Ronnie Kirkwood once asked me about an idea he’d had to raise Reader’s Digest’s profile amongst ad agencies.
He thought, once a month, they should give top creatives a free DPS to write an exciting ad promoting adult literacy.
This would get creatives competing to do the best ad, and talking about Reader’s Digest.
I thought it was a good idea, but I persuaded Ronnie to let each team pick their own charity.
Because I wanted to do an Anti Third World Debt ad.
Now one of the main problems in the third world is that polluted drinking water kills 500,000 babies and children a year.
While I was thinking about this I realised an amazing fact.
We flush our toilets with the same pure, clean drinking water that comes out of our taps.
Third World children would actually be better off drinking from our toilets.
So that’s the ad we did for Reader’s Digest.
The editor wouldn’t let us show a picture of a toilet, he felt it would offend his readers.
So we wrote the headline on a roll of toilet paper.
Then Julian Neuberger, our media planner, said he’d found a way to get us some cinema ads.
The mainstream cinemas wouldn’t touch it, because it would offend the banks that spend millions on commercials.
But he said Romaine Hart, who ran the ‘Screen’ chain of cinemas, was willing to run anti Third World Debt ads for free, in her theatres.
So I asked one of the young writers, Little Jim, to have a look at a script.
He wrote a script with the toilet that we hadn’t been able to use in Reader’s Digest.
He had a little white child drinking out of it and a VO saying, “If it’s not okay for a white child to drink out of a toilet, how come it’s okay for a black child?”
Nice script.
Little Jim said he wanted Bob Hoskins for the VO.
I said okay.
He said that we had no money, and the account men wouldn’t approach Bob Hoskins.
Jim said he didn’t know what to do.
So I gave him a copy of George Lois’s book “The Art of Advertising”.
That night Little Jim took it home and read it.
The next morning he came in and got on the phone.
By the end of the day he’d found out Bob Hoskins’ agent’s number.
He’d talked him into giving him Bob Hoskins’ private number.
And he’d talked Bob Hoskins into doing the VO.
For free.
He’d been so inspired by the stories of how George Lois did the seemingly impossible, that he saw he could do it.
“The Art of Advertising” by George Lois, is a book I’ve always recommended to every creative.
If you only read one book about advertising, read this.
Not all of the ads are good.
Many are plain corny by today’s standards.
But what is great, and truly inspiring, is the thinking.
The stories about how he did some absolutely outrageous work, and how he got it to run, are amazing.
He makes you see what a tiny little corner today’s creatives have painted themselves into.
The book is out of print, you can’t buy it anymore.
Maybe you can get a used copy on Amazon or eBay.
If you care enough about your career, you’ll read every word in it.
If you’re truly creative, you’ll find a way to get hold of a copy.
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Dave
Can I borrow your copy, photocopy it and send it back?
If for no other reason than I was the only one to ask…
ang…@framecreates.co.uk
All you need to do is be creative enough to spend £86 on a book.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0810903733/ref=sr_1_olp_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1225892320&sr=8-1
Thanks for the tip, though. There are other copies on Amazon.com.
I remember the cinema spot, Dave. It was the late 80s and one reason I made the trip from the Far East to London to look for a job. Unfortunately, I was too arrogant to leave my book at GGT. Actually, I just had one book, which I had to sneak in or risk putting sent to Paddington before being put on the next plane back to Asia. So I felt I couldn’t afford to leave it at any agency. As the Eyetie says in ‘allo ‘allo, “what a mistake to a-make-a.” Darn!
LunarBBDO,
Thanks Ben, now all they’ve got to do is to be creative enough to find how to get hold of £86.
Angus,
Try everything else first, if you can’t get it any other way you can copy mine.
Thanks Dave
Will do.
In the true spirit of George Lois, I’ve sent him a cheeky note asking him for his copy.
I’ll let you know how I get on.
Angus
Dave
Can you write a post on the movies that creative guys must watch
If anyone wants to contact George, like Angus, this is his website http://georgelois.com/
Nishad.
