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< Back to News HomeDavid Lubars: Concentrate on Ideas
David, are you ready for the challenge of Cannes?
Well, I'm trying to come up with a strategy to help me face that challenge, and the only thing that comes to mind is to sleep and get a lot of rest before beginning my work as president of the jury. On the other hand, I'd guess the work I'll be doing in Cannes is not all that different form the work I do every day.
Is there a message that you would like to send to people who work in your business, whether they're novices or have been at it for a long time?My recommendation is not to allow yourself to be distracted by our current difficulties, and to concentrate first on ideas. What I mean is, don't worry about the medium for disseminating the message, but instead focus on the essence of the message itself, which now more than ever must be strong, original and captivating.
How can one stay faithful to an idea and at the same time manage to convey it via all the various types of media available without eroding its effectiveness?
The essence of the message must be strong enough to be conveyed successfully: The media available today make it possible for us "creatives" to develop ideas that take hold and are flexible enough to work with the different media available. One example of this, one that's very familiar to me, is our campaign for HBO's Voyeur. That was born out of a concept that came from the HBO network itself, which was, "We know how to tell a story and which story to tell." That concept became an animated poster, basically a four-minute film, which was posted on the Internet as a clip. We just took their message and repurposed it as a story - the story of a group of people who all live in the same building: Their lives unfold in front of the windows, and we are the voyeurs. In this case, each medium supported the others, and all together they built a constellation of events, all equally strong and compelling. We recently finished another project for Dodge, "Ram Challenge," that uses webisodes, and there's talk of turning it into a television program. It also relies on a strong idea with great impact: We built an obstacle course in the desert and had one of their trucks run the course at breakneck speed. The result is truly exciting.
Where can we expect to see the next new development in advertising-on the Internet or in another medium?
I can't predict that. When you come across a clever idea, a new way of seeing or combining ideas, media and strategies, you know right away. I've been lucky to be part of some of those innovations, with BMW, for example, and now with "Voyeur. "Other times I've just recognized them (in others' work), but again, when something is absolutely new and original, you know right away.
In these difficult times, what are clients seeking from agencies?
I would say that this recession is unlike any other, except perhaps what happened in the 1930s. And now, as then, the newspapers are reporting suicides due to insolvency and bankruptcy. But it is precisely in the most trying times that opportunities arise. When a client has less money, you have to be innovative. The problem is that if this investment freeze continues, it will make the crisis last longer.
How can agencies lend a hand to brands in trouble?
Again, I would look to ideas, and that's both simple and difficult. We need big ideas, but then they need to be implemented on tiny budgets. Companies that invest in products and distinguish themselves from their competitors, those willing to "take risks," will see a return. Now more than ever, you need to communicate to consumers that there are trustworthy brands out there. As an agency, you have to show that you can get results, that your work has real value, that communication can retain customers and even attract more of them.
What is the secret of the BBDO network?
Our network can count on an incredible number of talented people. Marcello Serpa, to name just one. We don't have anyone in the role of worldwide creative director. That way, in each geographical area there's a different person who works with the agencies, rather than having just one person who spends time on airplanes, traveling from one continent to another.
Our strategy is to inspire clients with the strength of our creativity and ideas-big, clever ideas that can spotlight a brand. Those don't necessarily require large budgets. For example, our new Starbucks campaign is going well and has a small budget: It uses a simple graphic concept with a musical theme. That's a good example of our strength, which is that we never lose sight of our work and that we are always in sync with the times.
It's no accident that the network has won the award at the Cannes Festival two years in a row.
David has been chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO North America since 2004. Under his leadership, the agency has leapt into 21st-century communications. In other words, he has kept things going full tilt at the creative level while utilizing all the forms of media available, including the traditional ones. The result? According to the Gunn report ranking, BBDO is the most awarded agency network in the world. For two years in a row, BBDO has won the Network of the Year award at the Cannes Festival. Last year, in addition to winning an award for its Voyeur project for HBO, the agency won the Grand Prix in the Outdoor and Promo categories.
Since starting his career in 1981, David has won all the advertising industry's major awards for his work. The BMW campaign he signed for the Fallon agency for BMW.com is now part of the permanent collection at the MOMA in New York and won the first Titanium Lion ever awarded at the Cannes Festival. In 2006, he was president of that jury, and this year he will preside over the Press & Poster and Film juries. As president for the 56th Cannes Festival, his message to those working in communications is "Don't let hard times frighten you. Now more than ever, we need big ideas that can be implemented on tiny budgets." To David Lubars, today's crisis is nothing less than an opportunity-a laboratory for testing the creativity that leads to innovation: ingenuity for the client, even with minimal resources.
www.pubblicitaitalia.itReprinted with Permission