credited its investment in marketing as a driver behind the 6.1% growth in sales registered in the first half of the year. The Swiss food and drink giant revealed sales rose to £33.2 Billion in the six months to 30 June.
Augmented Reality Video
Making of the Video
Monday, August 23, 2010
M.I.A - Yup, I'm Taking A Vacation.
If you're reading this then you likely follow my blog or drop by from time to time.
Fear not... I am just taking some off time (most of August) to take a vacation and recharge the batteries.
I'll be back soon enough with more insights. inspiration and opinions. Besides, I can't help myself.
Thank you for following along.
Peace and love,
Anthony
PS. I will be posting on Twitter frequently while on vacation follw me there: @SouthsideAdguy
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Video Case Study - The Old Spice Campaign
There is no shortage of stories and claims of how Old Spice has rewritten the world of advertising, more specifically "Social Media".
This is an amazing "video" case study story of how the "Old Spice Guy" who is deadpan, vain and prone to unrealistic claims of physical strength and sexual prowess, pored on the charm and he's charmed millions.
I am certain the presses were stopped on any printing press in the last 2 months that was about to bring the world a textbook or "case studies" on How Sell More Stuff To People Who Don't Need More Stuff.
ADDITIONAL CASE STUDIES:
Take the time to check out the Wieden+Kennedy blog/website first for their own take on the press coverage.
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Portland
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Welcome Change. There's A New Agency in Town. It's Hoping To Kick Ass and Take Names.
Grad pride.
Amazing what I get to witness being part of the lives of young talented people on a regular basis. The future of advertising is in good hands.
Each fall I take a group of my students to New York Advertising Week. A couple of years ago we had the pleasure of being hosted by Scott Goodson of Strawberry Frog for a "meet and greet". Besides the opportunity to engage with one of the industry leaders the day turned into a day beyond inspiration. Scott asked each student introduce themselves and what discipline they saw as their niche. After presentation and Q&A session a simple question was dropped upon my crew by Scott, "with all the talent at the table, and each of your disciplines why not start your own agency?" Wow, start your own agency. Why not. A short 15 months later a group of those students in attendance took the led and did that. Born from a soft economy, abundant talent and passion Playground Digital was born. But that is just one story of well planned success.
A second group of talented young AdLanders have hung the shingle on the door and are planning to "switch" the thinking of advertising, communication and engagement.
Meet Switch. Welcome to Switch Advertising.
To get things started they have launched their website last week and have collaborated with talented local artists to make a series of outrageous indie rock style posters, because between artists and indie rock bands, no one has to work harder to earn your attention. The site is a "social exercise" "something that could become a case study in itself. The site isn't designed as an info dump or sales pitch of services and talent, but a place to exchange insights, creativity and thinking.
I asked Stuart Chan, Operations & Branding Director, what was key to starting Switch, "We have the same passion as our clients. We wanted to own or work, our ideas, our sweat and our labor". He added, "Creativity; there is a huge gap in knowledge and development in social spheres. About 80% of companies currently operating in this space have no real strategy or planned objectives to move forward with".
It became clear to the partners that there is a real problem in a cluttered media environment, especially when you need to communicate a single point. Stuart pointed out that being children of the wired generation, actually gives them a leg up on larger agencies. Simply put getting these kinds of "simpleminded" ideas to clients first means educating them on how technology can be used effectively and intelligently.
“This became clear after pitching at other, more traditional agencies; and we saw an opportunity to move on pace and in the same direction as the emerging social era. So we grabbed it and ran with it. There was never really any doubt” Stuart added.
When asked if there was a key "mission statement" of philosophy, the plan is to build the agency on three fundamentals; one, to create integrated work that involves consumers; two, we want to select clients that run a business we ethically and morally agree with and we do our damndest to really make them shine; and finally, they don’t just want our work to tell the story, we want our work to be the story – and in turn, have the consumer become the storyteller instead. In short: The best work possible, the best clients possible, the best results possible.
Ryan Thomas, Social & Digital Strategist added, “Honestly if you don't have those three things in this industry, it gets harder and harder to sleep at night".
So what's next for Switch now they are launched and poised to change the environment, the boys answered as one, "It's about choosing clients with similar vision, being prepared to scale, and leaving a global footprint. There’s no such thing as going home, only going big. We’re here to stay.
