Draft calls Cannes ad ‘a terrible mistake’
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November 29, 2006 | Permalink |
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» Draft won\'t say who screwed up the lion-ad from adland
In a pretty classic move, Draft washes their hands off the lion ad that caused such a ruckus. [Read More]
Tracked on Dec 4, 2006 4:11:54 AM
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What a bunch of pussies. For christ's sake, stand up and take it like a man. If you're going to put something out there - defend it. It's a pathetic display of insecurity by Draft's agency management to issue an apology over a little criticism. Criticism from a blog no less. Very sad.
Posted by: jono | Nov 29, 2006 10:20:41 AM
Surely, criticism came from the world beyond this blog.
You don't need a blog to know which way the ad is blowing.
Posted by: Lion Porn | Nov 29, 2006 10:41:04 AM
Agreed. And PLEASE, D/FCB don't scapegoat a lower level person for what the top management did. "Didn't clear it for approval?" It was created by the CD and ECD...and obviously they DID approve it...so, yeah, it was approved...
Posted by: BEL | Nov 29, 2006 10:44:18 AM
yes, pussies. make us like it, draft. or get over it. don't make a public apology for a self-promo ad. just do a better job next time.
Posted by: carrot top | Nov 29, 2006 10:50:43 AM
Holy Moley!!
That lion is having some sex with that other lion!
Because cannes trophies are LIONS!
Wait. I think. No?
It's about the being on top! I'd rather be on the bottom!
Talk about less work!
WHEW!
Posted by: diet m | Nov 29, 2006 12:32:05 PM
Top Lion- DraftFCB.
Bottom Lion- The Ad Industry
Posted by: ad_scribe | Nov 29, 2006 1:37:40 PM
He's probably thinking of Cheetarah.
Posted by: tom lout | Nov 29, 2006 1:45:59 PM
Everything about this company annoys me
Posted by: Jess | Nov 29, 2006 2:31:32 PM
If they want to apologize, they should start with the Taco Bell work.
Posted by: seriously | Nov 29, 2006 2:38:27 PM
Another bar raising effort by Mr. O'Keefe.
Posted by: gary | Nov 29, 2006 3:55:40 PM
The Draft rep wenton to say: "We apologize for this ad being released. The client should've been the one on top."
Posted by: makethelogobigger | Nov 29, 2006 4:07:39 PM
"Without the proper approvals." That means it may have appeared, but it was likely ghosted--sent out seemingly under the radar so it could be entered into an award show. Just like many of the faked ads in the annuals that so many people worship.
Even CD's can ghost an ad. There are a small number of 'revered ones' who are making A LOT of dough having built a career on fakes.
Maybe Adfreak should pay attention to those who have pointed out time and again the problem of scam/ghost/sham ads in our industry, as posted in the comments section on your site (which you seem to ignore and keep posting obvious scam ads):
http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2006/11/little_builders.html#comments
Frankly, you're chasing the wrong issue here. Who cares that some ad a Direct agency did has no class and taste? Big news. Rather than resorting to "Oooh, look what this agency did," how about you take a proactive stance in bringing a little ethics into the creative dept of our industry?
Or should we keep condoning unethical behavior with feigned ignorance?
Posted by: See | Nov 29, 2006 5:37:12 PM
AdFreak got a little Lazare love today.
http://www.suntimes.com/business/lazare/152516,CST-FIN-lew29.article
God the guy's an idiot. Write an entire column about something runs on a blog. New new content here other than his terrible decision to mention this ad in the same sentence as the agency's $500 million Wal-Mart win.
Posted by: Sun-Times lover | Nov 29, 2006 7:40:17 PM
Hey "Sun-Times lover",
Sorry, but your comment sounds as if it's been crafted by Howard Draft, Jonathan Harries, Tom O'Keefe or some flack...If you guys are so out of it as to not know that blogs can be a viable source of news today you should go back where you belong: to your bulk mailings of junk mail ("Quick, where's the postage meter?" cried Howard...)....Lewis Lazaar, like the rest of us, was just commenting on your level of taste - or rather, lack of same. It just happens that he has a broader audience to whom he can address those remarks....Ah, don't jump on Lewis...ever hear of something called "cause and effect." He was just doing his job. You're the idiots who did the ad! Duh! It's too bad that just the few of you have creeped out your entire agency with this trash. What are you doing to make amends to your staff? Bet just looking at you guys makes all the women's skin crawl...ick...
Posted by: Annie | Nov 29, 2006 8:09:50 PM
Funny ad. Not bad for an inside industry jab.
Everyone needs to lighten up and go to the zoo or something.
