Tao of FAU

Sad or cute?

Predictably my son is obsessed with the film Cars and he now requests that I play two songs from the movie whenever we are driving around: "Real Gone" performed by Sheryl Crow and "Life is a Highway" performed by Rascal Flats.

Today, I had my iPod on random shuffle and the original "Life is a Highway" recorded by Tom Cochrane comes on. About 30 seconds into the song I actually thought, "That's odd, this song doesn't sound right."

Immediately I was struck by two embarrassing realizations:

1. The cover version from a kids movie has become the "new normal" for me
2. I have two versions of this song on my iPod

Is this sad or cute?

The new talking point on Paladino

"I don't know him"

So the G.O.P. establishment in New York continues to freak out about the Republican candidate for Governor, even though he has gotten within striking distance of Andrew Cuomo in one poll. Of course what the media wants to know is who will be endorsing Mr, Paladino so that question is being asked of major Republican figures in the state and they have a neat talking point.

Congressional Candidate Chris Gibson: "I don’t know him. I’ll tell you: I look forward to having conversations and getting to know him." (link)

Rudy Giuliani (at an event where he endorsed Gibson): “I haven’t thought a lot about him. He’s new to me, I didn’t know him before, and he never reached out to talk to me or ask me any questions, so I know nothing about him,” (link)

OK, I am not a communications expert, but I know a talking point when I see one.

Its smart tactic. By saying "I don't know him" they are essentially saying "he's new and an outsider, not one of us" while implying that they don't know where Paladino stands. Both have been quick to recognize the energy and frustration that Paladino has tapped into, but they don't want to jump on board because they don't know the man.

The thing is, how are we suppose to take these guys seriously? They are Republicans who theoretically just voted in the Republican Primary in which Paladino was a candidate. Now, you may not know him personally, but Gibson and Giuliani surely know what he stands for and if they are hedging on endorsing him now that says two things:

1) They think he hurts the ticket not helps

2) Like every reasonable Republican in NY they are waiting to see what Rick Lazio will do next.

Man its going to be an interesting 6 weeks.

What happened to reason?

Four years ago, when the Democrats won the majority in the Congressional election I observed that the "moderate" Northeastern wing of the GOP had died. With only a handful of Republicans left in the Northeast after that election, the party the I had know, belonged to, and loved was gone. It had been taken over by a hyper-Christian wing emanating from the South and West.

Tonight, with the defeats of "moderate Republicans" like Mike Castle in Delaware and Rick Lazio in New York (and possibly Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire) I think my point has been made, and then some. Even in congressional races, like NY-23 and my district, NY-20, the Republican candidates have to go so far to the right that they risk turning off the moderate and independent voters in what would normally be safe seats for the GOP (albeit for "moderate" Republicans).

Don't get me wrong, the Democrats are in bad shape this Fall. There is a really good chance that control of the House with switch and the Senate is (or was, before tonight) within the GOPs reach as well. Add to that the likelihood that come January there will be 30 GOP governors and you have a Republican party that is on the accent. But is it a sustainable one?

American political parties cannot win without the middle. Putting aside all the rhetoric about Obama being a socialist or Bush being a right wing extremest, both ran on mostly moderate platforms and won in the middle. By contrast, many of the current GOP candidates are at best extreme and at worst, totally nuts. And it will cost them elections this year and for years to come if they keep moving in this direction. 

Just take issues like immigration, same sex marriage and the environment. These topics will continue to dominate the political landscape for one or two more generations and the GOP holds hard line opposition to reform on all of them. They do so while ignoring (or rejecting) demographic and cultural shifts that are obvious to the rest of us, all to keep the hard line wing of their party motivated to vote in primary elections. It feels like a zero sum game to me.

We seem to have lost sight of reason in the last few years. We have lost sight of logic. Our political dialog and culture are being influenced by fringe elements and radical, inflammatory characters (see Palin, Sarah) who wonder out loud where their country has gone. I agree with them on that point: I'd like to know where my country as gone as well. The difference is I see them as the problem, not the solution.

Mad Men quote(s) of the week(s) -- "That's what the money is for!"

Once again advertising has kept me from blogging about a show about advertising.

Over the last few weeks there's been a story line building between Peggy and Don about ideas and giving credit where credit is due. SCDP had a blockbuster ad for floor cleaner Glow-Coat. It was a break thorough spot that got the agency a lot of attention and a nomination for a CLIO Award (think of the Golden Globes, but for ads).

Prior to the ceremony, Peggy is relishing this nomination as a sign that things are going well. Don is not resting on his laurels:

Peggy: Well, you know, I look at Glow-Coat and see how far everything has come...you know, the work.

Don: Glow-Coat. You finish something, you find out everyone loves it right around the time it feels like someone else did it.

