This picture appeared in the original paper
to point out that Paul Foley,
whatever his role, rank or title,
was and remained a writer.
Adages for Ad Agencies
by Paul Foley – 1978
Some famous people in the advertising business,
such
as David Olgilvy and Bill Bernbach,
were
copywriters and heads of large, worldwide agencies.
But hardly anyone
remembers Paul Foley,
who never sought fame for himself.
He was
an excellent writer, a great creative director,
and had no ambition to become
a top manager.
But when he was asked to become
chairman and
CEO of the Interpublic group
he did remarkably
well in that position.
(He never gave up his original role:
«I
am a card-carrying copywriter», he used to say.)
He was also a man
of fascinating cultural depth,
with a genuine sense of humor
and
charming personal warmth.
These “adages” were written
in 1978
as an internal memo for McCann–Erickson
and other
agencies in the group.
But they are meaningful also
for people
working in other fields.
This
picture appeared in the original paper
to point out that Paul
Foley,
whatever his role, rank or title,
was and remained a writer.
One
The ultimate client is the Consumer;
lose her
and all is lost.
Two
All problems are “creative”
problems
sooner or later.
Three
Put your trust in simple sentences
and
simple arithmetic.
Four
Mistrust four syllable words and
continuous
reports of tranquillity.
Five
Beware of management
by
total surprise.
Six
Large meetings are often
used to share
the blame.
Seven
It’s easy to get a unanimous
vote
for doing nothing.
Eight
It is possible to make excellent
television
commercials within 100 miles of home.
Nine
Most people put a low value on what
they
do not know how to do themselves.
Ten
It is difficult to build a backlog of good will;
ill
will, yes – but good will starts
from scratch at 9.00 every
morning.
Paul Foley was one of the people who taught me
the
art of effective communication
– without ever posing
as a teacher –
and also management and humanity.
I enjoyed
him as a person as well as a leader.
He was close, in many ways, to
the example
characterised in Brown’s
Job.
Giancarlo Livraghi
– January 2005
