Global CCO Liz Taylor on the core importance of great ideas, not settling, and team chemistry. Plus, a peek of her inspiring, art and design filled home
Ogilvy consistently tops network rankings for creativity, with strong performances from multiple offices worldwide. What’s the secret? Global CCO Liz Taylor opens up to L[A] with unique insights on her professional vision and her personal inspirations.
L[A] When you think of ‘creative excellence’ in advertising, what comes to mind?
LT For me, creative excellence is a way of operating. You only have ‘excellence’ in the creative product if you internalize an idea of what that means and a way of working to achieve it. Having systems for staying on top of creative trends and facilitating learning and industry engagement for our talent; for coming together as a community to vet, debate and collaborate to make work – and each other – better; for understanding and maintaining both agency and client vision, goals business strategy in how we partner; and for making sure that we’re aligning our creative efforts to the right industry honors.
Ogilvy consistently tops network rankings for creativity, with strong performances from multiple offices worldwide. What’s the secret? Global CCO Liz Taylor opens up to L[A] with unique insights on her professional vision and her personal inspirations.
L[A] When you think of ‘creative excellence’ in advertising, what comes to mind?
LT For me, creative excellence is a way of operating. You only have ‘excellence’ in the creative product if you internalize an idea of what that means and a way of working to achieve it. Having systems for staying on top of creative trends and facilitating learning and industry engagement for our talent; for coming together as a community to vet, debate and collaborate to make work – and each other – better; for understanding and maintaining both agency and client vision, goals business strategy in how we partner; and for making sure that we’re aligning our creative efforts to the right industry honors.
I know that might sound a little unromantic coming from a creative but, in my experience, creative excellence is about how you perform at a high level again and again. In the past year, Ogilvy’s global network has been repeatedly recognized atop the major industry lists and honors. That’s not a brag, but neither is it a coincidence. It’s how we turned falling fish into a miracle business, helped India’s small business economy stay afloat through the pandemic, and just upended years of Super Bowl marketing campaign norms.
I have the best job in the world getting to gush about what Ogilvy makes – but I get to do it because we’ve made excellence the through line of our entire creative culture. I’ll put it succinctly: Don’t settle any step of the way. Not on the brief, the idea, the writing, art direction, design, craft, UX – even the comps.
One of my favorite Ogilvy-isms is about ‘divine discontent’, which describes the state of always being a little restless, a little dissatisfied with the way things are. To always seek out ways to do it differently, better, with more surprise and impact. To come at everything with high standards. The highest. Be passionate. Put care into all you do. That’s excellence.
L[A] Over many years, there have been suggestions that creativity in advertising is becoming less important – at one time to media buying, at another time to the influence of social media, and perhaps now because of the ‘threat’ of AI. What do you think of its survival chances?
LT Advertising is creativity – there’s no separating the two. But the art and practice of advertising is always changing. Because we are always changing.
We – and I mean big ‘we’, not just ad people – are constantly coming up with new ideas, innovating to make what we already have work better for us, measuring the impact of that, and then opening up even more new opportunities. For our industry, creativity is the thing that makes that go round. Creativity informs the practice, the practice reinvests in the ability to be creative. It’s a virtuous cycle. And not media buying, nor social media, and no, not even AI, has ever been a threat to creativity. They are a boon to it.
There are two truths I’ve experienced as a creative and an ad person that I think offer something here. The first is flexibility. What we do only works if we are willing to follow the spark, fan the flame a little bit. When something new and exciting occurs at any step of the process, you’re better served adapting, embracing, adjusting. The second is that the success of any project comes from the chemistry of the team. Trust, partnership, collaboration. These are what allow magic to happen. It doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles you have otherwise – a team that can step away from ego, can welcome the POV of others, and actually wants to build something together – that’s the definition of strength in creativity and advertising. No one makes anything alone.
L[A] Is creativity an essential aspect of good advertising?
LT The operative word here is ‘good’. All advertising, good, bad or in-between, is built upon creativity as a practice, right? The bare bones process of ‘come up with the idea, make something that represents the idea, put that thing into the world’. But the best advertising combines creativity with a real human need, real human impact.
One of my guiding philosophies is that a great idea, a great human insight, will always prevail. A great idea is more important than anything else you add to it – though technology, data, and media can and should be key ingredients in bringing that idea to life.
