Connecting the Dots / An Agency Blog

I had the chance tonight to attend a screening of the recently released Art & Copy documentary presented by BCAIM as part of Advertising Week. This is at times a humorous yet down to earth look inside the advertising business, from the perspectives of some of the biggest names in the agency world.

The film provides the context for advertising as we know it today, touching upon the space that the craft fills in modern culture. Some of the familiar subjects include industry icons including the blunt and animated George Lois, the man behind the idea of ‘The Big Idea’, Dan Wieden & David Kennedy of Just Do It fame, Jeff Goodby & Rich Silverstein, creators of the Got Milk? campaign, Hal Riney the creator of the classic american dream styled television spot, and Lee Clow, who’s work includes the much lauded 1984 spot for Apple and pretty much every campaign for that brand ever since Steve Jobs returned to steer the ship.

Though a little long, the film paints a pretty nice picture of the role creativity plays in affecting business. Case in point is a brief cameo by Tommy Hilfiger, in which he praises his rise to fashion stardom on a campaign by George Lois that almost didn’t happen. A campaign that put the pressure on this ‘young struggling designer to roll up his sleeves and work harder than ever’ to live up to the statement in his ad campaign. This clearly paid off in spades.

At times, Art & Copy seems to provide the venue for these creative folks to feel compelled to justify their role in promoting mass consumption, with Jeff Goodby coining the term ‘art for consumerism’. While the majority of tonight’s crowd was likely people in the business, i can just envision portions of the film providing a segue for naysayers to jump into full blown No Logo rants about the evils of outdoor ads, and the lunacy of the process of creating an advertising campaign for a client.

In general, this was an entertaining show, and if you’re in the business, it’s worth a watch, but i would have liked to see at least some insight from some of the newer, smaller, or more edgy agency shops that generate buzz these days. No mention of CP+B or Droga5. Not even a peep about how digital is teetering into the focus of the traditional ad business. Not much, if any, mention of the role award shows play in advertising. In fact, some pretty important aspects of this industry and its history seem to be missing from the film. Not sure if I even heard Ogilvy’s name mentioned.

Even so, this is a decent film. It’s got some great stories from a seriously impressive list of smart and creative people. A recommended watch for anyone interested in the dynamic of the advertising business and an introduction to some of the key folks that helped take it to where it is today.

Similar Posts:

• Beck & Gallagher Named Two to Watch
• The King of Media
• Bigger Isn’t Always Better, That’s Why We’re Only 11th.
• Do Digital Agencies Know Marketing?
• Homage to Gastown