The Forgotten Value?

While perusing the advertising column in a Communication Arts Illustration Annual, penned by Luke Sullivan, I was struck - with particular force - by the final sentence. It read, “Being great on paper is never as important as actually being a good person.” His comment was in reference to some famous ad people he knew who were insufferable, arrogant egotists. Luke happens to be one of the most honored ad writers in the world. His refreshing opinion comes with some degree of clout.

One of the more memorable advertising experiences I've had was the opportunity to enjoy a meal with Tom McElligott (co-founder of Fallon McElligott), one of my heroes in the business. It wasn’t so much what he said that was impressive, it was the fact that he brought along his teenaged son and obviously enjoyed being with him. He was quite deferential to the teen while also being very polite and cordial with those of us who surrounded him. Pretty decent, I thought, for someone who was king of the hill.

Luke Sullivan wrote about an art director with whom he worked named Bob Barrie. Bob may be the most decorated A.D. of all time. He had every reason to be a high-falutin’ jerk, but instead, Luke says, he would quietly keep cranking out great ideas even though the client was killing them all. And, according to Sullivan, he never whined. Ever. Instead, he combined unlimited resiliency with class (and a whole lot of talent).

I worked for Bob Love (co-founder of Harris & Love) once upon a time. He had that same kind of decency and class. He was kind and gentle even when he was red-lining my ad copy to smithereens. Maybe that’s one reason why his agency survived and prospered so long. Even when he played the role of "chief judge,” he was a pleasure to work with.

There’s a moral in all of this somewhere. I assume you can figure it out. Whatever it is, it’s probably reminiscent of a beloved corporate value that Richter7, the ad agency at which I'm employed, espouses. It states simply:
--WE VALUE GRACIOUSNESS.

I'm not sure I can think of a corporate, or personal, value that deserves to be ranked higher than that.

Ad Life, Through the Eyes of Cartoonists

Considering the present economic pain we endure, and the resulting doldrums which beset the business world, maybe a smile or two would be in order. To that end, I offer several favorites from my Richter7 vault of advertising-related cartoons. Enjoy. (Click on cartoon to enlarge.)

Keys To Becoming A More Bright, Creative Person

Once upon a time when I was employed by Cole & Weber, an Ogilvy-owned, Seattle-based agency, the firm's president, Hal Newsom, suddenly invited the creative directors at each office to fly to headquarters. No reason or explanation was given.

Hal, since deceased, was a bright guy --the epitomy of a "renaissance man." He ran marathons, climbed major mountains, biked and boated, among other activities. He was also a well-respected creative director -- as witnessed by the fact that he was included in The Wall Street Journal's series of ads featuring national creative leaders.

We arrived in the Seattle office, and gathered in the third floor conference room where Hal said he had something very important to discuss with us. He handed out a list, talked about how valuable it was to our professional progress, then essentially said we were free to fly back home. The expense of our travel was a minor issue to him compared to the importance of that document. I have found the list to be full of unique truths and insights, and have used it to train my creative staffs through the years. It came under the headline above. Here's what it said (slightly edited):

1. Study the pictures in National Geographic as closely as you would those in Sports Illustrated or Cosmopolitan.
2. Spend as many hours with the educational channel as you do with Monday Night Football, The Sopranos or Seinfeld reruns.
3. Talk to as many liberals as you do conservatives.
4. See an Oriental art exhibit, Woody Allen movie, Billy Graham revival, a ballroom dance, a high school stomp, the 6th grade Christmas party, a jury trial.
5. Take in a symphony, a jam session, a light show, the Repertory Dance Theater.
6. Spend a whole afternoon at the track, a day in the woods, a weekend building something. A whole week working your tail off.
7. Get involved in a cause, a purpose, a controversial issue, and fight like the devil to win.
8. Work up a sweat. Jog. Play tennis. Ride a dirt bike. Play handball. Racquetball. Or dig a ditch.
9. Visit skid row, take a garden tour of the best homes in the city. Eat at the Golden Arches some Saturday afternoon, have dinner at "the place" in town some Saturday night.
10. Get acquainted with a four-year-old, a grandma, a street bum, a corporate officer, a high school dropout.
11. Go to the Greyhound bus terminal and take a seat. Watch. Listen and make a mental note of everything your eyes and ears take in.
12. Spend a Saturday morning tuned in to what's happening on the radio. Listen to the Farm Report, the opera from Chicago, an acid rock station, middle-of-the-road music, news.
13. Have a close friend. A wife. A husband. Someone you can confide in. Someone who will listen to you. Someone who needs to be listened to.
14. Read everything you can get your hands on. The in-flight magazine, the newspaper, the Sunday New York Times, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Indoor Gardening, Outdoor Life, Road and Track, Better Home and Gardens, Sea, Ski, Squint, Squat, The Second Deadly Sin, The Bible, the Sears catalog, the billboards, the menu, matchbooks, the writings on the wall in the restrooms.
15. Let your emotions go. Laugh. Cry. Get angry. And permit yourself to be sad every now and then.
16. Think of your mind as a computer. It's being fed information constantly. Don't put the intake button in neutral and most importantly, don't ever push the OFF button.

Enhancing the Creative Mind-set

Key steps to a creative mind-set, courtesy of an article from Scientific American:

WONDERMENT. Try to retain a spirit of discovery, a childlike curiosity about the world. And question understandings that others consider obvious.

MOTIVATION. As soon as a spark of interest arises in something, follow it.

INTELLECTUAL COURAGE. Strive to think outside accepted principles and habitual perspectives such as “we’ve always done it that way.”

RELAXATION. Take the time to daydream and ponder, because that is often when the best ideas arise. Look for ways to relax and consciously put them into practice.

