Sir John Hegarty, best known as the Worldwide Creative Director and founder of BBH was at the ICA ready to face some questions about his life, his work and his recently published book: Hegarty on Advertising; Turning Intelligence into Magic.
As an Art Director by trade, Hegarty started out wanting to become the next Picasso, when his tutors noticed his knack for producing ideas. He was introduced to the VW campaign from DDB New York and realised that advertising could be witty, intelligent and inclusive.
Hegarty deemed himself part of the 'lucky' generation alongside David Abbott, John Webster and Charles Saatchi, who he ended up working with at his first agency, Benson & Bowls. He took this over a job at Y&R who were paying more money. Lesson 1: "Don't chase the money, chase the opportunity."
Back then creativity was seen as a service not something in it's own right, 10 years they had to fight to get clients to see that creativity was the magical ingredient to create a point of difference and engage people
Now. Hegarty said, is the best time to get into advertising. There's no waiting to get a chance to do your first TV ad just stick it on YouTube. Lesson 2: "Technology is a tool for creativity."
He went on to say advertising is one of the most difficult jobs there is. All of us have to come in every day and have a new idea. Hegarty used Mick Jagger as an example and stated that he (Jagger) can sing Jumping Jack Flash (written in 1968), all over the world and get a massive applause every time the track ends. In advertising yesterdays idea is precisely that, yesterdays.
So how do we stay fresh?
We need a philosophy to stick by and to stay committed to. Hegarty's derived from art and how it revered and began to question itself. Irreverence is Hegarty's philosophy. And how artists disrupt and continue to disrupt their predecessors. Lesson 3: "Write from your own philosophy and beliefs."
The 'truth' is also one of the most powerful strategies you can employ, do it with wit, intelligence and sometimes even humour and you'll engage your audience.
Hegarty stated that he's never read the Harry Potter books and being an Art Director he was surprised he'd written a book himself! He went to a talk with JK Rowling, and when asked which child she had in mind when writing, she said "no one, I wrote it for myself." Even though you may think you're writing for a client or 45 year old yummy mummy, produce work that's yours and work that you're proud of. Lesson 4: "Creativity is an expression of one's self."
"I work in advertising, I don't live in it." stated Hegarty. We need to reference things outside of our own little bubble, to not be consumed by it all. When asked about his favourite brand, The Church, he said. "The Church is the greatest brand I know." It's in the centre of town, it has 10 commandments (and we all know how many brands have ripped that off!), it's gone global, they have worked with the best artist going; Michelangelo and the musician Bach, to name but a few. And their logo, forget the swoosh, people have been making this shape for centuries!
So with that in mind, what's Heagrty looking for in the next generation? With a flood of technology pouring over us, he's still determined to find inquisitive minds with a point of view and who can take an idea and put it down in such a way that makes you want to look at it again and again and again. Fundamentally we are story tellers and we should spend our time crafting rather than executing. Lesson 5: "80% idea, 20% execution."
It's a struggle to find great creative people, look around and what you see is 90% shit. Movies are 90% shit, paintings are 90% shit and advertising, well about 95% of that is shit. That's because people are relieved when they get to good and think then can stop. Only a few people will have the courage to rip it up and start again, in the possibility of creating something great. Lesson 6: "Good is the enemy of great."
You. You have the power to change the fortune of the company you are in, you have the power to change the way the world works if you want to.
And so to that, some amazing words from the great John Heagrty who wears suits that don't look like suits and wears jazzy socks because he's mates with Paul Smith. The last and final lesson, Lesson 7: "Never be ordinary."