Bonne chance, keep the passion, change the world.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Alex Bogusky Returns... And He's Fearless!
Alex Bogusky returns... and he's live with FearlessQA!
Two short weeks ago to the day Alex Bogusky announced he was leaving MDC and his roll as Chief Creative Insurgent, and even greater was the impact of the announcement of his leaving advertising altogether. Speculation ran deep of what's next. The love and support posted on blogs, Twitter and other social media was endless.
Well fear not, Alex, FearlessQA and the Fearless Cottage is back and it might be better then ever before.
This Thursday marks the return broadcast of FearlessQA on Justin.TV and it promises to be as critical as any issue Alex has brought attention to. We are simply poisoning ourselves with the way food is processed and consumed at an alarming rate. Hey we are all guilty of the practice of unpackage, then hit '2:00 START' on the microwave. There's a reason for this simplicity. Its in the food, its in the way it's processed and it's killing us.
I boldly proclaim this simple by the fact that Alex will be in his element 100%. Not that he ever feared speaking his mind on any issue that he felt concern for or felt needed attention, and now it's without the speculation of the public or the FearlessQA faithful saying, "how can he say that, won't one of his clients be upset?"
I asked Alex a few questions on the future of FearlessQA and the his future planning and development of the "Fearless Cootage" and I am awaiting his thoughts. Once in place I will post them.
Prior to Alex's departure on July 1st, he had scheduled author Robyn O'Bien to discuss "What's actually inside our food?" She is can teach us a thing or two on the food we eat and why so many of us are getting sick, overweight and generally unhealthy. Her book is titled "The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It".
Through this work Robyn became the founder of the Allergy Kids Foundation, an organization designed to help protect the 1 in 3 American children that now has autism, ADHD, asthma or allergies (known as the 4As). the organization funds research into the development and practice of techniques designed to heal children with the 4As using an integrative, biomedical approach developed by doctors in New York.
She demands "transparency in our food system, believes that we deserve full disclosure of financial ties behind industry funded research, our doctors and our medical organizations".
She has appeared in the New York Times, on CNN, the Today Show and Good Morning America and featured in People Magazine, in Forbes Women as one of "20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter", in SHAPE as one of "Ten Women Shaping the World", and by the Discovery Channel's Planet Green as a "Visionary". Robyn has been invited to attend roundtable discussions with members of Congress on health care reform and to serve on the board of the Environmental Working Group, based in Washington, DC.
What an important and brilliant guest to kick-off the next chapter of Alex Bogusky and FearlessQA.
I urge you to tune in and hear the truth. It won't be pretty, BUT the truth never is.
Follow the this link to tune into FearLessQA
READ MORE ABOUT ROBYN O'BRIEN
robynobrien.com
allergykids.com
FOLLOW ROBYN O"BRIEN ON TWITTER
@unhealthytruth
Watch the full FearlessQA Episode Here or Click on this Link or Below:
Watch live video from Fearless QA on Justin.tv
Sunday, July 11, 2010
WORLD CUP 2010 Final Nike vs Adidas vs Visa: And The Winner Is? Advertising.
So today is the World Cup final and we will all be cheering for Spain right... okay Netherlands. Okay, either way this has been an advertising bonanza and I loved it.
In addition, today's World Cup final may become one of the most watched events on the planet with viewers from New York to Nepal tuning in to see football’s (soccer) elite in action from South Africa. The overall rournement has garnered the biggest television audience yet. For advertisers, this is great news.
"We don’t want to speculate in numbers but we’re hoping this will be the biggest [event] ever," Niclas Ericson, FIFA’s director of television, said in a press conference from Soccer City Stadium, the final’s venue.
"We think it will be bigger than the 2006 World Cup final which had an audience somewhere in the region of around 700 million," he added.
The record to beat is that set by the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, when in 2008 a global audience of one billion watched at least some part of the extravaganza unfolding in the Chinese capital.
This World Cup has brought some excellent football (soocer) ads for the first time at this level and I see the 2012 World Cup in Brazil being even greater.
But was Nike declared the advertising winner of the World Cup prematurely?
Apparently so, even I declared in an earlier blogpost Nike scooped the press and hearts. Not so according to an updated Nielsen Co. study on the effectiveness of ambush marketers at the FIFA 2010.
