AdScamers know full well that I took the piss out of the Poisoned Dwarf when he decided to move Ogilvy from One World Plaza to an old locomotive repair shed way over on the West side, virtually on the edge of the Hudson River. Which is why I immediately christened it “Hoboken East.” Just this morning, I received an anonymous about the state of the premises in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy… here it is…
When Ogilvy tried to shovel more money into Sir Martin's craw by moving from Worldwide Plaza to the low rent district on 11th Avenue a few years back, they bought themselves more you-get-what-you-pay-for grief than they could have guessed.
Lately, calls to at least some extensions at Hoboken East go unanswered. Try to call Emil the Barber, an Ogilvy fixture since 1967 when David Ogilvy himself installed a barber shop, and you get an apologetic voice mail announcement from him saying he has been flooded out. He sounds distressed, and offers no ETA for his return to business. Certain other extensions do not even answer. They just ring off into eternity. (There is a live human being answering at the main switchboard. I didn't bother to ask him if he felt lonely. ) And remember, the hurricane that flooded low-lying parts of Manhattan was over a month ago.
Back when David was running the store, the company motto was borrowed from J.P. Morgan: "Only first class business, and that in a first class way." These days, with notable failures during the past few years including a failed pitch for the scuzzballs at WalMart, the official motto seems to be, "Hey, but cheap it cheap."
Why am I not surprised… “Team Flood” anyone?
Sir Martin... Your limo is at the door!
