An insight into a “golden age” of the UK advertising industry.

In 1959, when looking for a suitable career path, I was advised to spend some time analysing my skills sets. Once this had been done, it was recommended that I should work hard to convince prospective employers that with these skills, I was just the person that they could invest time and effort to train and develop.

This advice was followed to the letter.

Head boy, head of house and good at sports at school. Leadership skills – TICK.

Articulate, argumentative able to put over my point of view. Debating skills – TICK.

Enjoyed and performed well in history, English and art. Creative skills – TICK.

What careers would suit these skill sets I asked myself? Two sprang immediately to mind. Journalism and advertising.

Research indicated that both presented good career opportunities for someone prepared to start from the bottom, perform all the menial tasks and show a willingness to learn. The former was more difficult to break into, but the latter provided a greater variety of opportunities.

I wrote 50 letters to advertising agencies withing a 30-mile radius of my home. I received two replies. One offered to contact me again when they had an opening the other invited me to an interview and offered me a job.

I started at a small agency in Leeds working in the post room for 10-hours a day for the princely sum of ￡2.50 a week. The post room boy was able to interact with every department. Training involved 3 nights a week at night school studying for the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising qualifications and asking questions in the workplace. After a few months I became a part of the agency’s production department.

At that stage it was clear that my artistic prowess was not as good as I thought. In those early days there was no Letraset manufacturing sheets of typefaces and other artwork elements that could be used to produce artwork using the dry transfer method. The creatives had to produce these elements by hand.

When I was headhunted a year later by the biggest agency in the area, all the services to support the design and production process, such as photography and print production, were maintained in house.

Television advertising was still in its early days and was dominated by the major international brands.

Letterpress was still the major print process used by magazines and newspapers. This required agencies to produce copper original plates from which heavy metal stereotype copies were reproduced and sent out to the publications.

In the early 60’s the pinnacle of the production executive was to progress to account management and then account director status.

The latter tended to have served as officers either in the armed forces in World War 11, during compulsory National Service or in the Territorial Army. They had problems dealing with a new breed of “long haired creative types” who defied the normal conventions but produced superb, effective work.?

In a fast-moving environment UK advertising agencies were quickly closing the gap on their American based counterparts who had set up branches in London.

In 1960 Collett Dickinson Pearce opened its doors and, influenced by the “swinging 60’s,” transformed the London advertising scene. Famous alumni include David Putnam, Alan Parker, Ridley Scott, Hugh Hudson Tony King. Creative output was initially controlled by Colin Millward, and then John Salmon. Both Charles Saatchi and John Hegarty cut their teeth at CDP before eventually setting their own famous agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and Bartle Bogle and Hegarty, respectively.

London became the undisputed centre for creative advertising throughout the 1960’s and well into the 1980’s. CDP was regarded the pinnacle for creative advertising excellence. All this was achieved without advertising effectiveness research or design digitisation. No creative work was produced by them without the core idea being approved by the creative director.

No idea was rejected because the technical resource was seemingly unavailable to produce it. As a result, standards of creative output remained high. CDP won advertising awards and its clients increased their sales.

I moved from advertising agency to client company in 1968 and was introduced to the London agency scene in 1969. My advertising agency was Masius Wynne-Williams (Masius). It was one of the UK’s top billing agencies at the time.

When I joined Wrangler Jeans in 1975 my first agency was Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB). During my tenure I also had the pleasure of working with Wasey Campbell Ewald (Wasey’s), Collett Dickinson Pearce (CDP), Batten & Barton & Durstine & Osborn (BBDO) and Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow & Johnson Ltd (Simons Palmer).

Each of these agencies moved the Wrangler brand forward in their own way. I met and worked with some exceptionally talented people. We had our creative differences, we had our divorces, but in the main we remained good friends.

I am not sure that the introduction of digital technology has moved the advertising industry forward. In the “golden years” the idea was sacrosanct. How to produce the idea was the challenge.

Today, it appears to me that how to use the technology as taken precedence over the advertising idea. Has this made the end results more effective? I think not!

Robin Dilley

Retired Senior Marketing & Communications Manager, Marketing Business Management Consultant and Author of:?More than a Touch of Jeanious, on Amazon?More than a touch of Jeanious: Amazon.co.uk: Dilley, Mr Robin Michael: 9798356381126: Books