Nielsen tracked national advertising in the U.S. during weekend games on both ABC and ESPN, as well as all Team USA matches between June 11 and 26, and found that FIFA sponsors connected better with World Cup fans than non-sponsors and that fans had higher recall of the sponsors' brands. This news comes after numerous industry experts declared Nike and other so-called "ambush" marketers victorious after they generated more buzz, according to an earlier Nielsen report, than their official sponsor rivals did in the lead-up to the event.
In the end the data revealed the five primary World Cup television sponsors -- Adidas, AT&T, Budweiser, Hyundai and Sony -- generated a 55% higher on average "net likeability" score among those polled compared to commercials from other, non-sponsor World Cup advertisers. In addition, the primary sponsors also scored 16% higher on brand recall on average for sponsors' World Cup in-game or in-studio promotions including the Adidas "First Half Highlights," compared with their in-game sponsorship performance for other sports events.
Last week I read another interesting piece on who was winning the advertising wars between "official" sponsors and other advertisers. Yes, Adidas, Budweiser, Hyundai paid some pretty big bucks to be primary sponsors but did they really win the hearts and attention of consumers? These partners that support the World Cup paid handsome fees for the privilege. The World Cup 2010 is expected to generate US$1.6 billion in sponsorship revenue during the period from 2007 to 2010 (according to IEG, a WPP group company). The sponsorship media coverage suggests Visa paid $170 million for its 2007-2014 rights, while Emirates Airline paid $195m. For these fees sponsors receive a mix of commercial and marketing rights including tickets, signage at the matches, the right to use the FIFA World Cup logo.
Is it worth all the fees and costs? This should give you a partial answer. Visa. may be the case study to build and to sell the future sponsors. Given that global consumer spending is down, the company said last week that international transactions using Visa during the first round of the Word Cup were US$176m, up 65 per cent on the same period last year. Not bad. First time advertiser, Chinese solar energy company Yingli used the World Cup to announce its global intentions and saw web searches on the company’s name multiply dramatically. Turning these inquiries and engagements into customers will likely increase if it uses all this for business development properly and may become a major success. Intersting, the company’s support of FIFA’s African Legacy Project, the building of 10 football centers this year, each with solar energy technology provided by Yingli Solar. Add to this the fact that the company is FIFA’s first major Chinese partner is worthy of mention.
If we measure purely by sales, then Adidas beats Nike, Coke beats Pepsi, Budweiser beats Heineken. Creatively speaking...hmmm. Adidas will will win hands down. Why? Adidas definitely delivered. Even though palyers were massive fans of the Jabulani ball but it will likely to sell more than 13 million units. With 12 World Cup teams wearing Adidas branded jerseys should generate sales of 7 million replica shirts, and if Spain wins today, that will be the icing and cherry on the sunde according to Herr Hainer, an Adidas chief executive. It's safe to assume Coca-Cola, Budweiser and McDonald’s will all show good sales, and there is a strong case for Sony 3DTV success and its future.
Personally by watching my Twitter feeds and classroom discussions it seems the most talked about spots came from advertisers that didn't buy into the FIFA costs of sponsorships and endorsements. FIFA made cart loads of money either way.
So we are now at the end of a month of great games and even better creative ads and I thought I would post my favorite Football spots of all time. Okay, "all time" is a bit shady, but the best spots I have seen. My choices are based on two basics, "entertainment" value and "insight" value. They appear in no specific order.
Enjoy!
NIKE - NEXT LEVEL
How do you take a football ad to the Next Level? Created in 2008, and and you let director Guy Ritchie have is his way, this is 3 minutes of gold story telling.
NIKE - WRITE THE FUTURE FULL LENGTH
Okay, proof you don't need to be an official sponsor to take away the attention of consumers. Adidas may be the worldwide sponsor but 20+ million YouTube hits tell the truth. Some of the shorter edits work very well on their own. In addition, I posted that this spot was actually a curse for all the players that appeared. All the players featured in the spot had their teams eliminated by the end of Quarter Finals add to that one player, Ronaldinho was not selected to Brazil's final team. I have included below the "replacement" player spot featuring Robinho. Two days after the spot aired Brazil was eliminated by the Netherlands.