That comment cuts at Peggy, because as we learn later in the episode, from her point of view someone else did do it. Turns out the roots of the Glow-Coat spot came from her pen and she feels like Don is taking all of the credit. Of course the spot wins at the CLIOs and Don is celebrated as the hero of the agency, all of which makes Peggy feel even more under appreciated.

Cut to the next episode where Peggy is tasked with building a creative execution based on an idea from a more junior member of her team, but she just can't seem to hit on a spot that Don will buy. Don keeps her late on her birthday, forcing her to cancel dinner plan with her boyfriend, which leads to a fight and a break-up.

Dejected, Peggy goes back into Don's office to pick a fight with him. She confronts him on the fact that the idea for the Glow-Coat spot was her's and yet he get's all the credit:

Don: It was a kernel.

Peggy: Which you changed just enough so that it was yours.

Don: I changed it into a commercial...that's the way it works, there are no credits on commercials.

Peggy: So you got the CLIO.

Don: It's your job! I give you money, you give me ideas.

Peggy: And you never say thank you.

Don: [Yelling] That's what the money is for!!! You're young, you will get your recognition. And honestly it is absolutely ridiculous to be two years into your career and counting your ideas. Everything to you is an opportunity. And you should be thanking me every morning when you wake up, along with Jesus, for giving you another day. 

Earlier in the conversation Don reminds her that every idea belongs to the agency, not one person. Indeed.

I love this quote and Emilia and I have been dishing it out every other day since this aired. I have been accused of not being polite at work and making demands in a curt manner. Once a direct report actually asked me to say please when I asked her to do something. If I had that discussion over again today I would simply retort, "I don't have to say please, that's what the money is for."

In other words: do your job the best you can do and then wake up tomorrow and do it better than you did it yesterday. And if you don't like it, or you don't like the hours, or you don't like the fact that others (including the clients) get all the glory, tough. That's the job and that's what the money is for.

Tao of FAU has moved

Vox is closing (no real shock there) so I have moved the Tao of FAU to Typepad. Here is the new URL:

http://taooffau.typepad.com/blog/

And here is the RSS feed:

http://taooffau.typepad.com/blog/atom.xml

I'm actually kind of glad to be up on one of the larger platforms. I went with Vox when it was new and might have taken off, but it did not.

All of the content is here, but alas my tags seem to have been lots in the transfer. Oh well, it will just be harder for me to find old posts now.

Some of you knew me before, most of you knew me after.

A couple of years ago Em and I attended a wedding on Long Island, were I grew up. The groom was JM, an old friend from High school. Many of the guests were friends from that part of my life, along with many people who knew my parents (read, my Mother).

During cocktail hour I struck up a conversation with a woman who asked me how I knew the happy couple.

FAU: The groom and I went to High School together, I grew up here.
Woman: Your name is FAU...aren't you Nancy's son?
FAU: Yes
Woman: Oh...[long pause]…you are Nancy's son. [Second long pause as she turns to her husband.] Honey, this is FAU [pause for dramatic effect] you know…Nancy's son.
Husband: [Thinking] Are you the one that got struck by lightening?

Yes, yes I am.

Katahdin -- 8/27/1990

There is a very clear line of demarcation in my life. You either knew me on August 27th 1990, or you did not. On that day, unbelievably now 20 years ago, while standing on top of Pamola Peak on Mt. Katahdin in Maine I was struck in the back of the head by a bolt of lightening and was knocked unconscious for several hours. There’s a very good chance that my heart stopped for a few moments, but began beating again thanks to some quick CPR. I was very lucky. My dear friend Dave was not.

Most of you reading this have heard this story in one form or another as I have told it more times than I can count. Each time I relate this tale it's a little different. Some times I get into all of the details, like how I had hypothermia and another hiker, someone I didn’t even know, lay next to me naked under a blanket for an hour to raise my body temperature. Or how when I woke up totally deaf, the adults used pantomime to tell me what happened and I screamed so loudly that my skull rattled, yet I could not hear my own voice. Or how I walked off the mountain that night, mostly on my own two feet, because they couldn’t risk an airlift in that weather.

Because I suffered permanent hearing loss in one ear that day, there’s really no way to avoid telling this story. I have to tell co-workers, clients, new friends, people at a dinner table and even people at parties about my hearing. I’ve tried to avoid it, but then someone will have a whole conversation with my right side and I won’t even know they are there.

 

Sometime people ask why I am half deaf, sometime they don’t. Sometimes I just say that I had an accident as a teenager. Sometimes they ask what it was and I tell them. Sometimes Em tells people, she has heard it more than anyone else, so she knows it almost as well as I do.

 

Many times I don't mention Dave. When you have a personal narrative like this, you learn to read your audience. Are they going to think it was "cool" and compare me the “The Flash”? Do they see it as a horrific and scary event? Do they ask about how I felt? Do they ask if I was alone? Based on the initial reaction (and how well I know them or want to know them) I judge if it's appropriate to mention that I lost a friend that day. People that know me longer, often get that detail on a second telling.

