| Then again, I enjoyed this book so much, I don't really miss not having learnt anything from it. When you're reading about campaigns for Pepsi, FedEx, HBO and Gillette from the 1970s and 1980s""advertising that was so different, it didn't just change the rules, it changed the game""you get so caught up in the drama, it drowns out the rest of the world. |
| Dusenberry is an almost-iconic figure on Madison Avenue, the nerve-centre of American advertising. He started with BBDO in 1962 as a copywriter and continued there even when others were playing musical chairs between agencies. The loyalty""combined with his formidable creative genius""paid off: Dusenberry retired in 2002 as chairman of BBDO North America, the same year he was inducted in the Advertising Hall of Fame. He is credited with turning BBDO into a "creative powerhouse" that swept award shows, picking up Clios and "agency of the year" awards everywhere. |
| In the introduction, Dusenberry says this is not a book on advertising. Well, it isn't. Not in the sense of teaching you to write copy or even recognising a good campaign idea when you stumble upon one. What it is, is a slow""but rarely tedious""ramble down memory lane, with occasional stops for self-congratulation. To be fair, they're justified""most of the time. But once in a while, you do wish Dusenberry would put down the pompoms and get on with the story. |
| The "story" is about the insights that helped some of the best-known brands across the world reach their peaks. The emphasis here is on "insight": that one overweening truth about a brand or its customers that will define and alter its usage permanently. An insight is different from an idea; it's really the precursor to a whole series of good ideas. |
| Then there are the ads. Ah, the ads. BBDO under Dusenberry was responsible for some of the biggest accounts in the US: Pepsi, Pizza Hut, GE, Visa and Gillette. His accounts of how these ads were conceptualised, the research that helped generate the insights behind the ideas and even the actual filming are witty, well-written and""dare I say?""insightful. |
| Dusenberry helped create the film that won Ronald Reagan his re-election. The insight? The product on offer wasn't America at peace or in prosperity; it was Ronald Reagan, the man. The New York post-9/11 series used humour to show a city back on its feet. The insight? Make people feel good about living there; the drama and tears were already part of their lives and didn't need reiteration. |
| There's also the ad that gave this book its title. Michael Jackson's first TV commercial ever was for Pepsi, where the prince of pop adapted his mega hit "Billie Jean" to Pepsi lyrics. His proviso: the ad couldn't show his face. Dusenberry's team worked around even that, and the shoot seemed to be going smoothly. Until the last day of filming. It began with Jackson dropping his $10,000 jewelled glove into the urinal""and the agency staff fishing it out""and ended when a special effects firework went wrong and set the stage""and Jackson's hair""on fire. The accident""and the ad""made front pages everywhere. |
| This is the cue for your under-breath mutterings to turn into a howl: where's the CD? You want to see all these brilliant ads, not just read about them. Of course, this book isn't perfect. Dusenberry seems to have created an elaborate display unit for his own work. Even when he credits others with the bright idea, it's with a touch of condescension. And I fail to understand why the man who came up with taglines like "We bring good things to life" and "This is the right choice" and "The best a man can get" has to use the phrase "moving the needle" 61 times in the same chapter. Granted, the chapter is titled "Moving the needle", but still... |
| THEN WE SET HIS HAIR ON FIRE INSIGHTS AND ACCIDENTS FROM A HALL-OF-FAME CAREER IN ADVERTISING |
| Phil Dusenberry Penguin Portfolio Price: Rs 425; Pages: 290 |
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