NIKE - WRITE THE FUTURE EDIT PLAYER SPOT - RONALDO
NIKE - WRITE THE FUTURE ROBINHO SPOT
VISA - RUNNING MAN
Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, this was one of the first World CUp 2010 spots to appear in the spring.
ADIDAS -STAR WARS CATINA
As creative as this Adidas spot is, it does not directly refer to their sponsorship.Star studded cast didn't impress, but the 3.9 million views does.
UMBRO - ENGLAND ANTHEM
Umbro, makers of the England World Cup uniforms plays to the hearts of all of English football.
BRAZIL - 1998 AIRPORT AD
The 1998 Brazilian World Cup football team are waiting for their plane and get bored. This was one of the greatest teams for Brazil, when Ronaldo was young and Romário was still playing. The magic of music makes this spot. The song used is 'Mas Que Nada' by Tamba Trio
PUMA - HARD CHORUS ENGLAND AND ITALY
From Droga5 for PUMA. The spot was created for football fans to send a message of love to their girlfriends on Valentines Day. Brilliant!
ENGLAND
ITALY
SAMSUNG HD TV
Maybe the sexiest if not the most sexist spot ever. Okay, I love it. I'm a guy, what's not to love. No apologies.
CARLSBERG - MEN OF ENGLAND TAKE ON THE WORLD
This :90second spot for Carlsberg features English sporting legends Stuart Pearce, Trevor Brooking, Jack Charlton, Kelly Holmes, Steve Redgrave, Ellen MacArthur, Nigel Benn, Phil The Power Taylor, Carl Fogarty, Clive Woodward, Ranulph Fiennes, Jeff Stelling, Kasabian, Soccer AM Tubes, Soccer AM Rocket and Ian Botham.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Alex Bogusky Left CP+B, MDC and Advertising. But Does His Mom Know?
A friend of mine reminded yesterday of a great piece Alex wrote back in early February on his blog titled, "My New Job. Mom, Please Read." The reason this even came up was the interest, class and grace Alex shows to his readers, but specifically how he responded to my "comment" I posted after reading the piece.
The piece was written to address his new position to all his MDC colleagues, but also to explain to his mother who asked him "how I (Alex) planned to run 32 plus agencies". Alex asked how she had come up with the question, Mom explained, “I read it on the internet.” What she read was a piece written in Fast Company about his new position at MDC as Chief Creative Insurgent which he left behind on July 1st.
I urge you to read the piece.
After I read the piece I realized that often it is difficult to explain what we do to our friends, but most confused often are our own families. I remembered the countless times I tried to explain my job first as an Art Director, then Creative Director and I stopped trying when the business cards said VP ECD, Mom's, shesh...
I directed my comment to Alex's mother to let her know what he has done for me and my students.
Like I said, Alex once again showed his grace, compassion and positivity after he read my comment.
MY POSTED COMMENT:
Dear Alex's Mom...
There's a little something you need to know about your son that might not be on the internet (and g-d knows there is no shortage of Alex Bogusky postings on the internet) and he likely didn't share at Thanksgiving.
When I first met your son I had 20 hungry young AdLanders with me on the side of a stage in NYC @ AdWeek. I introduced myself to Alex and told him that, "I preach the good gospel according to Alex Bogusky"... he quickly told me to "Careful what you preach"... he had me at hello.
Then on a trip he took to Toronto, Alex graciously accept my invite to lunch with 20 other equally hungry future AdLanders... for over an hour he engaged us and told us to, "Follow your bliss" and "Find something you love and you'll never work day in your life". Your son added that "we need to think bigger about the world and not just do ads, make a difference". These maybe old cliche lines but the impact it had changed me and changed my students.
Last fall, your son wrote another amazing book, titled "Baked In". At the book signing Alex hosted my entire class of passionate, dedicated and now highly motivated future AdLanders who all walked away with their very own "Alex story"... but none more then one of my young ones who is visually impaired, and has fear greater then any of us can imagine, again your son politely told her to simply, "follow your dream, your passions and live that dream, because fear is your biggest enemy" and then Alex opened a line of communication with her, you can't imagine the impact that has had.
So I am writing this little note to you to let you know your son is okay. This new thing he's doing... don't worry it gonna work out, probably bigger then we can imagine. Why? Well simply, actually he is amazingly great, honest, passionate,and fun loving guy (and the girls think he's cute too)... it's no wonder the "big company" has given him a new role, a role that will likely motivate, innovate and inspire a whole group of folks as he has my young AdLanders.