Creativity’s super power is that it can literally change lives. So why not start there? You just have to want to use creativity that way, and not settle for anything less.
Liz Taylor's work
Morning After Island, Grupo Estrategico Pae
Never underestimate the power of creativity to change the world. When a ban on emergency contraception pills in Honduras – that incurs up to six years in prison for using them – led to a surge in underage girls giving birth, we knew we had to do something entirely out of the bounds. Literally. We created Morning After Island, a simple physical platform off the coast of Honduras in international waters where women could take the pill without risk of penalty. Simple, stunning, life-changing. And a defiant act in furtherance of women’s rights, which are under threat all over the world. I think about this work on a weekly basis.
https://vimeo.com/944458212?share=copy
Heaven Fish, Regal Springs
Every year in the Yoro region of Honduras, a curious phenomenon occurs – fish fall from the sky as a result of water cyclones. Working with Regal Springs, a leader in sustainable fish production, we took this curious event that’s viewed by locals as a miracle and turned it into just that. Heaven Fish became its own thriving business that created new occupations and bolstered an economy, for starters. New product lines are continuing to generate benefits for the Yoro community while creating opportunities for other local farmers, artisans and tradespeople. A distribution center has been opened and the product is being exported throughout Central America. The multiplier effect of creativity – wow.
https://vimeo.com/944458340?share=copy
Shah Rukh Khan-My-Ad, Cadbury
For all those years creatives heard ‘personalization at scale’ and cringed, this campaign made that promise into something palpable. Harnessing ground-breaking technology, we found a way to support thousands of local businesses in India through the pandemic in the most creative way possible – by using machine learning to create custom advertisements featuring Bollywood’s biggest star. A Cannes Titanium winner and Grand Prix in Creative Effectiveness – it doesn’t get bigger than that. Shah Rukh Khan-My-Ad was forward-thinking, industry-changing creativity that drove real business results, not only for the Cadbury brand, but for the broader India economy. No small feat in the world’s most populous country.
https://vimeo.com/944459030?share=copy
Michael CeraVe, CeraVe
This campaign rewrote the playbook on Super Bowl teasers. It is a shining example of how a brand can co-create with people, and proof of the power of social and influence to build, tease and take people’s anticipation to new levels. A thoughtful, strategic and hilarious way to get the world chattering. And it all ultimately sold the biggest reason to believe in the brand: that it was developed by dermatologists (not Michael Cera). Functionality and funny are a winning combo.
https://vimeo.com/944457960?share=copy
Can't B Broken, Verizon
Who says a product demo can’t be Super Bowl-worthy? This is another example of creatively taking on functionality, and not shying away from the scrutiny of a cultural moment like the Big Game. The idea here was to prove to the world that you have the best network by truly testing it. Who better to do that with than one of the biggest stars in the world – Beyoncé – someone who breaks the internet on a regular basis with her music and mogul moves? Through an outlandish series of scenarios within the spot, to an actual album drop at the end, we showed no amount of fan-driven duress can stop Verizon from delivering for its customers.
https://vimeo.com/944471439?share=copy
Corona Extra Lime, Corona, DAVID Bogotá
https://vimeo.com/944455742?share=copy
IKEA Second-Best, IKEA, DAVID Madrid / INGO Hamburg
https://vimeo.com/944502512?share=copy
Even More Confusing Times, Burger King, DAVID Madrid
https://vimeo.com/944456549?share=copy
Burger Glitch, Burger King, DAVID São Paulo
https://vimeo.com/944457175?share=copy
Recycle Me, Coca-Cola, WPP Open X, led by Ogilvy New York
https://vimeo.com/944471641?share=copy
Cost of Beauty, Dove, Ogilvy UK and Ogilvy Toronto
https://vimeo.com/944470290?share=copy
Anything for the Taste, KFC, Ogilvy South Africa
https://vimeo.com/944463005?share=copy
The Vault, Powerade, Ogilvy New York
https://vimeo.com/944459217?share=copy
Critics Welcome, Chicago International Film Festival CIFF, Ogilvy Chicago
https://vimeo.com/944458180?share=copy
Places, People, Items That Inspire Liz Taylor
Art
Weird, quirky, humorous, ironic, unexpected – my favorite kind of art is art that makes me smile, giggle, give a sideways grin. Knowledge Bennett’s Cojones Series with Madonna is a hard yes, David Shrigley’s Fucking Ace print – I love the crude-meets-cleverness of his work – or a naked Kermit the Frog from the ever-playful Donald Robertson. Give me an oversized NWA – Straight Outta Compton cassette by Julien Roubinet, a Leo Luccioni potato chip geode sculpture, and a giant pickle rug handmade by Moira Quinn, of course. These are actual pieces you can see if taking a turn though my home. We moved a couple years ago after both kids were out of the house, and design and art curation became an even bigger obsession for me. I have to give a shoutout to my friend and art curator Anna Cerniglia of Johalla Projects for all the care and help. Everything was chosen to spark conversation and contradiction, rooms where curiosity and meaning can unfold and be enjoyed.
