Draft/FCB lowers the bar... Again!
As you know, I rarely talk about ads, unless they reinforce my claim that the the biz is getting more fucked up by the day. But couldn't resist this one, sent to me by my friend Nina... Not a bad idea, as it plays off Orson Welles claim that radio is the "Theater of the Mind." Unfortunate choice of visual though. But then again... It was done by Draft/FCB who have somewhat of a fucking track record when it comes to visuals.
Oh... And I'll be posting more about the "Under The Influence" conference and all the people I met there this coming week. Stand by!
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Another class act from Draft/FCB!
George, I'm fucking stunned that any agency could be insensitive enough to use this main background image in an ad. OK. That's it, I'm out of this fucked up cum stain of an industry.
Posted by: popgoestheweasel | April 20, 2008 at 09:23 PM
As someone who was there I am absolutely stunned by this.
Posted by: GI Joe | April 20, 2008 at 09:56 PM
At least its got balls. I think it's great! Very edgy work.
Posted by: draftguy | April 20, 2008 at 10:51 PM
Pop-There’s a lot of shit like htis that runs overseas.
dg-It doesn’t take balls to run this in South Africa. It would take balls to run it in the NY Times.
Guess they don’t have enough tragedy over there to exploit for the award shows that they now have to import some of ours.
Posted by: bg | April 20, 2008 at 11:25 PM
(...this...)
Posted by: bg | April 20, 2008 at 11:26 PM
Most creatives long for a Cannes Gold Lion. Draftfcb has internal honors called the Gold Fucking Lion. This ad is up for the trophy.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 20, 2008 at 11:42 PM
You guys are afraid of challenging work, that much is obvious. The kind of work that truly defies genre; the kind of work that puts an agency on the map.
PS our awards are called Howies and are highly coveted. Would like to see you try and win one.
Posted by: draftguy | April 21, 2008 at 12:30 AM
Hey draftguy
Go fuck yourself.
Posted by: GI Joe | April 21, 2008 at 01:14 AM
hey! while we're at it, the Holocaust was pretty edgy... so is the genocide in Darfur and i'm positive you can find some great shots of female genitalia mutilation.
depicting a tragedy (the likes of which had to seen NOT HEARD ON RADIO!) is not edgy, it's crass. cheap shock will always be seen as "edge".
challenging work would require the reader to stretch their minds a bit to get the point. showing the Towers burning in black and white while depicting a montage of suffering throughout the ages in color with radio dial graphics is weak. to get the impact of that one shot, i'd have to listen to radio for a month.
as far as internal awards go, so what? it's like going to Starbuck's and paying for that latté with bills you've just printed upstairs.
Posted by: the lower depths | April 21, 2008 at 05:03 AM
P.S. our awards are called Pencils and Lions, would like to see you try and win some.
Posted by: the lower depths | April 21, 2008 at 05:05 AM
My, it's interesting what crawls out of the rotting woodwork when shit such as this ad needs to be defended.
Enter draft guy.
Up until now I don't recall any recent posts from this knobhead on this blog, but that's neither here nor there. But for you, draftguy, and for your defense of this piece of vomit, I reserve special venom.
You think this ad's edgy? My, what a deluded little twat you are. Edgy? The steam of my morning shit is edgy, but I blame the creative director for signing off on this shit and I'm stunned that the client would buy it, if that was indeed the case, which I fucking doubt.
You are the smegma on the end of a festering, puss dripping cock; a clueless, spineless, self-serving, attention-seeking, shit-sucking, ass-kissing, puke-munching fuckwit.
A lovely woman I used to work with had a relatvie on the plane that hit the North Tower, her relative was a member of the cabin crew. If you go down to Ground Zero you can see this person's name on the list. But I can't help wondering how you'd justify this ad to my former colleague and her family.
"You guys are afraid of challenging work, that much is obvious. The kind of work that truly defies genre; the kind of work that puts an agency on the map".
WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DEALING WITH, YOU ARROGANT LUMP OF CAT SHIT?
Oh you'll get on the map all right. Go ahead, dickhead, run this ad in the New York Times and see how long it takes for the Draft/FCB offices to be set on fire. I can hear the sirens now, but I guarantee you this, ass wipe, there won't be a cop or a firefighter in the entire fucking city that will lift a finger to help you.
Posted by: popgoestheweasel | April 21, 2008 at 05:32 AM
Skillfully venomous. I dealt with mental anorexics like that for years, to the point that I didn't want to get out of the bed in the morning. The funniest thing is their biggest defenders are an advertisement for the inane. Note to the blog world: If things are slow and you want some traffic, DraftFCB is the ticket to volume.