Love and peace,
Anthony
ps. If you have second, please call my mother she still hasn't figured out what I actually do yet... or is this mother thing.
pss. Just wondering if 'The Ivory Cottage" has a fireplace, guitar rack and spare room for a longer visit.
ALEX BOGUSKY'S RESPONSE:
Anthony,
That has to be the absolute nicest blog response in the history of the internet. Thank you sir. I'm humbled.
I'll call your mom anytime.
Much love,
Alex
An update on this comment, that student I mentioned not only followed her dream, but is living her dream. She is currently in the middle of her internship at CP+B in Boulder as a copywriter.
Employee Number 16 Resigns. The Day Alex Bogusky Said Good-Bye To CP+B, MDC and Advertising.
He was known as employee number 16 in early 1989.
He became Creative Director of the agency five years later.
He was named a partner in 1997.
He became Co-Chairman of Crispin Porter + Bogusky in January 2008.
He charted his own future as Chief Creative Insurgent at MDC in early 2010.
Then suddenly, Dr. Alexander M. Bogusky resigned. He resigned from his MDC post and maybe advertising life altogether.
I have had the privilege to meet, chat and exchange ideas with Alex and with each encounter I left feeling smarter, more passionate and humbled, fueled to bring more to my students and to what I love to do. I met Alex for first time during Advertising Week in New York City in the fall of 2007. Since then he has been a mentor, inspiration and friend.THIS IS NOT AN OBITUARY
Under his and Chuck Porter's direction, the CP+B has grown to over 900+ passionate minds. In Boulder, in Miami, and along with CP+B Europe in Sweden, he and CP+B have become the world’s most awarded agency in history including being named Agency of the Decade by Adweek and Alex being name "Creative Director of The Decade” in one of the most tumultuous times in advertising history. This growth and success showed no signs of stopping - as recent as last week CP+B was named Interactive Agency of the Year at the Cannes Advertising Festival and winning the Titanium Grand Prix for Best Buy Twelpforce.
The "great work" and "awards" earned him many honors, but it also brought some unusual attention along the way. There were fake Facebook pages, fake Twitter accounts and even a curmudgeon who would retweet any reference to @bogusky as "Bogusky Garbage" devoted to him. From time to time many blogs writers gave "play-by-play of his every move. Some would ask, not always kidding, “What would Alex do?” There was even fake merchandise created from decorative "plates" and "WWABD" (What Would Alex Bogusky Do) bracelets.
During his career Alex has been profiled in almost every industry publication from Communication Arts, Adweek, Adage, Business 2.0, Fast Company and Business Week. His work and thinking has has been featured in main stream media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, and TIME, as well as countless appearances on national television and radio. Two honors placed upon to Alex that defined his career, but his personality where his 2002 induction into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement and the highest of honors for an Art Director, induction into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. Pretty cool for guy who really wasn't sure this crazy business was in his cards. He remains humbled by all of this.
I asked him to offer my students some insights on the ADC honor, some advice to help them in their careers. His response to me remains and defines what makes Alex an inspiration to me:
"Thanks. It’s a great honor. Shocking actually".
"A friend of mine reminded me of a conversation we had when Lee Clow went into the (ADC) Hall of Fame. He asked me if I remembered what I said and i didn’t even remember the conversation. But he said I remarked that getting in the Hall of Fame was the ultimate achievement yet totally unattainable. I guess I was wrong. Again".
"But I will quietly admit that this sort of thing doesn’t really sit well with my sense of community and my connection with everybody I’ve ever worked with. I’m obviously not alone in a single thing I ever did. We did it all together and to be singled out isn’t right. I worry too that it continues to perpetuate this idea of singular achievement. Which to me it a potentially destructive way to look at the world. I’ll accept it for CPB but not for myself and I’ll accept it for all the people who supported all the hair brain schemes and plans we’ve had over the years".
