Absolut Admiration

The purpose of this piece is simply to express my appreciation of Geoff Hayes. It's not a bio, it's not an obit; it's just a slice of life.When I joined TBWA in 1987, Geoff Hayes was already an iconic figure inside the agency. Absolut had put TBWA on the map in New York, and Geoff, simply, had put Absolut on the map. Meeting Geoff was a little scary; more accurately, it was intimidating. Having worked for a few big-ego creative people in the past, I figured Geoff—who actually had done something to merit a big ego—would be off the charts. I approached gingerly. As the newly minted account guy on Absolut, I didn't want to screw up the relationship right away. But my fear was totally unnecessary. Yes, he blew smoke toward me, literally, from an ever-present Marlboro; but that was because I was standing in the way, and the New York anti-smoking laws were a lot softer 20 years ago.By the time we met, Geoff had already taken a step back from the brand. It had been seven years of nonstop Absolut. But he still gave a big damn, and was very concerned that his successors were going to "muck up a pretty simple idea." Yet he was ready to move on, do something else great, before it was too late. Before he was so pigeon-holed that it would be too late.I had an idea I wanted to try out on him. Income tax day was approaching. The brand had started to do "topical" ads. I pitched, yes, I pitched an ad featuring a brown-paper-wrapped Absolut bottle addressed to the IRS, headlined "Absolut Mercy" (as in, please show mercy while reviewing my tax return). Paying me the highest compliment, he said, "It's not terrible," and even offered to comp it up for the client. I could have walked on air.No matter that the ad was never published. The client, Michel Roux, probably to his credit, didn't want to tangle with the IRS. More importantly, I had learned that Geoff loved ideas. And they didn't have to all be his ideas.In 1989, TBWA won the first of two Stephen E. Kelly Awards for Absolut. Geoff had pretty much finished what would turn out to be his first stint on the brand. Yet, he was in his glory as he accepted the ceremonial $100,000 check at the Waldorf=Astoria. The normally shy, reserved, self-deprecating Geoff got to shine in front of an audience of his peers. And for a guy who wasn't attracted to the limelight, he actually looked very comfortable. Even happy.Meanwhile, it was no secret to those who knew him that he enjoyed Absolut, the vodka, to a point of excess. Sometimes, lots of excess. The corner barstool at the Old Town Bar was his second home. He wasn't loud or rambunctious. Just a little sad, or sometimes, a lot sad. And while he stopped drinking more than once, he kept returning.But he continued to work, chasing the next big idea. And while he had some success with other brands—Evian, H.I.P. and Beiersdorf—there was just one Absolut. We talked him into coming back onto the brand in 1993, when he was greeted like the return of the conquering hero. The clients, particularly the Absolut folks in Stockholm, treated him like royalty. He loved the attention and the adulation. And in the agency, he even, uncharacteristically, became the creative director in charge of the account, not just the superstar on the account. He got to do some of his drollest ads, in particular, "Absolut Grail," a three-page pull-out, featuring a medieval knight in armor, collapsing just before he could grab the Absolut bottle. So bittersweet, so Geoff.Geoff "retired" in 1997. He wasn't fired; he had family matters in South Africa that required his attention. I tried to convince him to just take a leave of absence, but he wouldn't hear of it. "I'm done, Richard. I'm done." We all knew Geoff lived a simple, practically ascetic life. (There was a time in the early '90s that he went 12 months without cashing his paychecks. The CFO had to practically beg him to go to the bank before the checks became invalid.) He could afford to "retire."Happily, we stayed in touch. Lunch here and there. Investment advice: "When do I sell my Omnicom stock?" And he came to my roast when I left TBWA in '04. The entire room was in howls over his speech, titled, "Why the hell are we honoring Richard Lewis?" After all, I didn't make the vodka (that was the Swedes). I didn't paint the bottle (Andy Warhol). I didn't create the campaign (Graham Turner and Geoff). And so on.We last spoke a couple of months ago. He was in an agitated state about his taxes. Taxes! How un-Geoff-like. I described his situation to my accountant and reported back to him that this was no problem. Well, apparently it was. Geoff took his own life on or about April 1. That's the thing about many creative people. Sometimes—most of the time—you just can't reason with them.

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Absolut Admiration

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