Advertising should be 'a swashbuckling adventure' for us all

<p>Lord Saatchi, the Maurice Saatchi in the original Saatchi & Saatchi </p><p>and the 'M' in the five-year-old M&C Saatchi, is surprised that people </p><p>in advertising could possibly be unhappy. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>When told that many agency people in Asia are discontented, unhappy with </p><p>their jobs, hate the clients, and think their lives are going nowhere, </p><p>Lord Saatchi almost goes into shock. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Advertising should be a young person's first career choice," he told </p><p>MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I don't know another industry where a young person can get ahead so </p><p>early in life." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He should know. Maurice Saatchi was in his mid-20s when he and his </p><p>brother Charles founded Saatchi & Saatchi in 1970. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The agency became one of the most exciting brands in the world and a </p><p>social revolution in itself, with ads such as "The Pregnant Man", big TV </p><p>ideas for British Airways, credit for changing governments and a great </p><p>big dollop of cheekiness that made the whole thing a swashbuckling </p><p>adventure. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Saatchis made buckets of money, then one day decided to diversify </p><p>slightly by buying the Midland Bank. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>That probably marked the pinnacle, although it wasn't until 1994 when </p><p>Saatchi & Saatchi stockholders managed to sideline Maurice. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Lord Saatchi, however, was angered by the whole affair and declined </p><p>several showpony positions, preferring to break loose and set up a new </p><p>outfit, M&C Saatchi, which even now he refers to as a "happy </p><p>accident". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>M&C Saatchi now has staff of 1,000 worldwide, 250 of them in Asia and </p><p>Australasia, and has been recording revenue growth worldwide of 100 per </p><p>cent every year from 1995 to the present. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Therefore Lord Saatchi is qualified to talk about how people should be </p><p>enjoying advertising rather than despising the fact that they are a part </p><p>of this misery. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Advertising is extremely meritocratic. What matters is who has the idea </p><p>and the energy to make it happen," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"You can be a very senior person in advertising in your late 20s. Other </p><p>industries are more hierarchical." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Lord Saatchi said anyone in advertising has the opportunity "to sit at </p><p>the knee of some of the cleverest businessmen in the world." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In fact, anyone who doesn't want to go into advertising is making a </p><p>mistake, according to Lord Saatchi. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So it's clear that advertising can indeed be full of opportunity, but </p><p>it's up to the individual to find fulfillment in the agency they choose </p><p>to work for. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>When asked why there appeared to be so few agency start-ups in the </p><p>modern era, Lord Saatchi said people were confused about whether it was </p><p>viable to launch an agency in the age of globalisation. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We had British Airways and Qantas as foundation clients," he said. "We </p><p>were very blessed." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>M&C Saatchi is a happy ship, according to Lord Saatchi, because </p><p>"everyone is an owner". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"That must make a difference. It's possible to have a straightforward </p><p>conversation with someone in your own company without fear of causing </p><p>hurt or envy." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Lord Saatchi said business life can become a source of great stress and </p><p>tension and the disaffected ones are suffering from the "horrors of </p><p>anthill life". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He said this feeling was not just among ad agencies, but in the client </p><p>companies as well. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The world has come to recognise that size and geographical spread is </p><p>vital. There is a tremendous drive for mergers, acquisitions and it's </p><p>all Darwinian. It's not going to be reversed." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Lord Saatchi said one of the most important and useful roles that </p><p>management can play is to help companies with the general issue of </p><p>morale. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"What is the point? What is it all about? People need to have an answer </p><p>to these questions and it's up to the top men in the company to provide </p><p>a clear answer. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"When people are happy, your company does well." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>