Posted by: Brian | Nov 29, 2006 8:26:16 PM
I work at DraftFCB and after reading the 129 nasty comments I feel rather like the lion on the bottom. I didn't do the ad and don't know who did. Didn't know about it until I started hearing about the controversy. I guess I would just say don't judge the entire agency by it alone.
Funny thing. On the way home from DraftFCB this evening the car in front of me had an anti-Bush bumper sticker that read: "To The Rest Of The World: Sorry, We Tried. - The Other Half of America"
That is kind of how I feel, as I hope I am a part of the other half (or at least other portion, if half is too generous.) that didn't do it but now has to live with it.
Posted by: adverperson | Nov 29, 2006 10:39:05 PM
adverperson,
you're absolutely right. you may not fit in the side of the agency that was compelled to create the advert. so yes, not everyone there should be judged harshly for this. however, if you do not subscribe to the philosophy or direction of the shop, then why are you still there? what attracted you the place? or were you part of the merger? and which part of the merger are you from? the draft side or the fcb side? not that it makes a huge difference, but if you really want to get rid of the stigma associated with the shop, then you may want to consider leaving entirely. sorry once again for judging everyone in one lump sum.
Posted by: jono | Nov 30, 2006 5:16:29 AM
Everyone shouldn't be judged by the work of two tasteless guys. FCB has done some extremely good work and, yes, recently, too. They've won the Grand Prix poster award at Cannes...but neither Harries nor his sidekick had anything to do with that win. Not to over simplify things but people have a comfort level in being with people they like and there are some nice people at FCB even though there isn't much talent at the very tippy-top! Jonathan Harries's greatest skill lies in the fact that he is a politician rather than any kind of creative force. If that's what Howard Draft wants at the top of his organization then that's his choice. Others will stay there as long as their friends are there and until they can find something desirable. For many reasons, it's not THAT easy to leave an agency and it would be a shame to tar all the other creative people throughout FCB because of the tasteless performance of those two guys.
Posted by: Annie | Nov 30, 2006 8:26:02 AM
Personally I'd rather have him fist me.
Posted by: tom lout | Nov 30, 2006 8:31:01 AM
Stop me if I'm wrong, but isn't it a lion shagging a lioness?
A lion shagging a lion would be ground breaking.
Posted by: whatdoiknow | Nov 30, 2006 10:11:50 AM
While no one would argue Draft FCB has limited creative credentials, it’s odd to see the negativism — as if Draft FCB is unique in its lameness.
To elaborate, consider the tale of two Chicago ad agencies: Draft FCB and DDB.
DDB recently won a major account, Safeway grocery stores. The truth is, such a “win” is almost embarrassing for DDB. It’s a retail grocer whose most prominent creative campaign to date stars Patricia Heaton of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame — it hardly offers much hope for a once-mighty creative agency to strut its stuff. Yet no one rolled their eyes or ripped DDB for grabbing their ankles and taking the account. Additionally, DDB produced a campaign for Bud Light starring “Steve and Zagar” that wound up offending Native Americans, forcing Anheuser-Busch to offer apologies and pull the ads. Was that work not more heinous than a trade ad that few people in the public will ever see? Yet there was no outcry over the stupidity and questionable character of DDB staffers.
Draft FCB wins the Wal-Mart account, quite possibly the largest win of the year (and certainly bigger than anything FCB has recently nabbed on its own). Despite the fact that everyone knows Wal-Mart is a dog, if DDB or any other Chicago shop had won this account, they would have been hailed as geniuses. Instead, Draft FCB is ridiculed. Then Draft FCB produces a shitty little ad that only a handful of creative types even noticed, and they are crucified.
Additionally, to embrace the pontifications of Lewis Lazare is bizarre too. This guy isn’t even qualified to write for AdFreak.
Again, everyone agrees Draft FCB sucks. But to attack them in this manner shows a lot of professionals have too much time on their hands.
Posted by: Fairfax Cone | Nov 30, 2006 10:56:52 AM
Jono,
Why is adverperson still working at a place that released an insider ad that people thought was dumb?
Because some people have bills to pay, family to support, or simply can't afford to jump from one agency to another. If you can, great. Not everyone can, not everyone wants to. You truthfully don't know people like this?
And because we've all been part of a bad campaign or ad that just had to be sent out the door because of the client, or the budget, or the timing, or staffing issues, or a lousy supervisor, or whatever.
The level of realworld naivete, absurd generalizations, and outright ad hominim bile thrown at Draft/FCB as a whole based on this dumb ad is pretty shocking. It doesn't speak well of the level of professionalism in this industry.