Positively,
Alex
WHEN ALEX BOGUSKY KNEW HE COULD BE ALEX BOGUSKY
Last fall Alex posted a great piece on his "posterous blog" on a significant turning point in his career titles "Flip Flopping to Success". This story was told several times over and over in the media and on blogs but Alex wanted to tell the story the way it happened. When he was promoted to art director in his first advertising job he wanted to attend an advertising seminar that he thought would be a good place to get exposer to some thinking and people he didn’t have access to, not like today's world of social media. He asked his boss if he would pay to send his to the seminar figuring it was win-win for the agency and Alex. "He seemed really impressed with me and my initiative and he carefully explained to me that the more I learned like this the more valuable I would become and finally he turned to me and said, “Never be afraid to invest in yourself." Alex found this to be the best and most "beautiful and true advice". Invest in yourself, true then true today.
What Alex learned during that seminar (he still can't recall if it was two days or a week) was to "be yourself". He noticed a tall lanky character strolling through the halls. This guy seemed out of place with all the suits and leather briefcases. Alex himself felt out of place. Who was this guy? Turned out to be the last speaker, a gentleman named Lee Clow. Alex recalls he was really excited to hear him speak because he recognized his name from the annuals and connected to a lot of his favorite things. "But by this point in the seminar I was pretty beaten down and didn’t really care to hear any more about how tough and confrontational you had to be to do good work" Alex recalls. "So I took a seat way in the back to make my ultimate escape from his presentation and advertising in general a little easier".That curious guy walking the halls was introduced, "Lee Clow you can probably imagine how surprised I was to see the freak walk up and take the podium. This guy wasn’t faking it. He clearly didn’t have time for a lot of the bullshit or the false trappings of business". It was at that moment that Alex Bogusky discovered he could belong in advertising and make a difference. "Do great work and believe in your work". Alex has told this story many times over (including a lunch I hosted with Alex and several of my students in Toronto) that day "Lee Clow kept me in advertising. I’m so thankful that I had the chance to see through his example I didn’t have to pretend to be anything. I could just be Alex Bogusky. A guy who works in advertising and does the best he can. In spite of the fact that he’s a freak, too".
He has remained true to the epiphany he had that day.
Remaining true to who what matter most to him he relocated from Miami to Boulder with his family when Crispin Porter & Bogusky opened its office there and since then he has been taking full advantage of the qualities of life style that Colorado offers.
In fact, Alex was on bike ride when he found out that MDC released its "official" statement on Thursday morning.
ALEX BOGUSKY - A CAREER IN REVIEW
It what legends are made of.
Alex Bogusky, became one of the most-heralded creative executives in advertising for his work for brands like Burger King, Best Buy, Dominos and the BMW Mini Cooper. Not bad.
Just pick up a copy of Hoopla. This brilliant retrospective complied by CP+B and edited by Warren Berger chronicles the revolution with insider emails, emails between creative thinkers and illustrations, plenty of illustration of the great work.
What he leaves behind is a business that will never be the same. Not the business that shifts and changes like the weather. What he left behind is a business he and all those creative minds he worked with was a second "Golden Creative Age" and "Creative Revolution" (the Bernbach/Lois era being the first). Always creating messages that specialized in risk-taking, rule-breaking campaigns was the genius part is that defines his work. He persuaded clients to run ads that changed culture and their status, not simple companies peddling products and services. How interactive media would be used and defined happened under his watch.
Most significant was what CP+B did for a fading brand Burger King who at the time had advertising that was generally seen as boring, irrelevant and unimaginative. Think back to the "Subserviant Chicken" to see how that became the game changer and cultural movement. With 15 million hits the first 5 days and an average time spent on the site at an astounding 5 minutes and 44 seconds, word spread completely virally. Once the site and chicken were seeded mainstream they added more branding, commercials and easter egg commands to keep people talking and passing the site around. Now there have been well over 450 million hits to Subservient Chicken.
Creativity Online has a feature of the work that CP+B created under Alex's watch. (CLICK TO VIEW)
JULY 1st, 2010 - THE DAY MY "TWITTER" WENT CRAZY and ALEX SAID GOOD-BYE
At 8:57am I received an email containing details of the MDC Media Release of Alex Bogusky resigning for MDC Partners and by 9:15am Advertising Age website posted the "news" that Alex Bogusky has indeed resigned as Chief Insurgent Officer of MDC Partners. By 9:16 the TweetDeck on my iPhone was vibrating every second. Timing is everything, the stock market opening (MDCA - Nasdaq) within the hour and the news was a shocker.