I don’t know any films specifically about advertising but there are still 5 days left to watch or download this programme about creativity in general on the BBC website, it’s certainly worth watching: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f50tn
Dave,
What’s the most recent “crazy” thing that you’ve done to get an idea sold through?
The movie all creatives (male or female, on the creative floor or any other floor) is ‘Putney Swope.’
written and directed by Robert Downey Snr.
Christian.
We won a pitch with an idea I got out of that George Lois book.
We were pitching for a newspaper account at 9.00am Monday morning.
So Sunday night at 11pm we got a copy of Monday’s paper.
We wrote the script overnight, from the stories in the paper.
We shot it 7.00am Monday morning.
And at the pitch we were able to play a commercial based on what was in the paper that had just gone on the newstands.
We won the pitch, so the book works.
agree with ciaran. putney swope is mandatory viewing. a complete trip. i couldn’t resist doing this homage to one of the ads in the movie. (the one for “ethereal cereal”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0C3ze0ZAWU
Angus, photocopying that book will break your machine, is about 300 something pages init? I own one of his book called the Esquire era, is really good as well.
G
Second comment, I know, and as a Quaker you are not supposed to make a second comment until everyone has had a chance to respond. However, the best book on advertising (IMHO) still remains to be filmed. Alan Parker thought, fleetingly, of filming it, so maybe there is somebody out there who might. The book: The Advertising Man by Jack Dillon (DDB in its heyday). You can buy it for $1 on Abe Books.
angus - give jim downie a call. I think he’s got it. otherwise how would I have read it?
Seen it for a lot less than £86 but it’s still a bit steep. Looks like I’m going to the library.
Okay guys,
I’ve just sent off to Abe Books for Jack Dillon’s book, and I’m going to HMV on Oxford Street at lunchtime for a Putney Swope DVD.
Let’s see if you’re right.
and I’ve bitten the bullet and sent off for an overpriced copy of George Lois’s book on ebay. (even George doesn’t have a copy. I know ’cause I asked him)
Once I’ve read it, I’ll lend it out to anyone who asks if:
1. They give money to Tear Fund
2. The send it back
Angus
PS Will thanks for the suggestion, but Jim’s version is in big type.
My favourite book on advertising is ‘Where The Suckers Moon: the life and death of an advertising campaign’ by Randall Rothenberg. It’s the story of the Subaru account in the ‘90s and also a great biography of Weiden and Kennedy. Definitely essential reading for agency people.
Why do they have to be ad books?
For me, creative inspiration and calculated directions came in the form of The Fountainhead, by Ana Rand (and the Fleet Foxes new album).
Don’t ask me why, it just did.
Troy, I hate to be nerdy about it, but her name’s Ayn Rand. Great book, eh? It’s like Jackie Collins writing a cult blockbuster whose main character is Travis Bickle transplanted to ‘50s America as a struggling architect. Which sounds mental but somehow works.
By the way, are you a fan of The Band? If you like the Fleet Foxes album, check out ‘Music From Big Pink’.
Putney Swope - A satire on American ways of life, written and directed by Downey and misfiring on most cylinders. The idea is promising enough: the token black member of a big business board of directors is elected chairman because everybody votes for him on the assumption that no one else will. After some good lines in the opening scene, however, it all fizzles out in a series of damp squibs aimed indiscriminately at capitalism, Black Power, TV commercials, etc.
john w.
agree that putney swope is a complete mess as a movie. but what a glorious mess. and what an influential mess. and those were actual black panthers btw. not actors.
remember alfred molina’s firework-igniting character in boogie nights? where did you see that before?
PS: that’s Downey Sr.’s own voice dubbed over Putney Swope’s. that’s serious balls.
“How many syllable’s Mario???”
A prince indeed.
Trivia: Just found out online that Paul Thomas Anderson (director of boogie nights/magnolia/there will be blood) had the decency and good sense to cast Downey Sr. in a minor role in Boogie Nights and credit him as “Robert Downey Sr - A Prince”.