Filed under: Comment
If you can be arsed, I’d love you to watch a video.
I know it’s long, but it’s absolutely, unequivocally, categorically worth listening to.
However, if you haven’t got the time to watch it all, please … please … please watch from 28 minutes 30 seconds to 32 minutes.
I’m not going to say a thing about it, I simply offer it up to you so that I can hear your viewpoint on how a senior member of the advertising community is promoting our role, purpose and attitude to the wider World.
To avoid any confusion, I don’t want any comments about Saatchi or the work shown in the presentation [which, for the record is generally good], I am just interested to hear what you think about what Mr Roberts says and how he says it … acknowledging it’s always difficult to present to people where your native language is not their native language
That said, after I watched it, I couldn’t help being reminded of this, hence the title of the post.
Enjoy.
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Hasn’t Roberts been ousted? After watching some of his speech, I know why.
Comment by Bazza October 23, 2014 @ 6:22 amfuck me campbell, i dont work in adbland any more and even i fucking know roberts has got his fucking pension card. not yet, but the fuckers being printed.
Comment by andy@cynic October 23, 2014 @ 6:27 amHe’s out of touch. Just like his shirt collection.
Comment by Bazza October 23, 2014 @ 6:39 amCollection? Duplication more like.
Comment by DH October 23, 2014 @ 6:50 amDoesn’t that happen in 2017 … over 2 years away. God, you’re all becoming John Dodd’s.
Comment by Rob October 23, 2014 @ 7:54 amyeah right campbell, youre acting so balanced and independent. you are more transparent than a window. roberts is so fucking bad he makes mcclaren look smart. but then that fucker has got your arch enemies to the top of the table so he is smarter than roberts.
saatchis will always be special to me and while the fuckers at charlotte street have kept charles and maurices beliefs burning, roberts has fucked the network with his witch doctor bullshit packaged as an everyday man while banging on about his rich fucking lifestyle. good fucking riddance, may this speech be his fucking legacy.
Comment by andy@cynic October 23, 2014 @ 6:33 amAnd the king of sharp insults shows us how it’s done.
Comment by DH October 23, 2014 @ 6:51 amcapital fucking k please. peasant.
Comment by andy@cynic October 23, 2014 @ 6:54 amHearing you compliment places still freaks me out.
Comment by Rob October 23, 2014 @ 7:55 amyou never have to fucking worry about it heading in your direction campbell.
Comment by andy@cynic October 23, 2014 @ 8:11 amI lived in Tribeca when it was filled with artists rather than bankers and trust-fund kids, when there wasn’t a Ferrari dealership on the corner and when the only celebrity resident was Wendy O. Williams. Tribeca in 2014 is neither cool nor creative – it’s suburban.
Comment by John October 23, 2014 @ 6:33 amIt’s the sort of place populated by people who think cool is geographically determined, who think cool can be bought and who, worst of all, think cool is cool.
Comment by John October 23, 2014 @ 6:36 amYou were made for cynic John. That is a compliment, it was a great time with great people. And Andy. (joking, Mr B)
Comment by Bazza October 23, 2014 @ 6:38 amIt’s taken as such and much appreciated. Now, since I can’t work at cynic, maybe you’ll compensate me for my loss with a series of Cupertino care packages.
Comment by John October 23, 2014 @ 6:46 am#wishfulthinking
Comment by Rob October 23, 2014 @ 7:55 amwhat the fuck were you doing there? and tribeca is where rich white fuckers go to pretend they still live on the edge. with starbucks on every fucking corner.
Comment by andy@cynic October 23, 2014 @ 6:36 amI was furthering my studies and ruining my career.
Comment by John October 23, 2014 @ 6:40 amYou can’t have ruined your career that much, you don’t work in advertising.
Comment by DH October 23, 2014 @ 6:49 amand im fucking over all these bastards talking about unreasonable. they make ads and their goal is to make them as reasonable as the fucking client wants them. dicks.
Comment by andy@cynic October 23, 2014 @ 6:35 amThe video reminded me less of McClaren and more of this.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/mXytRC0k-K8]
Comment by DH October 23, 2014 @ 6:48 amnice work.
Comment by andy@cynic October 23, 2014 @ 6:55 amThat is brilliant. The sketch and the association.
Comment by Rob October 23, 2014 @ 7:55 amI know.
Comment by DH October 23, 2014 @ 8:41 amAs for speaking to people whose language is not your language, did you see what Zuckerburg did in Beijing this week? Half hour Q&A entirely in Mandarin. I wonder if Dan has seen that video?
Comment by John October 23, 2014 @ 6:55 amZuck is in china more than Campbell.
Comment by Billy Whizz October 23, 2014 @ 7:00 amSmartarse.
Comment by Rob October 23, 2014 @ 7:56 amFor the record, everyone in China is laughing at his mandarin so don’t let the press kid you into thinking it is good. Though personally, I think the biggest laugh should be saved for the fact he thinks he’ll be able to convince the Chinese government to let Facebook operate here. If he let them keep all the money made in China – or from brands trying to connect with China – maybe, otherwise there’s more hope of you marrying Freddie Mercury.
Comment by Rob October 23, 2014 @ 9:58 pmWow, that is excruciatingly bad.
Comment by George October 23, 2014 @ 7:31 amI’ve always thought Kevvie was a complete tool. I still do.
But I have to say in his defence that the section of the speech you reference has some small sense of self-deprecation. He’s at least trying to take the piss out of himself a bit, even if it still comes across very ‘David Brent’.
I first met him at the opening of the Saatchi office in Shanghai in 1998, and he hadn’t developed a sense of humour back then. He was just a massive, hermetically-sealed ego. He didn’t pay any attention to the local team, didn’t ask a single question of anyone – just talked about his own wonderfulness for two hours straight. An awesome display of awful, that put me off him for life …
Comment by Ian Gee October 23, 2014 @ 9:08 amFair point … but to be lacking that level of self-awareness, even when you think you have it by attempting to execute some rather contrived attempt at self depreciation is slightly concerning given he is the head of an excellent company that works in the field of communication that says their skill is making people specifically feel particular emotions.
But I get your point. It’s just that section amazed me … though it shouldn’t given he is still way better at expressing himself than some of the other leaders of comms companies out there.
Comment by Rob October 23, 2014 @ 9:36 amAgreed. Saatchi had (probably still has) some very good – and very nice – people. Sadly, Kevvie didn’t fall into either camp. He did, however, have a reputation, one carefully managed by himself. A legend in his own mind.
Comment by Ian Gee October 23, 2014 @ 11:45 amI’ve just remembered the acronym that sums him up …
Comment by Ian Gee October 23, 2014 @ 11:47 amHe’s a FIGJAM: “Fuck! I’m great! Just ask me!”
I am sooooooo stealing that acronym. Not for me I should add. Ha.
Comment by Rob October 23, 2014 @ 5:32 pmIt’s a gem, isn’t it? Australian in origin, I think.
Comment by Ian Gee October 23, 2014 @ 5:45 pmRoberts has been very successful I suppose, but the presentation is dreadful.
Comment by Northern October 23, 2014 @ 6:36 pmIn truth, I can’t get passed that shiny ribbed shirt – bu its an improvement on the skintight black t shirts