Global Chief Creative Officer, Young & Rubicam And President Of The TV, Press, Outdoor And Radio Jury
Please list 3 of your favorite advertisement – globally and your own. Why those?
It’s hard to pick favorites, of course. But here are three very different kinds of content that don’t fit into any neat boxes.
Young & Rubicam New York conceived, created and produced a 12-part documentary series about regional football rivalries for a regional telecom. Broadcast to 85 million homes.
Our Tel Aviv agency put together a rock band, produced a single, promoted the hell out of it and had a #1 hit that spread across Europe like a virus. Which was the point — it was a metaphor about AIDS.
RKCR/Y&R London open-sourced a piece of digital art to promote the V&A Museum’s first digital exhibition that encouraged people to recode the digital code, making new art from it. It was a huge success.
The beauty of each of these is that they are spectacularly suited to the brand and brand challenge. And they’re charting new territory.
Do you believe advertisement? Do you go and buy when you see a good ad? Do you have any brands that you love? Which and why?
Of course. When used correctly, advertising can be very successful and powerful – creating brands, connecting intimately with consumers, and making clients a lot of money.
What do you regard as being your biggest achievement?
I love the challenge of reinvention, so I’m most proud of the creative renaissance coming out of Young & Rubicam.
I’m very grateful to the people who have joined me and taken a chance on a turnaround, even at its infancy when the agency is seemingly unsexy. It’s not easy, but you get the chance to do something big and to make a real impact. The spirit and tenacity of our people is inspirational. It’s a team effort.
The most difficult thing about creating a revolution is getting it started. Once it gains momentum, it’s unstoppable. To do that, you need the right people. Hamish and I have been upgrading our talent around the world in our 185 offices. It’s been over two years in Young & Rubicam’s reinvention, and we’re starting to see results. At Cannes this year, we took home a total of 49 Lions and we were named #3 Network of the Year. Our flagship New York office was named runner up Agency of the Year, with 13 Lions including its first ever Cyber Lion. We were also awarded 2010 Network of the Year by both the Art Director’s Club and the New York Festivals. The goal is to keep improving our creative to grow our business.
What do you do for inspiration?
Music inspires me. I could read music before I could read. My mom, who was prima ballerina at the Conservatory of Madrid, is also an artist and a musician. She taught me so much about art and music that it became part of my DNA. I’m huge vinyl collector.
Actually, my training in the music business has helped me in the advertising world. First, it taught me the importance of working together as a team. And second, it gave me a sense of the power music can have over emotions. Music connects directly to the heart, overriding rational thought. It tells you how to feel.
Also, my love of classic cars plays into my obsessive compulsive nature. I have to keep all of my vehicles absolutely pristine – from my Vespa collection to my ‘65 VW Beetle convertible to my ‘73 Ford Mustang Mach 1.
What are your views on advertising school? Do you think someone can get into the field without educational experience in a school environment? Can you speak from your own experience?
Today it’s very important to get an education. Advertising schools teach you how to think and tackle problems. They also give you work experience – most schools can help students find internships globally. You have to take it very seriously.
My education was hands on, learning directly from people who were in the business. Schools can teach you a lot, but you’ve got to have a natural passion for the work and lots of motivation.
I think it’s also important, if you’re a student, to thoroughly dissect the media landscape today and know what’s happening. Great creatives know great advertising, but they don’t stop there. They reach beyond the industry and immerse themselves in all kinds of ideas and ways of achieving your craft. If you’re only looking at advertising, the work gets too insular and self-referential. Learn what you can from your cultural heroes.
What are your views on advertising festival? What is their main benefit for the visitor? Do they have a future?
Many people in our industry think that award shows don’t matter. A lot of work our industry creates is mediocre, mundane and pragmatic. Shows highlight what is possible and inspire our industry to leap forward. They also attract new talent into our industry.
Award shows need to evolve, though, because our business is evolving. It’s now more about content creation with digital at its heart. Many shows still evaluate digital agencies and traditional agencies. It just doesn’t reflect where our business is going.
Any parting shots or pearls of wisdom?
While I was searching for Young & Rubicam’s DNA, I found a line that Ray Rubicam wrote in 1924: “Resist the Usual.” He encouraged people to be “Anti-Usualists.” This really resonated with me. I thought, if there ever was a time for our agency and our clients to resist the usual, it’s now.
TONY GRANGER, GLOBAL CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER OF YOUNG & RUBICAM
Tony believes in the magic of ideas and their power to generate change. They form his passion to transform brands and agencies.
Since arriving at Young & Rubicam in 2008, Tony has done both. He has attracted some of the industry’s best creative talent, fully integrated digital into the agency, and built a global creative community in both spirit and practice. It’s resulted in radically refreshed work for clients like Virgin Atlantic, Land Rover, LG and Telefonica.
At Cannes 2010, Y&R New York was the #1 agency in the US and the #2 globally. Y&R’s global network ranked #3 at Cannes, leaping forward 5 places in a single year. Young & Rubicam was also named Network of the Year by both ADC and the NY Festivals.
Before joining Y&R, Tony spent five years at Saatchi & Saatchi. There, too, he led the agency’s creative transformation. Saatchi became the top creative agency in the U.S., and International Agency of the Year at both the Cannes and the Clio Festivals. He led a similar renaissance at Bozell New York, where the shop catapulted to best in the U.S. and 3rd best at Cannes in 2002. Tony began his career in his native South Africa, where he led TBWA/Hunt Lascaris, a shop of proud heritage and creative pedigree.
Tony and his agencies have won tons of awards, and he’s been fortunate to serve as president of several international juries. But he’s most proud to have shaped top creative agencies, and worked with the world’s most sought after clients on some of the most recognized and influential global brands. He is fanatically focused and excited for the future of the business and this industry.
