Hegarty on Advertising: Turning Intelligence Into Magic
Mel Exon
03/06/2011
“Do not go gentle into that good night, but rage against the dying of the light”
~ Dylan Thomas, quoted in Hegarty in Advertising
Sir John’s book, “Hegarty on Advertising”, goes on sale on Monday.
He would be first person to say this is no ‘how-to’ manual, but rather his own story: packed with no holds barred opinion, behind the scenes anecdotes and strongly held principles to work by. There’s no crystal ball gazing, instead a distillation of what he’s learned in 45 years in the business. As such we found it a dose in humility for the here and now: a grip on history that, as ever, sets the future in context.
Despite his protestation this isn’t a manual, several ideas and themes emerge that have a hell of a lot to teach the rest of us: what makes a successful start-up, the humanization of the workplace, how to approach technology and stay abreast of innovation, the role of difference and ‘creative destruction’, the impact of globalization, why ideas matter and more.
We asked him to shed a little more light on some of these themes. In doing so, we thought we’d see if we could put one of his most firmly held views to the test; his belief that “words are a barrier to communication”. We have no idea if this is going to work, but here goes – our first interview response without words.
What do you mean by “creative destruction”?
“Creativity isn’t an occupation, it’s a pre-occupation” – can you explain what you mean by this?
If you started an agency today, what would it be like?
Is there a single piece of work you think defines you?
Where do you look for inspiration?
You say the way creative thinking gets deployed “will always be a continually moving target.. to nail your colours to any particular medium or technology will sow the seeds of your destruction”. So how should we engage with technology?
And, finally, you say you can’t name all the people you’d like to thank, but if there had to be one (okay, perhaps a couple), who would it be?
Sketches are by Sir John Hegarty
17 comments on “Hegarty on Advertising: Turning Intelligence Into Magic”
Adam Knight Said (June 3, 2011 at 11:37 am)
perfect clarity, simplicity and humility from an industry giant. This book will be finding it’s way onto my bookshelf (and many others I’m sure) very quickly.
james Said (June 3, 2011 at 11:43 am)
Mel Exon Said (June 15, 2011 at 11:27 pm)
Possibly my favourite comment here..
o Said (June 3, 2011 at 3:38 pm)
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Hegarty on Advertising: Turning Intelligence Into Magic « BBH Labs | AdvertisingAdvertising Said (June 5, 2011 at 4:16 pm)
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Dara Bell Said (June 5, 2011 at 6:15 pm)
Looking at this right now. Shame it’s not on Kindle. Love the cover alot. Nice book packaging from Thames and Hudson.
I am salesmen. Maybe that’s boring but I love stuff like that. So yes I will judge the book by the cover.
Dara
Mel Exon Said (June 15, 2011 at 11:28 pm)
Thanks Dara. Not sure about Kindle release, will check. Glad to hear you like the cover.
Yoann Said (June 6, 2011 at 11:16 am)
Order placed
Paul Gailey Said (June 8, 2011 at 9:16 am)
I take it that John’s answer to the penultimate question is yes or he could have just redrawn black sheep?
Mel Exon Said (June 15, 2011 at 11:32 pm)
Sorry Paul. Are you referring to the question about how to engage with tech? His point is don’t let yourself be defined a particular technology, because it’ll always be usurped by something else in the end.
Simon North Said (June 8, 2011 at 10:09 am)
How would you sell cucumbers in Europe right now?
Like the drawings but I feel some of the answers need some copy.
Congratulations on the book.Mel Exon Said (June 15, 2011 at 11:34 pm)
Thanks Simon. Adding copy would have defeated our purpose a little here, but appreciate we may be close to the subject!
Alex Said (June 10, 2011 at 5:22 pm)
Definitely will purchase!
Fraser Hodgkiss Said (June 14, 2011 at 12:08 pm)
Just ordered it… can’t wait for it to arrive!!!
Mel Exon Said (June 15, 2011 at 11:26 pm)
@Adam, Fraser, Yoann and Alex, thank you for your comments. Good to hear it. Enjoy the book.