After joining Saatchi in 1984 as a young Trainee Account Executive, I quickly realised that the creative department seemed like a far cooler place to work. Unlike account executives, creatives didn’t have to wear suits and ties; they could show up around 10:30 am in jeans and a T-shirt. This casual dress code was a refreshing change from my previous job as a barrister, where I felt like I was in a Dickens novel.
Creatives also seemed to have more fun: drawing pictures, attending film shoots, sitting in director's chairs, and being treated like royalty by production companies eager to please. To me, this was the best job in the world.
I decided to switch careers, but starting as a creative was challenging and discouraged at the time - account executives weren’t seen as capable of creative work. A portfolio of original ads was required to prove one's talent and lateral thinking skills. I needed a plan.
I learned about a course, called the D&AD Workshop, where you could attend a series of evening classes and present your ad ideas (based on pre-set briefs) to top London Creative Directors. It was said that completing this course would make it easier to secure a creative job while also building a portfolio.
I applied and was accepted into the course, which felt like a victory. I attended in secret, not telling my boss or colleagues at Saatchi. We worked on briefs for brands like Citroen 2CVs and Varta batteries, visiting different ad agencies around London. This gave me a chance to see what the competition was up to, and I was mentored by industry heavyweights like Ron Collins, Dave Trott, and Paul Wilmot.
I enjoyed the course so much that I applied and attended a second time, eventually building up a decent portfolio. However, my career as an account executive was progressing rapidly, thanks to my boss and brilliant mentor, David Kershaw. I decided to abandon my creative ambitions, realising how challenging it was to come up with fresh ideas from scratch every day. (The idea of coming into work each day and staring at a blank sheet of paper is pretty scary when you really think about it.)
Still, the course was invaluable for my career. It taught me to respect creative professionals, understand their challenges, and appreciate what makes a good idea and effective advertising.
This brings me to the real point of this post. Today I saw a Lidl GB poster for nappies with the tagline, "A bum-per 10% off." It reminded me of the first rule I learned at the D&AD course: puns are verboten. They are seen as lazy and cheap. I never fully understood this - perhaps it's a form of advertising snobbery. I think the public respond differently.
My wife laughed when I showed her the poster. What do you think? I’d love to hear from creatives about the dos and don’ts of using puns in ads.