Posted by: Studio Maven | April 21, 2008 at 07:51 AM
Almost missed the party. I personally don't get the concept of utilizing things you really had to be there to see/feel to sell radio. I mean, when people heard it going down, they RAN to a televsion or outside to see it.
I love SABCs mission statement, probably written by Daft:
"To be a people centred, content driven, technology enabled, strategically focused and sustainable public service broadcaster." Sort of hits every touchpoint you could think of. Now get your poor black ass back in the diamond mine.....
Here's another in the series, and no, Ali isn't overused much....I wonder if they presented a Nelson Mandela ad?
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/sabc_radio_theres_more_see_radio_1
Draft guy, "Coveted" Howies are presented to toadies, like the barrista, the studio junior or a guy in the mailroom who shut up and do their jobs with a smile. They were designed to give the little guy a reason to keep working like a slave. They have nothing to do with creativity. Which is fitting for you, as you're probably next in line to win one.
Posted by: Auntie Christ | April 21, 2008 at 07:55 AM
This ad is vile and such a lame attempt at trying to stir up controversy in the hope of a Cannes Lion or something similar.
'Draftguy' - you must be kidding? The Howies? That is too fucking funny. You have an award called The Howies? Give me a break. And to say they are coveted is just hilarious. And saying "would like to see you win one" makes you either an internal PR hack, or some hapless loser that has no chance of employment beyond the walls of draft.
There is no defending this ad and Howard Draft should publish a formal apology if he had any moral essence or spine. He apologized for the lions fucking ad, if he doesn't apologize for this it shows that the guy has no depth.
Oh and 'draftguy' - good luck with that Howie Award collecting dust on your shelf. I am sure when you go for your next job interview and you are up for a job against someone with a Pencil or a Lion that you will be the chosen candidate, after all you have the coveted award. Any employer would be humbled in your presence I am sure.
Posted by: hismissingfinger | April 21, 2008 at 07:58 AM
A. Sorry for reposting George's link..
Back to that Lion ad....Howard claimed that wasn't the ad he approved. The mystery remains, who sent in a different one, and why wasn't that person fired? At the very least it would have saved face with existing clients. And what does "truly defies genre" mean, Draft guy? Put 100w33 back on, at least he could make us laugh.
Posted by: Auntie Christ | April 21, 2008 at 08:23 AM
http://nymag.com/news/features/26344/
The original NY Magazine Article on the Walmart Mess from Feb. 2007. It is why we call you dumb.
Posted by: Studio Maven | April 21, 2008 at 08:34 AM
I am really losing it.
I thought the guy calling himself draftguy was being ironic, putting us on--always a dangerous thing on-line. Sometimes in person, too.
Seems to me the only tragedies radio ever reported in a way that fulfilled the medium were The Hindenburg Crash and the London Blitz when Murrow and the CBS guys reported live and gave people in the U.S. a sense the war.
Did South Africa have apartheid radio back in the day?
Posted by: Tom Messner | April 21, 2008 at 08:43 AM
Every time I read about Howard Draft it makes me want to take a steaming hot shower and scrub myself with a wire brush.
How do people that work there even defend this guy? How does this moron 'draftguy' stand behind such a person? Sorry I forgot, that's the job of the PR people, pretend to be a happy, cheerful and supportive employee on this blog so as to keep the worker bees in the dark.
Hey George, if you track back to the last big draftfcb posting you will see it hit 69 comments, doesn't that surpass the Julie Roehm posting, do we have a record?
Let's see if this one sets a new record.
Isn't it amazing though, this is the only press these bunch of chumps get. No, or almost zero, page space in Adweek or AdAge, no these lucky people get all their exposure here. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people.
So do we have any consensus as to whether Howard Draft will apologize for this ad? Or will he just wash his hands of it and look at naked photo's of his girlfriend on his cell? This guy is all style and class.
Posted by: hismissingfinger | April 21, 2008 at 08:49 AM
I wonder, as these ads (there are at least two others) ran in South Africa, how they'd be viewed if the image was of Steven Biko being beaten, or of a necklace attack with a body with a burning car tyre around its neck or of the recent events in Kenya. How would that go down? In the shanty towns radio is big but so, I'm sure, is the theft of cable TV.
This person draftguy has gone very quiet, hasn't he? Come on dick weed. Let's hear what you've got to say for yourself now there are other people laying into this ad, you arrogant little shit.
Posted by: popgoestheweasel | April 21, 2008 at 08:55 AM
In the first place, the fact that Howie is so far up Michael Roth's ass explains why this kind of thing is allowed to continue. Anyone else would have fired the top management out of D/FCB - and most especially that piece of shit creative director, Jonathan Harries, who probably thought that this was brilliant and "idgy!!"
