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Issue 227 [2024]

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Earlier this year, Chris Beresford-Hill took on the storied role of global CCO of BBDO, where the heritage is massive and the expectations are high. What might change and what might stay remains to be seen. We do know what he plans to say to a few people soon, though …

L[A] How did you start out?

Chris Beresford-Hill: As a child I was a bad student, probably with a number of undiagnosed learning disabilities. But on the other side of things, I could always come up with a lot of ideas quickly. I don’t exactly know how I learned that ad people needed to do things like that, but I did, and so advertising was the only career I ever considered. When I was finishing college, I called every ad agency in the phone book. The only one that let me in the door, especially without a portfolio, was a brand new startup, which happened to be founded by Lance Jensen, one of the greatest ad writers of all time. That was the first of my many strokes of luck.

L[A] It is amazing how one crossing of paths can so change you.

CB-H Yes, Lance wrote the line, ‘On the road of life there are passengers and drivers. Drivers Wanted.’ for VW. He also did a VW ad called Pink Moon, which is one of the greatest of all time. Lance had, and still has, the insane ability to write or tell a story about any product in a way that makes it sound or feel like some brand-new thing you’ve never encountered before, but that can change your life. And I’ve said before, you have to work for people with great taste early on, so you learn and understand how they discern. Good taste is the best thing you can find in an early boss.

L[A] What was it about advertising that appealed to you?

CB-H I love it, and I have to do it, because I also fall for great advertising – hard. To this day I only wear Nike sneakers, and only buy Nike gym clothes, all because of one Michael Jordan ad called Frozen Moment, which I saw on television about 30 years ago. That one ad, which beautifully dramatized how time literally slowed down every time Jordan touched the ball, blew my mind and affected my choices for the better part of my life. And, by the way, we need to figure out how to measure that value. It would do a lot for our industry if we could. All of us have those brands and products that were sold brilliantly to us one time.

L[A] And what do you think it is about advertising that appeals to the next generation?

CB-H Well, it’s not getting much easier. There are far more options for them, in terms of creating and publishing your own content. But I do think our industry is the only one where creativity can be a team sport, where groups of people can do creative things together, and that is still rare and appealing.

L[A] How do you feel about the state of the industry today?

CB-H My Partner Nancy Reyes, CEO of the Americas, always says there’s never been an industry more obsessed with its own death and demise. This is one of many things we fiercely agree on. Real industries don’t do all this self-flagellating, they get on with getting ideas in front of consumers. New tech and platforms are not the solution, they are the vessel. Brands need great ideas to connect with consumers or they won’t be chosen. Great agencies do this better than anyone.

L[A] And how does BBDO differentiate on this?

CB-H Twenty years ago, when my predecessor David Lubars first walked into BBDO, he talked about ‘populist advertising’, which really captured, and defined what BBDO does best; those brilliant ideas designed to appeal to the masses. Today, when audiences’ attention is all over the place, we believe the world needs populist ideas more than ever because they make a larger emotional connection, they tap into our humanity, and we know how to deliver them in modern ecosystems. Today our expertise is creating mass ideas for divided audiences. Instead of a Super Bowl spot, our campaign might kick off with an influencer on TikTok.

L[A] Starting with a TikTok video can actually be an amazingly big thing to kick off with.

CB-H Someone told me, and now I hope it is true, that the average video by YouTube creator MrBeast has a bigger audience than the Super Bowl. Anything can strike it big on a social media platform. And anything can be a drop in the ocean. A couple of decades ago, there was a certainty to people around the world being glued to their television screens – when you knew you were going to get 500,000 people paying attention. Now, when you take it to social media, you may have zero people interested or a billion. I think that puts more onus on bigger, better ideas.

L[A] So what else is changing and what’s staying?

CB-H Beyond our evolution from populist advertising to mass ideas for fragmented audiences, BBDO will always be about greatness. Big brands, big work, the best talent. Sometimes you have to be here, go away, and then come back with some perspective. Any agency would kill for our talent and client roster. I want to remind everyone here how fucking great they really are.

L[A] You worked here in this office?