Now get back to that herpes ad you're so proud of.
Posted by: Christ on a Cracker | Nov 30, 2006 11:38:06 AM
Howard: "I did not have sexual relations with that lion."
Posted by: BC | Nov 30, 2006 11:39:52 AM
Scotland Yard Investigating Putin Connection. Putin Denies Involvement.
Posted by: AP release | Nov 30, 2006 12:14:57 PM
From Mr. Draft himself, internal email:
We Made a Mistake
A DraftFCB ad that was intended to congratulate the winners at this year's Cannes Advertising Festival recently ran in a U.S. trade publication. Its target audience was fellow industry insiders, but the ad has now generated a good deal of criticism. In no way are we trying to defend this ad. It in no way reflects the culture and values of this agency. It was mistakenly submitted to the magazine without going through the proper approval process, and it should never have run. We are taking the necessary steps to make sure a mistake like this doesn't happen again. And we are very sorry for offending anyone. Please accept my heartfelt apologies.
Howard
Posted by: boratlover | Nov 30, 2006 12:26:19 PM
I'm a fellow industry insider AND I am offended!
So mistakes are common with your agency?
Posted by: *( | Nov 30, 2006 12:39:45 PM
You know, you can get fired for making internal emails public. It may violate the confidentiality agreement you signed upon hire.
Posted by: sigh | Nov 30, 2006 12:40:54 PM
You're all missing the point. The ad was Ghosted, that's the real issue here. Just look at one thing that happens.
Posted by: blindfolded | Nov 30, 2006 1:00:00 PM
"It was mistakenly submitted to the magazine without going through the proper approval process, and it should never have run."
Posted by: *( | Nov 30, 2006 1:16:46 PM
Hey,
Congratulations to Howard Draft for having the presence to actually make some kind of an announcement to the troops. He's at least displayed some leadership skills, albeit a bit tardy on the uptake and perhaps slightly less than accurate with his comment on "the proper approval process?" Hello!!?? Jonathan Harries is the person who should have shouldered the responsibility here but he never will because he never has....why, he just sits there and collects his money...and that's about all he does...
Posted by: Annie | Nov 30, 2006 1:18:50 PM
Christ on Cracker, people at W+K, CP+B, BBH, TBWA\Chiat have bills to pay, families to support, yet they create amazing work day by day. What's your point? A tier-C agency is a tier-C agency with tier-C clients and tier-C leaders.
Posted by: BC | Nov 30, 2006 1:24:30 PM
Thats if I ever worked at DraftFCB 'sigh', which I don't. It was passed along and I shared it.
Posted by: boratlover | Nov 30, 2006 1:37:33 PM
Yeah but people at W+K, CP+B, BBH, TBWA\Chiat have bills to pay, families to support', but probably don't do as well as they could--or should--had they taken the 'golden handcuffs' like I ended up doing. That's the strange thing about our business--usually the better the opportunity to create not only great, but effective work for a client, the worse the compensation. It's pretty backwards in some places and that's why so much talent leaves.
Posted by: Justlikecracker | Nov 30, 2006 2:44:19 PM
Justlikecracker, award-winning creatives at good shops still get paid a lot. Again, tier-C shops churn out tier-C work.
Posted by: | Nov 30, 2006 2:51:47 PM
Oh, to have the naivite of a junior again.
People at the tier-A shops don't get paid a lot. At least not compared to what they can make when they jump ship and go work someplace like BBDO. And bubeleh, "award-winning creatives" at those shops are usually juniors who work 100 hour weeks for bupkes and need to jump ship to make any money. Especially when those awards are for spots only D&AD or One Show devotees are even aware of.
And not everyone in the business is as commited/talented/lucky/connected as the people at those shops (having worked at several, I can guarantee you that 99% of the creatives there have some mixture of those 4 qualities, with luck playing a larger role than you might imagine)
So of course they work at Tier B or C shops. And surprising though it may be to you, there's a whole world of agencies, profitable ones at that, in tiers D through Z.
Remember too that if your mom was judging the One Show, Kaplan Thaler would be a hot agency. Because not every product needs to do work that appeals to hip snarky 32 year olds.
So a little rachmones on the people at Draft. You might be one of them someday. Or worse.
Posted by: MosesOnRyeBread | Nov 30, 2006 3:34:43 PM
Fact: Good, in demand ad folks don't work at places like Draft/FCB. No self-respecting creative would risk their career knowing that any work they do must be passed by Harries or O'Keefe.
Other Fact: The longer you create good work, the longer your career will be. A reel full of KFC work isn't going to get you anywhere in life.