How in fuck is it that these cretins in charge of Draft/FCB still have clients?? I keep asking that and no one ever has an answer...these assholes NEVER learn...oh well, as I've said before, at least they're consistent in their tasteless behavior. No surprises there! Interestingly, slated for the May 22nd IPG Board Meeting (to be held in NYC) is the proposal that shareholders have a say on Roth's pay...that might affect some change...IF they change Roth, then Draft will go, joined by Boschetto and Harries and some of the other douchenozzles in their management...until then, I question why ANY client would stay with D/FCB let alone EVER hire them.
Posted by: LAM | April 21, 2008 at 08:56 AM
The creative team for this lump of toxic shit is:
DraftFCB, South Africa
Creative Directors: Rob Mclennan, Grant Jacobsen
Art Directors: Grant Jacobsen, Marcus Moshapalo
Copywriters: James Dodd, Grant Jacobsen, Grant Sithole
Illustrator: AmICollective
I shall e-mail Rob Mclennan and Grant Jacobsen and report back.
Posted by: popgoestheweasel | April 21, 2008 at 09:00 AM
I love you guys (spiritually not romantically) more than anyone can imagine.
Posted by: Studio Maven | April 21, 2008 at 09:01 AM
My e-mail to Rob Mclennan reads as follows. The e-mail address I typed in for Mr. Jacobsen wasn't recognised.
###########MESSAGE##############
Gentlemen,
The ad you each approved featured the burning twin towers of the World Trade Center
is causing something of a stir on George Parker's ADSCAM blog in here in the United States.
Your comments and defence for this ad in particular would, I'm sure, be much
appreciated by the contributers to the debate thus far (22 comments and counting).
I'm sure many people would be interested in how you would defend or present this
ad if Draft FCB was to run a similar ad in the New York Times.
Would you care to comment?
Pop
###########END OF MESSAGE #############
Posted by: popgoestheweasel | April 21, 2008 at 09:25 AM
Well, so much for fucking e-mail. My message came bouncing back. Does anyone have any suggestions?
How might we encourage the creatives responsible for this ad to particpate in the debate?
Posted by: popgoestheweasel | April 21, 2008 at 09:31 AM
The copywriter's name is shithole, aptly enough.
Posted by: impartialist | April 21, 2008 at 09:33 AM
I believe the copywriter's name is Sithole, but yes, that was my first reading of the name as well.
Posted by: popgoestheweasel | April 21, 2008 at 09:50 AM
http://www.tribbleagency.com/?p=997
Posted by: Nina | April 21, 2008 at 10:01 AM
Could just contact howard yourself.
+1.312.397.7600
hdraft@draftnet.com
Posted by: jeff | April 21, 2008 at 10:19 AM
@Tom Messner. At first, I thought maybe there was some irony. The follow-up comment proved otherwise.
Dg-When the team can be 'edgy' with South Africa’s own history of controversial issues, and, there are many to choose from, then maybe we can talk about courageous or brave.
Even Wendy’s new TV is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than this.
Posted by: bg | April 21, 2008 at 10:31 AM
The "Howie" is to radio what the "Georgie" is to blogging. One recognizes fucked advertising executions with a placebo award. The latter just recognizes people who use the word "fuck" the most times in a blog.
Neither have intrinsic value but make the winners feel warm all over...like pissing in one's pants.
Posted by: Tanner | April 21, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Tanner...
How fucking droll... Bet it took you all day to come up with that zinger. Oh, and go FUCK yourself!
Cheers/George
Posted by: George Parker | April 21, 2008 at 11:25 AM
someone a little tetchy today GP?
congratulations on getting picked up on gawker again though.
Posted by: impartialist | April 21, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Impartialist...
Me Mr. Tetchy? I invented tetchy. Yeah, Gawker loves my ass... But then again, who doesn't love a tetchy old fuck.
Cheers/George
Posted by: George Parker | April 21, 2008 at 01:55 PM
I am fucking dying laughing...I have been working with agency creatives since 1988 and I have never seen ANYONE list winning a HOWIE on their resume! I'm just trying to imagine a scenario where ANYONE would be able to say out loud that they won a Howie Award. It is just so fucking ridiculous it defies reason. And what makes it TRULY pathetic is that when Mach Arom died the Interactive Group suggested an internal award named after him and that idea was shot down because the idiots thought that in a few years everyone would forget Mach and it would have no meaning. Even if you didn't know Mach I think any creative person on Earth would rather win a MACH than a HOWIE...at least Mach sounds cool! Howie sounds like the fucking spoiled rat fat bastard bullshit award that it is based on the bullshit, spoiled, fat rat bastard himself. So mother fucking hysterical I cannot stop laughing. Oh, to win a Howie....one can only dream...
