Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Why Is Everywhere Shit?

Last night I was still pondering over something said at our lunch yesterday - why is it that every agency is shit right now?

One possible answer is the lack of start-ups with a commitment to creativity.

The last wave in the UK included shops like Leagas Delaney (that's Tim Delaney in the pic), Rainey Kelly, Howell Henry, Simons Palmer and - more recently - Mother. All great agencies.

The new wave consists of places like CHI, VCCP and DLKW. Very successful business-wise... but their ads smell like three-year old gorgonzola wrapped in a sock.

Plus, no creative start-ups means less pressure on the big agencies to be creative.

Any other theories?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Because no-one's teaching creatives to be aggressively creative and no-one's teaching suits to be aggressively suitish. I don't know if that makes sense but there's a creeping blandness about the business that is dulling the creative edge.

The industry needs a bit of standing-on-the-window-ledge aggression from all parties - and that comes from having a few larger-than-life characters who know exactly what sells to start standing up for the business otherwise we can all bugger off and be stockbrokers; except I couldn't, I'm hopeless with figures.

Scamp said...

Very, very interesting point, writer.

In fact I would like to make it the subject of my next post if you don't mind.

copyranter said...

we all suck?