Back to the future.

I'm publishing an all-staff Slack message sent out today; on the topic of how agencies can better serve clients. The message was stimulated by a recent clear-out of my garage, when some old Saatchi papers jogged my memory banks. I thought some of my followers might find it interesting.

Although Saatchi & Saatchi became famous in the 1980s; when it put Thatcher into power on three occasions and grew to be the biggest ad agency in the world; the origins of the agency were extremely modest. It started in a basement in Golden Square in London with Charles and Maurice, the two brothers, and Jeremy Sinclair, a very talented and thoughtful copywriter. (Just like our Creative Director, Michael). As part of the agency’s launch publicity they did something no agency had ever done; they published a full-page ad in The Sunday Times on the 13th September 1970, which they could barely afford. (It is credited to Sinclair, however Sir John Hegarty, who was at Saatchi at the time, reports that the ad was actually written by Bob Heller, the editor of Management Today magazine.)

The 1970 Saatchi launch ad, penned by Jeremy Sinclair.

The premise of the ad was simple; and controversial. Ad agencies didn’t need account people. Clients should be able to deal direct with the creatives. And although this stimulated attention and helped the agency get clients; in time it became clear that Saatchi & Saatchi was in reality an agency built on the twin pillars of account handlers and creatives. (Sorry planners; but that was the way it was.) So, as it turned out, the ad was a load of tosh.

I learned my account handling at Saatchi; through the 80s, from brilliant client managers such as Maurice Saatchi, Bill Muirhead, David Kershaw and Paul Bainsfair. (As Bill was fond of reminding me, I was a 'failed barrister'.)

Fast-forward to 1989. Saatchi is number one in the world and I had been at the agency for five years. I’d risen to the giddy heights of Group Account Director, and along with 60 others I was whisked away to a management away-weekend at a posh hotel called Chewton Glen. We were divided into syndicates and each given a task. I was made leader of 'syndicate six'. (No pressure.) Our job was to envision the agency of the future. What would it look like? How would it excel?

We came up with a manifesto. Richard Myers, an award-winning copywriter in our team, was given the task of crafting it.

The themes were very simple. 1) Everyone in an agency is a creative person. 2) You need openness and trust with clients. 3) Agency people need to be proactive. 4) We all need to dig deep and understand our clients’ business. 4) Effectiveness trumps everything. 5) Clients are human; they need to be loved. 6) Integration is the future; break down the silos.

Now, none of this might seem unusual to you. But at the time much of it was radical. Most radical of all was the concept of integration. At the time agencies were divided strictly according to discipline. Advertising, DM, PR, design and sales promotion all operated in silos. We hardly ever spoke to each other. These were pre-internet, pre-digital days. The concept of integrating everything, and seeing a future where account handlers would have to offer expertise across the full spectrum of channels, was truly anathema.

We wrote our manifesto with these six key ideas. However, we were in a competition with the other syndicates. We had to present the next day. How could we win? How could our presentation ace the others?

Saatchis’ motto was ‘Nothing is impossible’. Famously carved into the steps at the front door. To win we had to do the impossible.

We decided to get our manifesto printed as an ad in the following day’s newspaper. Pre-digital printing and typesetting; in secret we got the production team at the office to set the ad overnight; do a deal with the Telegraph, and then got it printed (off-set litho) and inserted into the next day’s paper. The papers were delivered the next morning for breakfast; and with a flourish we distributed a paper to each of the 60 attendees. Boom!

Syndicate Six's manifesto.

Clearing out my garage recently I found my copy of the paper; and our winning Syndicate Six manifesto. It struck me just how much has changed in my time; but conversely how little has changed. In that instant I'd been taken back to the future.

We would all do well to remind ourselves of the core principles of the manifesto. They still resonate, they are still as true as ever. If we, as an agency that aspires to be great, can follow these principles, I’ve no doubt we will continue to succeed.

Have a great day.