CB-H I was at BBDO New York from 2009 to 2017. They were the happiest years of my career. For eight years, no one ever asked me to do anything but the best work possible. There was never, ‘just make the meeting’ or, ‘don’t lose this project’, there was no fear. To me that is what it feels like to be in pursuit of greatness.

L[A] What does a very good year feel like for BBDO? What makes you say: ‘Wow, we’ve knocked it out of the park this year’?

CB-H I don’t know if there is an easy metric, it’s not just about awards anymore. They have a role, but I think a decreasing one. This might sound hippie-ish but success is creating the conditions where as many people as possible feel like they are getting closer and closer to the peak of their abilities. Are we in an environment that pushes for high standards with what we bring forward, are we backing it completely, are our clients demanding our best, are we selling it? When we are, everyone is growing, and momentum kicks in.

L[A] And how do you create momentum at a global scale?

CB-H BBDO is a network of powerhouses, and because there has been so much strength, there has not always been much dependence on each other. You have very distinct and excellent cultures: AMV BBDO in the UK, Colenso in Auckland, Clemenger in Australia, Almap in São Paulo, Impact in the Middle East, and so on. We have the best creative leaders in the world helming each one. The opportunity is to intersect these super-teams, opening our borders on pitches and key work, and unleashing our combined force – really, for the first time ever.

L[A] How will you stay close to the work?

CB-H I don’t know how not to. I love every aspect of making it happen. There is joy in lining up the right talent and letting them loose, priming a client for something really ambitious, or helping find a way to sell or pull off the work from a production standpoint. All of that is creatively satisfying. I know how to support and get out of the way but there are enough pitches, crunches, and stray opportunities, that I feel like I’m always flexing my creative brain … thank God.

L[A] What are your day-to-day priorities?

CB-H The most important things I can do right now are to get New York dial-in and to make sure our global community is feeling connected and open, both of which will take a bit of time. As far as the day-to-day – and I’m imagining a day where nothing is on fire and there is nothing demanding urgent attention – on that day, I would only focus on talent, growth, and our creative output. If that day ever comes, I’ll let you know.

L[A] One piece of work you were involved with in a big way has been in the news and the awards this year in a big way: I’m thinking of CeraVe, which was just about the last thing you worked on as NA creative head at Ogilvy.

CB-H It’s probably my favorite piece of work. It was done by an incredibly small team, which I really believe is the best way to do something great. On the creative end it was myself and two
great creatives, Alex and Avi. We also had some healthy tension along the way, too. I’m remembering a lot of late-night phone calls between President of PR & Social Charlie Tansill and I, debating how to use influencers. In the end, it turns out I had more to learn than anyone, which I also love. But above all, the idea is simple as hell, it’s a prank, we came up with it in two minutes, and that feels great, when you let an idea fly, and it lands big.

L[A] We’re getting to the last question, which was for you to tell us something interesting that we wouldn’t know to ask about.

CB-H This has nothing to do with advertising, but lately I’ve started saying ‘I love you’ at the end of every conversation with close friends. And, I’m serious, it has made me a happier person. I hope everyone tries it.

Film and TV references that celebrate the hard work of creativity

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop

Nothing quite captures the high, and low, and high, and low and high of creativity for pay, like this documentary.

https://youtu.be/dRdpC1jtZE0?feature=shared

Metallica Some Kind of Monster

Watching the pain and challenges of “team creativity” in an iconic band, and seeing how their connection and talent perseveres.

https://youtu.be/LFX6IA_4hH8?feature=shared

South Park 6 Days to Air

A true celebration of the hard work, grit and fortitude it takes to make a creative deadline.

https://youtu.be/SJBPSqgWaLo?feature=shared

The Last Dance

Striving for greatness, and leading creatively, by the Zen Master, Phil Jackson.

https://youtu.be/Peh9Yqf1GXc?feature=shared

The Beatles: Get Back

Watching Paul write Get Back. Seeing the love between him and John. Being a fly on the wall, before there were fly-on-the-wall films.

https://youtu.be/Auta2lagtw4?feature=shared

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