News

Isherwood: If we all understand originality, relevance and emotional connections, why is there so much mediocre advertising?

Aussie advertising legend Bob Isherwood has responded to criticism of his controversial presentation at RMIT in Melbourne, telling Mumbrella that he never intended to give a traditional speech. This month’s appearance – which contained more video content than it did his own commentary – was attacked for offering no personal insights from Isherwood. Among the strongest critics was Stephen Downes who wrote for Crikey:  

“Almost 45 minutes into a 60-minute talk, Dr Isherwood had not “shared his personal tips” at all. He hadn’t verbalised a single insight of his own or bothered to establish any rapport with his audience, which struck many as bizarre after the gushing introduction. Perhaps there was some kind of “revelation” eventually. I guess it’s my own fault if I missed it, and my career may be the worse for it. 

But had Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix been on stage for 45 minutes without playing a note, after demanding that the doors be closed and no-one leave, I would have walked out on them too.

A few days earlier the same presentation from isherwood was also slated in the Middle East, with Campaign magazine saying:

“How disappointing that a seminar about originality largely comprised of borrowed material; a seminar about relevance said so little about advertising; a seminar about emotional involvement relied upon epic moments of history and culture to entertain us.

But Isherwood – who has had a stellar advertising career including more than a decade as worldwide creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi, golds at Cannes and D&AD, and involvement in the early days of the Campaign Palace Sydney – told Mumbrella his intention was to create an experience. In an email, he wrote:

“I guess part of the problem and reason for the controversy. I didn’t set out to write a speech.

Instead I wanted to create an experience.

An experience that gets to the very basics of what commercial creators and those who judge creativity (brand managers, editors etc) must struggle for everyday.

I wanted to make indelible the three key elements of great work because they are so constantly overlooked. Originality, Relevance, and Emotional Connections.

 “The points could have been made in a fraction of the time,” one reviewer said.

Yes, but they wouldn’t have been made so memorably.

“And the points were so obvious”. True but if the whole industry knows the three principles so well, how come we are subjected to so much very mediocre and useless advertising?

“Perhaps there was some kind of revelation eventually”  was a line from Dr Stephen Downes, who walked out before the end but decided to write a scathing review for ‘Crikey’ anyway.

I can only say revelations usually come after time spent searching for answers, and even then, they  only come when you are ready to receive them.

Dr Downes excused his poor behaviour and signed off by saying he would have walked out on Miles Davis if he hadn’t played a note for 45 minutes.

 Actually I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Miles Davis perform. He didn’t play for a very long time, and would then walk off stage only to return for his next solo.

 I don’t think he would have cared if a Dr Downes walked out. Miles was at work, creating something original and memorable.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.