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Not ‘Outrageous’ Enough
An alternate view of Connecticut ad agencies' place in the food chain
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Business New Haven
3/8/1999
By: Russ Madison
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I wish I'd had the chance to speak with Nick Raposo, author of “TV Or Not TV?” in the February 23 BNH. I would have offered a different point of view regarding Connecticut and New Haven becoming meccas of creative advertising, especially relating to TV production.
First, in reference to Wil Bradford's view of “world-class commercials,” I no longer know what that means. If Wil is referring to the stuff we see during Super Bowls, I consider it a waste of money.
Much of that production conceals the lack of a dynamite creative concept, or a “make it new” breakthrough idea, to echo Ezra Pound. A cluster of fine filmmakers, dazzled by their own ability at computer-generated techniques, design and control TV production. What we're seeing is world-class technology with budgets high enough to feed starving countries. All this will come and go as share points aren't justified by the dazzle, and the public, caught up in the digital technological revolution, are bored by entertainment that sells nothing.
Second, I don't think any regional or national brand would come to New Haven to strategize and create a TV commercial. Crown Street will never become Third Avenue, although I sympathize with Wil Bradford's vision, and for three decades have shared moments of that same “dream.” It just ain't here.
For example, no agency can attract, and pay, the celebrated creatives that hang out in Minneapolis, Seattle, Venice, Calif. - whatever. Current profiles like Lee Clow or a dynamic creative like Hal Riney can pull seven figures today. And then can you keep them happy producing spots for Saint Rafe's, Tommy K's, a couple of car dealers? No.
Take a test case like former entrepreneur Lou Vanleeuwen, who ran a pretty decent agency here, landed Peugeot, took off to New York to service the account, then disappeared. In fact, let's be brutally frank: New Haven couldn't even hold its own Ad Club together, and saw that disband year ago. So, like Bradford, we've all won tons of awards, service a potpourri of local and regional clients, but run a handful of TV commercials that are rarely seen outside of the Hartford/New Haven ADI.
Mike Friend's comments were equally interesting, especially since I brought Michael to this market as a copywriter. He's right about the size relationship achievable by a Connecticut agency in television, with one exception: Mintz & Hoke. While Boston and New York entrap us like high-rise bookends, the Avon agency has the earmarks of a Fallon, McElligott or Goodby, Silverstein. Whatever Hoke is doing, clone it.
And I disagree with Mike Friend and believe Mintz & Hoke can top $100 million in billings and more, based primarily on a superb creative product, the ability to hold on long-term to people like writer Dik Haddad, and Joe Hoke's ability to match up terrific creative teams (and, one assumes, pay them well ).
But any student of Hoke's agency reel could view commercials that rank “up there.” Are they “world class”? Do they have Michael Jordan leaping buildings in midtown Chicago? No. But over the years (25) from their brand-building of Cuprinol Stain to the first Connecticut Lottery spots to many public service commercials, their ability to conceive within the boundaries of stringent strategic planning and make the outcome look fresh is astonishing. Most important, it works for their clients.
To me, that's “world class,” and I know much of it has been achieved with budgets that don't approach Bradford's threshold of $100,000 per commercial. So it isn't the size of your agency, or the budget - it's the size of your mind, the size of your talent, to make it “outrageous,” as George Lois says.
Can New Haven's agencies ever become “outrageous”? No. The environs are too provincial. There is no corporate support system in the city for a breakthrough communications agency. In fact, no one wants one.
I had my one shot at it in 1990, landing the City of New Haven's account “outrageously” by never showing up at our presentation. Instead, we sent a limo driver in full livery with a videotape of our agency shot in the very room (after hours) where we were to give that presentation.
So, we landed New Haven's “business.” What happened after that? Very little. But that's another, longer story. Perhaps Nick Raposo might want to tackle it some time. BNH
Russ Madison is president and creative director of Lone Wolf Advertising Inc. in Woodbridge.
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