The tweets ranged from just people sending links to the adage.com story to "thanks Alex you're a legend" to speculation that is was a directive from Miles Nadal and his concerns from clients like Burger King who may be feeling that Alex had crossed the line with his personal view points he posted recently on his blog on the subjects of child obesity and even the concept of advertising to children.
Alex Bogusky, who will be 47 later this month, maintained his bright whit and sense of humor when he wouldn't characterize his decision to as a midlife crisis, jokingly he said, “I’ve had so many.” (Fast Company magazine is currently working on a profile of Alex is described as “a midlife crisis story,” focused on his personal interests the beyond advertising world.)
When I had the pleasure of hosting Alex for a lunch with a small group my students and alumni in the Spring of 2008, he was sure to remind us that what we are doing is art and craft, but be passioante and true to yourself. He said, “find and follow your bliss, there will be a time you will start to search for your genuine self”. In an interview with the New York Times shortly after his announcement, he made pretty much the same statement but added, "I'm at that point in my life, and I’m doing that. I’m exploring and figuring out what is that genuine version,” he added, “and it’s not really consistent with corporate life” because in that realm “you’re kind of in the ‘get yours’ mode.”
So what should Alex Bogusky’s next move be? Many think he will continue be a voice of reason for the many causes he keeps near and dear to his heart. He answered the New York Times with the honesty we have come to understand and respect:
“I don’t think I’ll do much advertising” moving forward, Mr. Bogusky said, because “I’ve done plenty of it; I’m not able to find challenges in it.”
“Mostly, what I want to do is participate in this cultural revolution that’s happening,” he added, “happening mostly outside of advertising.”
“The more interesting stuff is coming from the fringes,” Mr. Bogusky said, “and that’s where I want to be.”
“My vision of advertising was always sort of culture jamming,” he added, using a term that refers to efforts to upend or disrupt institutions that include advertising, and there are increasingly ways to get people to talk about brands outside of the traditional realm.
“Social media is a fun place,” Mr. Bogusky said, “and an amazing tool that’s making it more possible” to reach consumers “without the budgets” because “you don’t need the money now” that was once required to reach them through ad campaigns.
“I’m very curious about where it’ll go,” he said of social media. He also listed potential interests that include “ideas for TV shows I could be involved with, as a host or in a producer or director capability.”
And “a fair amount of what I will do will not be for profit,” Mr. Bogusky said, citing interests like mentoring.
(Source New York Times ~ Bogusky, Creative Ad Star, Is Leaving Advertising)
Among Mr. Bogusky’s recent non-advertising pursuits, he has written a couple of books "9 Inch Diet" and "Baked In", hosted on an online talk show "FearlessQA" and spoken out about the nations food, child obesity, advertising to children and environment.
According to Bogusky, “Miles (Miles Nadal the CEO of MDC) started getting phone calls from some clients that didn’t like things that I had said”. Alex has been know to annoy clients as far back as when he published a book titled “9-Inch Diet” exposed the way America's diet and asses have been supersized. Of course that didn’t sit well with clients Burger King and Domino’s. Today both his blog and online broadcast (FearlessQA) tackle the issues of genetically-modified food and certainly brings into questions overall "consumerism". Alex is quoted, “Miles (Nadal) was cool about it, but to me I just thought this is going to happen over and over, and I’ve barely begun. It’s like, everyone’s got enough going on, so I don’t want MDC to have to deal with damage control. So Miles and I basically went back to Plan A... retirement.”
Recently he produced a brilliant video message on "global warming". In this simple two minute video, Alex brings to point the current issue of "global warming" and relating it to pollution. Using the famed "Crying Indian" featuring actor Chief Iron Eyes Cody (he wasn't really a chief or native american) from 1971, using the original spot and his updated message, Alex demonstrated that "pollution is bad, clean is good", so anything that effects global warming is bad. Carbon in the air is bad. Less of it is good. Focus on the problem. Solve the problem. And leave the scientific and political blather out of the room.
(Note: The "Crying Indian" was created by Marsteller Inc. The spot won two Clio awards and the campaign was named one of the top 100 advertising campaigns of the 20th Century by Ad Age Magazine.)
