I worked at BMP in the early days.
As creative director, John Webster got the only copy of Campaign.
On Thursdays, I’d wait until he’d finished reading it, then go and borrow it.
I always knew if another very famous creative director was in Campaign that week.
Because, if he was, it was in John’s waste-paper bin.
We never spoke about it, but I think John used to get angry that they’d written about this other guy instead of him.
The other guy was good.
But John was at least as good, if not better.
At BMP, we all knew that.
But not everyone outside BMP knew it.
Because John never made any effort to put himself about.
He didn’t think he should have to.
He thought his work should do all the talking for him.
But the problem is, not everyone, knows what good work is.
The people who write on Campaign are journalists, not ad people.
And even ad people don’t all agree on what good advertising is.
Certainly all clients don’t agree on it.
Nor do all creatives, account men or planners.
So how are journalists supposed to know?
They do what everyone else does, they look in Campaign.
If you’re in there you must be good, if you’re not, you’re not.
John thought he should be in there.
But he didn’t want to do what it took.
Calling up journalists, writing articles, lecturing.
John thought that should happen just as a result of him being better.
But it didn’t.
The other guy made the effort, so it did happen for him.
He began writing articles and meeting journalists.
He was a funny, witty guy, really good company at lunch or drinks.
And the more they wrote about him the more his reputation grew.
And the more his reputation grew the more they wrote about him.
The difference between this guy and John was that this guy was a brilliant salesman.
John was a brilliant, brilliant writer.
But he never sold himself.
Why should he have to?
In the early 1900’s, Henry Royce was building great cars in his garage.
He was selling about one a fortnight.
They were very good cars and he couldn’t work out why he wasn’t selling more.
Then he met Charles Rolls, who was a salesman.
After they teamed up, they changed the name to Rolls Royce.
Royce was still building the same cars.
But now they began selling at one a week.
Then one a day.
Then ten a day.
Pretty soon Rolls Royce had built a reputation as the best cars in the world.
And everyone, everywhere wanted one.
The difference wasn’t the cars.
The difference was Charles Rolls.
He was a salesman.
Of course, in time John Webster grew famous and successful.
If you’re great, that’ll happen eventually.
But it could, and should, have happened a lot sooner.
And anyway, what about the rest of us who aren’t as good as John?
I see youngsters who meekly come into an interview.
They put their book down and sit there quietly.
And they let the book do all the work.
Great if your book is stunningly different to everyone else’s.
But what if it isn’t?
Imagine you’re seeing two portfolios of roughly the same standard.
One from someone dull, and one from someone fun and interesting.
Who do you think you’ll hire?
Obviously your portfolio has to be as good as you can make it.
But why stop there?
Is there any other way you can give yourself an unfair advantage?
Is there any other way you can convince people that you’re really exciting, interesting, and creative?
The portfolio sells itself or it doesn’t.
But that’s like saying a product sells itself or it doesn’t.
If that was true we wouldn’t need advertising.
You see your portfolio is the product you’re selling.
But you are the brand you’re selling.
In a situation of parity products, brand is often the deciding factor.
That’s what we do isn’t it?
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As U2 said, “a secret is something / you tell one other person / so I’m telling you…”
Sadly, there’s so much noise out there, it’s not enough to be the best at what you do; you’ve got to be pretty damned good at selling what you do too.
A very timely post Dave; thanks for reminding us that timidity isn’t the easiest route to success.
Whether you like his work or not is generally a matter of subjectivity but Banksy’s ‘advertising’ edge is his attempts at elusiveness. Not entirely original but nonetheless effective. ‘They seek him here, they seek him there. Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven or is he in hell? That demned elusive Pimpernel ..…’
eskimon,
Top marks for speed.
I hardly finished pressing the ‘publish’ key when that comment popped up.
I’m impressed.
John,
That’s exactly what I mean.
Spraying on walls is the product, Banksy is the brand.
That’s the power of RSS!
Your remarks about ‘parity’ ring true. My marketing mentor - John Hartley - always used to remind me that we could differentiate two grains of sand; the trick was in understanding what motivated the person you were talking to.
And so it is when it comes to selling yourself. Sometimes, the demure approach is effective; however, if no-one knows you exist, that’s a pretty tough challenge.
The brilliance of PR.
eskimon,
I absolutely love that quote:
“We can differentiate two grains of sand.
The trick is in understanding what motivates the person you’re talking to.”
There’s John Webster and there’s
your own brand creative director.
And then there’s Colin Milward.
Ciaran
Were you at BMP when Stanley Pollitt was there Dave?
Hi Charles,
Yes, I was there for 10 years, when Stanley started Planning as a discipline (around the same time as Steven King at JWT).
When I was a junior I once went to the pub with Stanley.
I don’t know what I said but when I got back to the office he doubled my salary.
BMP was a real collegiate atmosphere in those days.
Hi Ciaran,
John told me that he always wanted a job offer from Colin Milward.
Colin Milward told me he offered John a job several times but he never took it.
Let’s put it down to mutual respect.
http://ex-blank-page.blogspot.com/2009/10/in-reply-to-daves-great-posts-85.html
Could you have used Maurice and Charles Saatchi as examples of your Rolls and Royce?
(And does Charles’s refusal to grant interviews etc echo the success of Banksy’s elusiveness?)
Hi Paul,
I would have thought Tim Bell at Saatchi was a good example.
Plus Michael Baulk at AMV, Frank Lowe at CDP, Nigel Bogle at BBH, and Mike Greenlees at GGT.
Just my opinion.
