Art & Commerce: Disappearing Act

Poof. An entire generation of ad heroes goes away OK, stay with me on this for a minute. We're two decades into the 21st century and the advertising business still exists--yeah! Although quite evolved, what with the need for different forms of integration, it's still "all good." Except for one thing. As you look at the advertising landscape for names such as Goodby, Silverstein, Wieden, Kennedy, Fallon, McElligott, Messner, Vetere, Berger, Deutsch, et al., you notice something very unsettling--actually far worse than unsettling--quite saddening. Not a single one of these names exist 20 years from now. Not one is to be found anywhere, anyplace. Sound impossible? Ludicrous? I hope so. But not if history repeats itself as it so often does. With the emergence of Lowe Lintas and the subsequent disappearance of the names and, therefore, public legacies of Ralph Ammirati and Martin Puris, I am personally bewildered and saddened. Like so many of us from the '70s and '80s, I worked for--and learned from--those guys. They were gods. As were my other teachers: Sam Scali, Ed McCabe and Marvin Sloves. And our rivals: Carl Ally and Amil Gargano, as well as Harold Levine, Chet Huntley, Allan Beaver, Robert Schmidt and Larry Papler. These advertising pioneers built agencies whose No. 1 priority was producing compelling and intrusive creative work, consistently written and art-directed at levels never seen before. While today it's easy for many of us to walk the walk and talk the talk, they were the first to pave the roads we now travel. Because of them, we have an easier time navigating our clients' wishes and our own. Please don't get me wrong. This has nothing to do with Lowe Lintas, holding companies or mergers, per se. After all, business is business, and many of us who fancy ourselves as artistes in Armani clothing must remember that. What may seem short-term bad for some is supposed to be long-term good for others. No, I'm just shocked at how a generation of visionary leaders--oracles--could so suddenly vanish off the face of the advertising map, only to be remembered and revered by those who knew them. What does it say about how we in advertising respect our own brands? What does it say about how keeping names in place still reflects positively in agency hallways and in the little nooks tucked far away in the minds of agency employees? It's about authenticity and heritage. For the record, not everyone from the '70s and '80s has been erased. For instance, Messrs. Chiat, Riney and Della Femina's names come to mind. And the great Bill Bernbach is still the B in DDB. But many of the greats no longer even have that. No initials. No names on the door. And that doesn't seem quite right because what gets conjured up are letters that I find nearly unconscionable: RIP. K

Brand Marketing

Art & Commerce: Disappearing Act

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