Books
I identify as the ultimate bibliophile. I surround myself with books on everything – the wall of my office is a cascade of art, fashion, design, travel, architecture, interior design tomes. Reading-wise, I average a book a week with dysfunctional memoirs as my go-to, like Educated, Dry, The Glass Castle, The Year of Magical Thinking, The Liars’ Club, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, I’m Glad My Mom Died. But stepping beyond real life, even when it’s not my own, is essential, so I make sure to rotate in great fiction. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, Heaven and Earth Grocery Story, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, The Goldfinch are some that have left a mark. If you want to venture into the mind of Liz Taylor, start with the bookshelves and bedside piles.
Furniture
I have a thing for mid-century modern chairs. There, I said it. But I just love the simultaneous sense of modernity and nostalgia. There’s nothing like taking a seat in The Egg, The Womb, The Tulip, The Swan, The Panton, or The Eames recliner – please and thank you. Functionality, practicality, beauty and an effortless design sensibility. Who doesn’t want to be enveloped by that after a long day or on a lush weekend morning? It suits.
Hedgebrook
My love of dysfunctional memoirs is certainly tied to the fact that I’m writing one of my own. Taking on a labor of personal love and exploration like that requires a cabin in the woods, without internet, with absolute solitude, where time and space to write are the currency of life. Built specifically for women writers (Gloria Steinem sits on the board), I’ve done three separate writing retreats here, and each time I walk away feeling closer to where I’m going with my story. One day I will finish my book, and some day after that, I’ll hopefully host a masterclass retreat here.
Camp Wandawega
If Wes Anderson went to camp, it’d be here. It is the most well-art directed and peaceful lakeside place I’ve ever encountered. Owned by some of my good friends, and former Ogilvy-ers, I’ve been coming here for years – for the relaxation, absolutely, but also for the chance to relive all our summer adventures. Archery, shuffleboard, banana boats and s’mores. It’s a wholesome, meticulously designed existence and I’m here for it.
Château de Touffou
When I first took on my current role, I had the privilege of spending time here with Herta Ogilvy, David’s widow. Touffou was David Ogilvy’s home from 1973 until his death in 1999. Touffou was always more than just David’s retirement refuge. It was the inspirational basecamp from which he went forth to make speeches all over the world, hosting clients and Ogilvy executives. The stories. The gardens. The bookshelves. The desk. The history. What a profound experience. David’s legacy and teachings are a gift. It’s an honor to be the Global CCO of the house that David built. I feel an immense responsibility to keep his legacy alive and kicking.
TV and movies
One thing about traveling between our 120+ global offices throughout the year is that I’m a captive audience, and I’m totally fine with that. I will take any excuse to sit and consume great content – shows like The Bear (shoutout to Chicago), Barrie, Beef, Fleabag, The Last of Us, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Severance, Succession, Squid Game, Ted Lasso. And all the talked-about movies. Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, The Holdovers, the dynamic duo that is Barbenheimer … How much space do I have, because the list goes on? I can’t get enough of the craft that goes into great TV and film – the story arcs, the structure, the character development, dialogue, set design and wardrobes (swoon) … I live for the binge of it all.
The beach
Sand in my toes, salt in my hair, book in my hand, the sound of waves in the background, the vastness of the world stretched out in front of you. Beach days have a way of keeping you present from start to finish, with their casual consistency and easy pac
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