CP+B AND THE FUTURE
Crispin Porter + Bogusky has been left in great hands. In early 2008 when Alex and Chuck Porter were named co-chairman, they left the day-to-day creative voice and direction in the hands of great creative thinkers Andrew Keller and Rob Reilly. Together they have lead a brilliant team of inspired and brave "thinkers", Jeff Benjamin, Tiffany Kosel, David Wright, Ari Merkin, Bill Wright, Faris Yakob, Scott Prindle and many others who are rewriting the rule book every day for a stellar list of clients that grows with each new innovation or strategic approach that just makes the industry stop take notice. No just on the creativity, but the influence it has on the media, culture and most importantly the audience.
The current client list includes Burger King, Microsoft, Domino’s Pizza, Coke Zero, Guitar Hero, Old Navy, Gap, AMEX, Kraft, Best Buy and Geek Squad and remain one of the most awarded agencies in the world with the unprecedented distinction of winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in five separate categories. The agency has been named Agency of the Year twelve times in the advertising trade press, as well as being named Interactive Agency of the Year at Cannes three times.
There is no sign of this stopping as they attract the top talent from around the world. They draw deep from the well of all the advertising schools were the work of CP+B is featured at the top of every case study whether on creativity, strategy and innovation. This year I am proud say that we have our first intern hired in the Boulder office.
THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ALEX BOGUSKY
There is certainly no shortage of content on the internet about Alex Bogusky, including lists of things you would never believe or think to ask.
Yes he loses his wallet way more often than most people. He would be perfectly content eating Tex Mex food every day for the rest of his life. Most Mondays, he will come to work with at least one bloody, puss-oozing injury.
He rarely drinks anymore, but when he does he goes straight for the tequila. He has the attention span of a mating fruit fly.
In grade school, his teacher recommended he be put in a special class.
He owns eleven bicycles, four dirt bikes and one crotch rocket He has a photographic memory, but only for ads.
He has an irrational dislike of St. Louis. Yet many of his favorite people are from St. Louis.
At one time, he was a good enough motocross racer to turn pro. His mom and dad are both designers and more talented that he is.
And he cuts his own hair. With a Flowbie.
One of the best things I stumbled upon was a comment posted on Alex's blog the day of his announcement where he described the day he knew it was time to "stop and smell the flowers". It was posted by a very bright, whity and now obsessed advertising creative former neurologist named Zayra Rubin from New York. After reading his posting Zayra summed things up perfectly, words I couldn't find but felt deeply. Thanks Zayra.
I guess this is all the more poignant after today's news. And I guess we'll be like two ships who pass in the night, both on similar journeys in opposite directions. We've never met but just know that you have inspired me to do courageous, foolish and awesome things.So, like I said at start of this posting I wasn't sure how to approach this since almost everything I have read these past few days was reading and sounding like an obituary. I wanted to honor and thank Alex, yet I don't want to be just another "Alex is gone. now what?" Sure I have referred to him as "Jesus of Boulder" for his working mud into miracles. Be it people, clients or causes he has helped build a creative revolution not seen since Bill Bernbach and George Lois both inspired the first "Golden Creative Age" of advertising.
A few short years ago I was a neurologist. No, really. I literally lived in the hospital, watched people die on a daily basis, and saved some lives along the way. But I certainly didn't smell any flowers. Hell, I barely saw daylight. But I did it because I knew it all mattered and I didn't really see any other way.
It's a long story with a lot of steps in between, but now I'm actually headed towards a career in advertising. I know, I know, crazy, right? But it's exactly like you said earlier this week: it's about knowing who you really are and truly living that.
It's also about a Turkish proverb I came across some years back that got me through the worst of it: "No matter how far you've gone down the wrong road; turn back." I guess sometimes that road can be right for a while, but wrong in the end.
Ironically, I just posted an old entry of yours about meeting Lee Clow as a young creative, almost exiting the business, but being inspired to stay, and I thought to myself: "Shit, Alex Bogusky almost quit advertising before he even started? Now THAT would have been a great loss!"
Now I'm saying advertising's loss is going to be something else's gain; because whatever you pursue you will do it with grace, excellence and awe-inspiring brilliance.
And just know how many of us you have inspired along the way.
Peace out.
Hopefully this isn't one of those postings.
Good-bye is may be to strong. As the french say " a bientôt pour le prochain".
INTERVIEW WITH ALEX BOGUSKY
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