It’s not often I feel sorry for planners.
But it must be tough to be asked by senior clients to articulate the “values” of the company they run. How do you break out of the cliches? “Collaborative” anybody? But most clients forget one key fundamental. It’s not the people at the top of the org chart that set the tone, it’s those at the bottom.
Let me explain.
When I first started in Adland, the agency had a tea lady (yep, I’m that old). At about 11am every day, Linda would push her squeaky trolley to our office door (yep, we had those too). Linda never forgot a name or a preferred brew. Not once. She knew who was busy and who wasn’t. Who was flying. Who was flailing. She was the eyes and ears of the agency.
It’s why the industry saw the Lindas as a business litmus test:
“You know the agency is in trouble when they sack the tea lady.”
Though tea ladies may have gone the way of the dodo, the smart thinking remains. Underestimate the unsung people in your agency at your peril. I’ve seen it over and over again.
- There’s the digital artist who wasn’t happy setting type and cropping photos. He did AWARD, took a pay cut to be a junior art director and is now one of the most respected CCOs in Australia.
- There’s the lowly project manager who was talent spotted and pushed into a management role. Now they’re launching a global network in London.
- There’s the pair of junior account managers who, instead of rushing to climb the ladder, took the advice of mentors. Took their time. Observed. Learned. They now compete against each other for pitch and award wins.
- There’s the midweight copywriter who’d been passed over for multiple promotions. They packed their folio and headed to the US and now head up a business with more creative staff than every Australian agency creative department combined.
So, if you are currently one of the “unsung: people and you have big dreams, go hard. Or, if you’re currently on the “top end: of your career, don’t forget to look around. You never know who you’ll need to be nice to a few decades down the line.
Every agency should make a special effort to sing the praises of the “unsung”. Because, paraphrasing David Ogilvy, it’s they who turn us all into giants.
Rob Morrison is a rarity in advertising – a grey-haired creative. Rob’s experience includes time as a Creative Director at Ogilvy, BWM (now Dentsu Creative), George Patts (now VML), Campaign Palace and Wunderman. He now runs his own consultancy – morrison.collective.
Here are two more opinion pieces from Rob Morrison:
