Your Mad Men Quote of the Week -- "My work speaks for me"

I am over the moon that Mad Men has returned. And it seems that my years of blogging about this excellent show have paid off because everyone is finally talking about it.

This season our heroes have broken out on their own and started a new agency. But they have having typical "start-up" challenges -- too much business with one client, shifts and needs of the smaller clients having too much impact on the business, finding the right fit for new clients.

In the midst of all this, Don gives an interview to Ad Age, ostensibly to sell "the story" of the new agency. But Don being Don he does not want to talk about himself (remember, this is a man who stole someones identity to get ahead in life) and the article paints a flat picture of him and his new business. To top it all off, one his smaller clients is ticked off that they did not get mentioned in the press and is threatening to pull the account.

Resident sage, Bert Cooper, tries to fix the situation while admonishing Don:

Cooper: We're going to get you another interview...The Wall Street Journal.

Draper: And what do I do differently? I told them the truth. Who gives a crap what I say anyway? My work speaks for me.

Cooper: Turning creative success into business is your work...and you failed. 

Indeed. Don got so wrapped up in selling his ideas that he forgot the essential lesson of being a salesman: the first thing you have to sell is yourself. People need to buy the idea of you before they can buy your ideas.

In the end Don takes the interview with the Journal and instead of clamming up, spins the tail of how the new agency came to be.

Bonus quote for the week comes from Peggy, who hatches a plot for a PR stunt which inspires a new headline. Reflecting on the situation she remarks, "A slogan is nothing when you have a good idea." So true. Most times the creative is just window dressing. 

Working at a mid-sized agency I am once again struck by the parallels between my career and the plots on this show. Today, just as 50 years ago, the whims of one client (or potential client) can change the face of an entire organization. Its a challenging and thrilling space to work within. 

Comments

[Alex]

The Don thing matched perfectly with something I learned in my marketing class a week or two ago... when you're marketing a service, you have to take into account the fact that many customers cannot distinguish between the service and the service provider (the inseparability principle). So in addition to marketing your service, you have to market yourself.