Posted by: normalday | April 21, 2008 at 03:53 PM
The only thing more demeaning than winning a Howie, is to be nominated... Then not get one. What's next... "The Idgies?"
Cheers/George
Posted by: George Parker | April 21, 2008 at 06:00 PM
Wow. This one's a goody!
I decided to check out Draft/FCB's website, to "learn" more. I can away with this gem:
"Ultimately we are an organization where creativity supersedes everything but accountability."
Lovely. Though drop the accountability bit too.
This reminds me of the late, great David Ogilvy, and his attempt to banish the word "creativity" by anyone trying to ambiguously explain away their rationale.
As he wrote, paraphrasing Burnett, the only thing the Etruscans added to art of the Greeks was the "originality of incompetence".
Well done Draft/FCB, keep on blazing that "creativity" trail.
Tossers.
Posted by: McInTosh | April 22, 2008 at 08:49 AM
Greetings from the Louisianna State Corrections Facility where thebigmancat is currently residing due to several outstanding warrants for KICKING THE SHIT OUT OF ASSHOLE CREATIVES who confuse EDGY and SO FUCKING OFFENSIVE I COULD RIP YOUR ASS OFF WITH MY BARE FREAKING HANDS!
Y'know - bottom line: FUKC DRAFT FCB and just about EVERY OTHER AGENCY populated by cute little WEENIES with little or no social skills, no life experience no NO SENSE OF DECENCY. Fuck 'em. They don't matter. They are - as suspected - a BUNCH OF LITTLE WEENIE LOSERS and should be IGNORED!!!! Until the next PIECE OF SHIT AD that is.
Fuck you!!!!!
Posted by: thebigmancat | April 23, 2008 at 09:39 AM
You're damn right I'm angry. If fact, soon as I get outa this shit hole, I'm heading for 33rd and Sixth and the first little shit that gets in my way will get his Howie handed to him on a FUCKING SILVER EFFIE!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: This post is for entertainment purposes and should, under no circumstances, be construed or otherwise interpreted to impose physical or psychological injury and/or death to any individual due to their affiliation with an IPG, WPP, Omnicom or Publicis affiliate.
Posted by: thebigmancat | April 23, 2008 at 09:43 AM
Oh shit bigmancat...
'Til I got to the disclaimer, I thought you were going to kill Hughie, Dewey & Louie... Now I'll have to fucking do it myself... Remember, I am "The Blog Murderer"
Cheers/George
Posted by: George Parker | April 23, 2008 at 10:22 AM
What happened to my expletive-laced posts? Too "idgy?" George - don't go soft on us buddy!
Posted by: thebigmancat | April 23, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Hi there, from South Africa:
I have been following the above comment bombardment with some interest, and felt it necessary to give a fresh perspective on the matter. Summerised as follows:
9/11 was a terrible tragedy and no country or group of people deserve such suffering. As this attack took place on your home soil, effecting you and the lives of people around you, i can understand why the visuals in this ad could be partially stirring.
I must point out that although what took place on 9/11 was appalling, the above comments have not been made from a rational point of view and are instead fueled, and clouded by emotion.
9/11 is not just a mark of human suffering, but also a monumental moment in history. The entire world's perspective on war, terrorism and religion was changed in a day. Even our everyday way of life in travel and communications has been permanently altered.
Although i don't know the creative team, or their exact intentions, there are a couple of things we can deduce by looking at all three ads collectively:
Muhammad Ali Fight-http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/sabc_radio_theres_more_see_radio_1
The Twin Towers-http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/sabc_radio_theres_more_see_radio_2
The release of Nelson Mandela-http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/sabc_radio_theres_more_see_radio_3
All three images depict epic moments in history, which have all in one way or another changed the world as we know it today. Here are some other equally significant moments that could of been used: The landing on the moon, The JKF assassination and the events of Tianenmen Square. All of these could have been chosen for their historical significance and not their "edginess" or for the sole intention of provoking a reaction.
I urge you and your readers to step back for a moment, review the ads with fresh eye's and take the adverts for what they really are:
A series of ads, promoting the effectiveness of radio by depicting unforgettable moments in time.
Whether the ads are actually great and effective, is up for debate and personal opinion, but what they do deserve is proficient comment.
Posted by: kidd Parker | July 15, 2008 at 01:00 AM