Depends… if you want to do good work… or if you want to become famous…
What if you’re not a natural networker? What if you’re from a working class Irish background where there is no bullshit? How do you learn to schmooze with all the right people (middle-class, public school), particularly when a lot of them seem to be a million miles away from your usual group? Or maybe that is a point of difference, i don’t know…
@anon 2:18
Being Irish, I can confirm that there is just as much bullshit here as there is anywhere else, just a different variety.
Being an outsider is generally an advantage when trying to break into a market (as opposed to blending into it). That’s how punk was so succesful.
Like most other innovators/innovations, it too went mainstream eventually and was accepted by the establishment.
So don’t bother schmoozing, embrace your difference and make a statement out of it…until acceptance looms, when some tactful “brand management” may be required.
Hallo Stan
I agree with you on ‘whether you want to do good work or want to be famous’.
Used to work with a guy (now in Canada) who schmoozed the trade rags
So even when he did the crappiest tv spot, the journos would write about how he had gone all the way to New Zealand to shoot it
For a while, he was even in a top US office
Now he’s in Canada
The other day, I went to this guys’s agency web-site
And 90% of the work wasn’t by him
Oh sure, he was the Creative Director
But he didn’t do the work
Even had the cheek to put in public service work from an agency he never worked at
Sure this guy’s famous
For stealing work
Stan and Robin,
My point is that it doesn’t have to be either/or.
You don’t have to choose between being an autistic genius or an untalented salesman.
If you’re good at what you do (selling other people’s products or brands) why shouldn’t you also be good at selling your own?
Picasso was also a great salesman, so was Warhol, so is Dyson, so is Conran, so is Branson, so is Murdoch, so is David Bailey, so nwas Cartier Bresson, so was John Lennon, so is Bob Dylan, so is David Bowie, so is Steven Spielberg, so was Walt Disney, so is Steve Jobs.
None of those people locked themselves in a room and posted their work out under the door.
They all sold themselves, which is why you’ve heard of them.
Van Gogh couldn’t sell himself.
Great painter, committed suicide.
Mozart couldn’t sell himself.
Genius, died a pauper.
I wasn’t suggesting you couldn’t do both.
Just that sometimes it’s more about people’s ego…
I would suggest that all the famous people you mention Dave have, or had, rather big egos.
I agree Stan, they did.
But that shouldn’t stop the rest of us.
We all have to learn to sell ourselves with a bit more confidence.
It’s not comfortable, no one wants to do it.
In England we’re taught selling ourselves is arrogant.
But the alternative is watching less talented people be more succesful.
I just like winding you up Dave.
I have two friends who are both artists.
One is brilliant but incredibly introverted.
The other is pretty rubbish but a brilliant people person; a total sales man.
I know which one will do well and make more money.
But then I suppose it depends whether you think making money is doing well.
Either way, it’s a shame the really talented one won’t get more recognition.
So I do agree with you, mostly.
It’s an interesting debate Stan.
Try this link:
http://www.cstadvertising.com/blog/2009/02/11/
@anon 2:18
If you’re not a natural networker, become one. being working class irish has nothing to do with it. and as pat pointed out, ireland is arguably the home of bullshit. people (foreigners) think we’re charming and funny and a bit odd. so use that. the “gift of the gab” is an irish expression. that should tell you something.
so called “schmoozing” has gotten a bad name. it’s just meeting people with whom you can have a mutually beneficial relationship. that’s all. worrying about what you’re not: middle class, public school etc is a waste of time. it’s like worrying about not being tall.
Stan,
It boils down to what you think a brilliant artist is.
Me, I have seen so many great bands get little or no recognition because they break up early in their career.
Yet the truly great bands manage to stay together to be heard.
It must be the same in art.
If your friend cannnot get his art seen, he won’t be successful.
So, sales is probably the highest form of art.
As they say, no-one gets paid until someone sells something.
Remember life gives you plenty of opportunities. Advertising only gives you one. Go out and enjoy yourself. Work hard. Have fun. It’s only a game after all.
Dave, I’ve long admired your work. And know I’m admiring your blog. George Tannenbaum of adaged.blogspot fame pointed it towards me today.
Anon 2.18 pm
You just had an answer from another young Irish working class guy, Vinny Warren.
(Look him up on Wikipedia.)
Basically, you can stay stuck in whatever you think your problem is, which gives you a good excuse for not breaking out of it.
Or you can ignore it and use it as an opportunity.
As Vinny did.
Either way you will be the result of what you choose.
@2.18
You alone are responsible for your thoughts. Only you can change them.
Thanks Pat, Dave and Vinny. You’re all absolutely right. Now i’m off to join everyone down the pub for a Bud.
anon
Buy them a Bud. It works wonders…no hold on a minute that was for Double Diamond…
“In England we’re taught selling ourselves is arrogant.
But the alternative is watching less talented people be more successful.”
This is the reason i will not stop until i get the job i want.
No more motivation required.
Thanks Dave & Everyone else.
Dave, have you ever seen the film ‘Control?’ Whether it happened for real or not. Ian Curtis was a master at selling his band, espeically to Tony Wilson who chose the bands to put on his TV show. Curtis simply wrote ‘Joy Division you cunt’ on a piece of paper and gave him it. It got them on TV and you remember their name, so it must have worked. Saying please isn’t always helpful.
Just catching up on my reader now and read this post.
Ironically this was what I was thinking about all weekend.
I’m a young creative moving from Ireland to Canada and I have been wondering how I am going to sell myself when I get there.
You hear all these mad stories of how ad people have landed these great jobs. The story you told about Vinny Warren for example.
I’m beginning to realise the sponge of the cake is your book but the way you come across and present yourself is the icing.
I need to learn how to make good icing.