Posted by: truth in Advertising | Nov 30, 2006 4:49:13 PM
Name one agency in Chicago these days doing A-level work. To a lot of people out there (or to their families), living in Chicago might be more important than being famous within the industry. When the town's industry tanks, there's only so many places to go.
Sorry folks, that's reality.
In-demand or not, life sometimes gets in the way of the perfect career.
Posted by: yikes | Nov 30, 2006 4:58:17 PM
Kids these days...
Posted by: old school | Nov 30, 2006 5:02:54 PM
Kids these days.
Posted by: old school | Nov 30, 2006 5:04:00 PM
People go where they can get work and sometimes they like the challenge of trying to improve the creative product of a shop. The only time that can be a problem is if you have someone who's insecure running the creative operation and therefore, they're threatened when they see talent in others. That unfortunately is what happens when someone like Harries is put in charge. Big mistake. Keep in mind, there are all kinds of other functions that are performed at an agency where people can realize satisfaction and also make a decent living. Point being, again, don't sink the entire operation because of a couple of flatfooted clods who are taking money under false pretenses. (ah, note to Howard: Keep those guys out of new business presentations) People also like to take on challenges hoping they can make things better. Too bad there's a built in impediment regarding the creative product at D/FCB but otherwise, there's always hope and that's pretty much why a lot of the folks are there...oh yeah, and to collect a PAY CHECK. In all fairness, most of those people actually deserve their pay checks...just not those idiotic boys at the top.
Posted by: BarbaraAnn | Nov 30, 2006 5:42:07 PM
Yikes, Draft/FCB and JWT are the two worst agencies in town. Element 79 is a notch above them because of Gatorade. And while there are no Crispins here, DDB, Leo, Y&R, O&M, BBDO, C-K Downtown Partners and Zig (formerly Hadrian's Wall) all do very credible work.
Posted by: rosser reeves | Nov 30, 2006 5:45:26 PM
I know there are plenty of shops that do respectable work, it's all saddled with a lot of crap.
Downtown Parnters and Zig/HW, while both poised to take off, hardly have the staffs or budgets to give every talented person in Chicago a job.
All I'm saying is this: it's not the brightest time for creative advertising in Chicago right now, and until you've walked a mile in someone else's shoes, you shouldn't be so quick to judge people stuck at FCB.
For the record, I'm not one of them.
Posted by: yikes | Nov 30, 2006 6:04:45 PM
At least there's some smart new management at JWT AND they have taste...as opposed to those guys. Yeah, that D/FCB place certainly is a real old-fashioned "boy shop" and boys shouldn't be allowed all by themselves to run things...moreover not if they're turning out repulsive crude ads that creep out women. Hey boys: women are the people who buy MOST of your client's products. Remember that old line, "that consumer is your wife." and she probably doesn't expect to see your crude little wet dreams coming together in the form of very bad advertising - and yes, boys, there ARE women who work in the business, too - much as we know you don't favor that sort of thing. As someone said, what have you done to apologize to all the women in the company? Taking Harries out would be the appropriate thing to do.
Posted by: Germaine Greer is in Chicago | Nov 30, 2006 6:06:25 PM
Yikes, I agree with you on that. It's the management--ironically the people who make the most money--who prevent these places from doing better work.
Posted by: rosser reeves | Nov 30, 2006 6:18:24 PM
Germaine, they can't take Harries out. He clearly has pictures of someone in the same compromising position as those lions. Just kidding.
Posted by: bluto | Nov 30, 2006 6:41:57 PM
i think the ad is hilarious! i am a woman and i am not offended, just surprised at how many people are so worked up over this ad. maybe it is jealousy becuase DFCB just won the largest account there is to win? i was an employee there and I can tell you a lot of smart, talented people work there.
don't be a hater just because you couldn't get hired there.
Posted by: ohmy | Nov 30, 2006 6:51:21 PM
the largest account there is? They won General Motors? Or Ford?
if you think the ad is hilarious, it doesn't mean it is, it just means you just have bad taste. And nobody is worked about about anything. they're just commenting on something that is incredibly bad. And stupid.
Posted by: the corrector | Nov 30, 2006 6:57:13 PM
do ya think they could lose the largest account for being so damn stupid?
Posted by: %( | Nov 30, 2006 7:12:56 PM
Was it JWT or FCB that did Krumbelievable?
Posted by: yikes | Nov 30, 2006 7:14:31 PM
Krumbelievable I believe came from the creative savants at JWT. Or as it's know to creatives--Just Wasting Time.
Posted by: kraftwatcher | Nov 30, 2006 7:26:57 PM