That last point is particularly important, in my opinion. After persistently attacking a creative assignment, I’ve found that I have to escape the project for a while. Creativity doesn’t prosper under pressure. The time I spend at home -- after family activities are concluded -- sitting in the recliner with a tablet of paper seems to foster the best results. A park bench also works wonders. As does a road trip , or a stroll around the nearby park.

In my next post, I'll publish a beloved list of insights from an advertising giant that describes how to "stay fresh."

Two Blogs Worth a Peek

I recommend two, somewhat-under-the-radar blogs, written by ad industry friends, that provide lively viewing and commentary -- unlike my blog. They are:

www.adcontrarian.blogspot.com
www.americancopywriter.typepad.com

JH ads - Writer: D. Newbold, A.D.: D. Larson

I Am Still Learning

On the wall beside my desk sits a small bronze plaque. It was a gift, located in Italy, from one of my partners. On it are engraved just four words: I am still learning.

What’s unusual about that simple, seemingly mundane, statement is that is was spoken by the renowned Renaissance artist, Michelangelo – in his 87^th year. (Technically, he said “ancoro imparo.”) Given the scope of his achievement in painting, sculpture, poetry and architecture, this humility is striking and strongly reminiscent of another quotation attributed to the Greek philosopher Socrates. He said, “The wise man knows that he knows nothing.”

Beside the Michelangelo quote is taped another gem, this one from the best-selling business book, Leading Quietly. It’s a three-word motto that I also try to keep top-of-mind. It reads, “Modesty. Restraint. Tenacity.” I don’t think Michelangelo would mind that the two sit side by side on the wall.

At one point in my career, I helped create and produce advertising for Major League Baseball. One spring it was my assignment to write and record a series of radio spots featuring Cal Ripken and his brother Billy, who happened to be his teammate on the Baltimore Orioles. For those not so passionate about baseball as I am, Cal Ripken, now retired, was a perennial All-Star infielder who broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played in the Major Leagues. He’s hailed as the modern-day “Iron Horse” for that feat. He won batting titles. He won fielding titles. He was a team captain, an MVP, a hero. He had every reason to be proud, cocky and aloof.

His brother, on the other hand, was mediocre, as professional baseball players go. He never earned any of the accolades that his older brother had. Yet, during our recording session in an announcer’s booth high above the baseball field where their team was about to play a pre-season game, Billy was disruptive and foul-mouthed. He acted how I imagined a superstar like Cal was more likely to act. At one frustrating point, Cal, anxious to get back down on the field for more batting practice, looked Billy squarely in the eyes and firmly said, “Billy, it’s time to shut up.” The session went smoothly after that.

For the most part, all of the seasoned baseball stars with whom I worked over a several-year period were well-mannered, humble and earnest about improving their skills. They were, to use words from my wall quotations, tenacious about learning, and tempered with modesty.

How much time do you set aside for learning? How much money do you seat aside for the training and teaching of your employees? Since when did you know it all? Since when can you rest on your laurels? It’s a very competitive world, as you’ve no doubt discovered. Resting leads to losing.

Businesses can fail for any number of reasons, even if their products or services are unique and their leadership is charismatic. All you can rely on, when all is said and done, is your own set of skills. And skills at any level of the corporate hierarchy dull quickly without constant sharpening.

One of my neighbors is a successful, self-employed real estate salesman. He works primarily by himself. No one else is responsible to train him, teach him or motivate him. Recognizing that fact, he’s wise enough to take two, self-imposed “feed the fire” trips each year. He leaves home, kisses his family goodbye, and heads for a rented condo in Park City. He then focuses for several long days on learning how to improve his performance. Tapes, books, magazines, videos and fresh air are all part of his curriculum. He readily admits that those one-man, learning soirees contribute mightily to his annual success.

A well-respected leader by the name of Thomas S. Monson once said, “Can we not appreciate that our very business is life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves? To break our own records, to outstrip our yesterdays by our todays, to give as we have never given, to do our work with more force and a finer finish than ever – this is the true idea: to get ahead of ourselves.”

And somewhere, Michelangelo is still studying sculpture.

What the Tour Guide Taught Me

The old man had crooked teeth, well-worn sneakers, Coke-bottle glasses and wore a Red Sox hat. He was our group’s tour guide during a visit to Boston’s Fenway Park last weekend. The sight of him made me want to go to sleep. Or leave (especially since I’m a Yankees fan). Ahh, but looks can be deceiving.

Once the old guy began sermonizing as he led us through every corner of the famed, old baseball stadium, we were mesmerized. He spouted fascinating fact after fascinating fact. He laced his commentary with joke after joke. Very good jokes, actually. He dared to make fun of the Red Sox, as well as the Yankees. He dared to make fun of us westerners and our “foreign” accents. He was a ball of fire – lively, quick-witted and self-deprecating. He wasn’t a tour guide, he was an entertainer. It was very apparent he enjoyed his work.

And that point is the crux of my thought. I wondered if I showed enthusiasm and love for my work the way he did. I wondered if it was apparent to clients that I thoroughly enjoy advertising, the way my BoSox buddy enjoyed giving tours. Someone once asked Lavell Edwards if he was happy. He replied, “All the time, I just forget to tell my face.” Not good. Your face is a crucial communication tool.

I believe clients want to work with people who exhibit joy in their profession, who are excited over the prospect of creating an ad, preparing a strategy, planning media, etc. I’m not saying we have to paint on smiles. But hopefully we stop to remember why we got into this business, why we still enjoy it, and then cherish the successes, victories and fun experiences.

There’s a line about Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. I enjoy it so much it’s taped to my wall. It reads: “Michelangelo lay awake, his hands locked behind his head. He could think of no difference between ‘life is to be enjoyed’ and ‘life is work.’ He fell asleep with a smile on his lips.”