The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]


Emperor’s New Clothes …
August 23, 2007, 7:15 am
Filed under: Comment

more fun (web) Wayhay!!!

First of all, I want to point out this has absolutely nothing to do with the post of yesterday – that situation is something I am still ‘dealing with’ and hope to be able to name and shame very soon.

On the plus side, I feel more fired up than I’ve been in a long time so there’s definitely a positive in being subjected to corporate mediocrity and small mindedness. Ha.

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So recently I was approached by a very wonderful ad agency to see if I’d be interested in coming over to work with them in the UK on some new role they were looking to develop.

Now I am a big believer that you always explore opportunities – whether you are interested or not – so we had a couple of chats and all was going nicely when one of the guys asked me this …

“You’ve been out of the UK for a while, how do you feel you’ll cope with the standards of advertising you’ll be expected to achieve?”

After a couple of seconds of insulted shock, I responded …

“Oh I know it’ll be tough, but I’ll just have to lower my expectations till the UK ad industry stops believing its own shit”.

Unsurprisingly, the ‘conversation’ ended soon after and I am not expecting [or wanting] it to continue anytime soon.

OK … so maybe I was a cheeky shit, but this arrogance that only the UK produces great communication is ridiculous.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the wonderful heritage it has [and in the hands of some agencies, continues to have] … hell, I worked there for long enough and loved it …  however where the World has changed, alot of the UK ad scene – at least to me – hasn’t, and I find it both sad and frustrating to hear/see so many people still acting with a British-Empire-kind-of-arrogance when alot of what they are creating is well below the standards being set by agencies in the rest of the World.

Henry Sucks  One For The Ladies!

Of course this post will piss a load of people off … and I am know I am being generalistic when not every person/agency acts this way … but unless certain individuals start pulling their heads out of their collective myopic and prejudice arses, they’re in for a very, very nasty surprise – because they’re already being beaten for hunger, passion and drive and soon – with the talent certain regions are attracting – this will [fingers crossed] eventually manifest itself into better, bigger, braver and more motivating creative ideas that could put England in the same situation they’re experiencing in categories like manufacturing and shipping!

I hope not … I really do … but if they carry on at this rate, it could happen – and to truly put the fear of God into them, the rest of the World probably has a better grip of English culture than English agencies have of the rest of the World … so when looking for a lead agency to run global accounts, clients could quite possibly start looking to companies located OUTSIDE of the UK [or the West as a whole] because they appreciate, understand and embrace the [subtle and not-so-subtle] differences in culture, values and media rather than just running off and doing whatever their personal agenda and/or arrogant attitude desires.

I hope I’m wrong – but if I’m not, I hope I play a big part in the change. [Cue: Evil Laugh!]


21 Comments so far
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let me get this straight. you went and had secret talks with another fucking company?
and didnt take me? scandalous.

Comment by andy@cynic

Isn’t the definition of ‘secret’ doing things without anyone else knowing?

Yeah I think it is – which means you’re just being a shit-stirrer given you and the rest of the mob knew EXACTLY what was going on.

Oh, and when I say shit-stirring, please know I am using the correct definition of the word 🙂

Comment by Robert

hook.
line.
sinker.

Comment by andy@cynic

“Oh I know it’ll be tough, but I’ll just have to lower my expectations till the UK ad industry stops believing its own shit”.

fucking gold…

night.

Comment by lauren

rather than have me write 87,000 possible smartarse comebacks for every conversational possibility, he came up with that venom all by himself. campbells shooting above his weight at the moment insnt he. wont last long.

Comment by andy@cynic

Astonishing that the London ad biz still thinks it rules the world. They really ought to get out more.

Comment by Buddha

That should have my name. Its Gods fault 😉

Comment by Charles Frith

Dear God, I am afraid the biggest issue you have is that seemingly too many people in the UK ad scene don’t believe YOU exist because they believe they ARE you.

Sort it out mate or your bible will end up as a poster featuring a visual pun, a pithy headline and a brand logo in the bottom right hand corner.

Comment by Rob

Nice comeback… its crazy that people can still think that way.

Richard Huntingdon recently had a good post on whether the UK ad industry was dying from being so far behind; and yet some people still just dont get it.

Comment by Rob Mortimer

I HAVE DELETED A COMMENT I MADE ABOUT A GREAT PLANNER BECAUSE IN A MOMENT OF MADNESS, I WAS UNBELIEVABLY PETTY AND ITS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM, I AM JUST IN A BAD MOOD.

SORRY …

I BLAME MY ITALIAN BLOOD – YEAH, IT’S ALL MY MUMS FAULT 🙂

Comment by Rob

Believing you are the best at something is all well and good, but there’s got to be a time when you prove it. I think I can think of, ooh, two examples in the last couple of years of world beating UK creativity. Not quite proving it.

“The rest of the World probably has a better grip of English culture than English agencies have of the rest of the World”. Yep, can’t disagree there.

Comment by Will

Hang on… now MY comment looks like im agreeing to a rude comment when I was actually calling the guy smart!!

Comment by Rob Mortimer

What would you like me to do Mr M?

Comment by Rob

Can you add “very clever” after “he is”?

Or just delete the second post!!

Thanks 🙂

Comment by Rob Mortimer

“above his weight”??

Comment by John Dodds

Your wish … Mr M … is my command!

Comment by Robert

By the way are those the aforementioned strippers or just a gratuitous glamour shot?

Comment by John Dodds

Andy’s ex-wives/fiance reunion …

Comment by Rob

Maybe (by the looks of the photo) it wasnt Andy that made them leave then!

Comment by Rob Mortimer

[…] Richard’s post looks at the demise of London as a global creative centre of excellence and Robert’s takes on the arrogance of British advertising industry. Both of them explore, and quite rightly, that there is more going on outside of the UK, with […]

Pingback by Wake up Germany. The British advertising industry is dead. « The Kaiser

[…] Richard’s post looks at the demise of London as a global creative centre of excellence and Robert’s takes on the arrogance of British advertising industry. Both of them explore, and quite rightly, that there is more going on outside of the UK, with […]

Pingback by Wake up Germany. The British advertising industry is dead.




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