For some of you reading this, my story is not my own, it is ours. Unlike the people who met me after, you lived through that with me. You knew Dave. He was your friend as well as he was mine and we all had to process his death together. I never really had to tell you this story because you experienced the most painful details right along with me.

It was not until I left home and had to introduce myself to hundreds of new people that I really began to process it all. On Long Island people knew me like the man at the wedding, as "the kid who got struck by lightening”. In college I was just a guy, until you asked about my hearing.

My parents moved away from Long Island 16 years ago, around the same time I left for school upstate. At that point I almost cut myself off from High School friends except for a select few. In 1994 you could still do that and in many cases it was kind of normal.

There was an initial relief for me being free of my label. I was just a person like anyone else and now the narrative was mine to control. So I got good at telling this story and trusting the people closest to me with the most personal parts.

Years later I moved to The City and reconnected with several old friends. Then came my 10 year reunion and more reconnections, and then, inevitably, Facebook where I have reconnected with dozens of you from High School. After all those years of having to share this memory with people who knew me after, I found a lot of comfort in once again being around people who had their own memories and perspectives on that day, and especially memories of Dave.

Dave, with Mike by a lake

Dave and I didn’t know each other long. We went to different Elementary Schools and he joined Cub Scouts later (or was in a different Pack, I can’t recall). I think we met in 6^th Grade and then ended up in the same Boy Scout Troop. There were only four of us at the same age in that Troop, myself, Dave, Mike and Tony, so we were all close.

There are three things that I remember most about Dave: his love of the "Bash Brothers" era Oakland A’s, his reverence to guitar rock, especially AC/DC, Steve Vai, and Stevie Ray Vaughan (who, in an insane twist of fate, died that same day), and his florescent green turtleneck. No joke, it was bright florescent green and it made his face glow.

One day in the cafeteria he was eating a bag of cheese doodles while reading a book or a magazine and wearing that shirt. After shoving each handful of the snack in his mouth he would, without thinking, wipe his fingers on his right shoulder. He did this a few times before I noticed and started to laugh. He had fluorescent orange crumbs all over his fluorescent green turtleneck. For a couple of 8^th grade boys, it seemed like the funniest thing we had ever seen.

Anniversaries are times of either remembrance or celebration. Today I have to pause and do both. I remember the friend we all lost, far too early in his life, but I also choose to celebrate his life and what he and I shared. And I want to celebrate all of the people who have helped and supported me over the last 20 years.

 

Thank you all, no matter when I met you.

Your Mad Men Quote of the Week -- "The rest of us are trying to build something"

All you need to know is that the hot new account to get is Honda Motorcycles and SCDP wants in. Well...everyone except for Sterling who fought in the Pacific during WWII and does not want to do business with the Japanese. The rest of the partners work around him and, with the guidance of the Japan obsessed Cooper, they prepare an excellent "getting to know you" meeting.

That is until Sterling barges in at the last minute, making allusions to the war and being rude to the potential clients.

After the meeting, Draper and Campbell confront him:

Draper: You don't get to kill this account.

Sterling: Well you know how they are, maybe they'll kill it first.

Draper: Enough. I'm not even talking about the money right now, I'm talking about the kind of work you can do for those people. Have you seen that motorcycles, they love design.

Sterling: As long as my name's in that lobby I get to choose who I do business with.

[Then Pete joins in].

Campbell: Christ on a cracker, where do you get off?

Sterling: You know what, you weren't there, you weren't anywhere. I'm sorry you can't understand.

Campbell: It's been almost 20 years, and whether you like it or not, the word has moved on.These are not the same people.

Sterling: How can that be? I'm the same people!!

Campbell: You don't think I know what you are doing? Your wrapping yourself in the flag so you can keep me from bringing in an account, because you know that every chip I make we become less dependent on Lucky Strike and therefore, less dependent on you.

Sterling: Why you little. [Charges] Get him out of here.

Campbell: The rest of us are trying to build something. [Leaves]

Draper: He's right. 

Ah yes, the old "biggest client" problem. If you rely on them too much you find yourself over drinking the well. But if they become smaller, the people running the account lose their power. And we all know that in an office, power rules. 

Your Mad Men Quote of the Week -- "You're doing this job"

I was so unimpressed with last week's episode that I could not even find a quote to pull. The two bright spots (Joan firing an incompetent secretary and the Don/Lane New Years romps) didn't give me anything to work with. Luckily for all of you there are two quotes this week.

First, Pete Campbell buries the hatchet with his old rival Ken Cosgrove over lunch. After clearing the air, Ken tells Pete that the purchase of the old Sterling Cooper by McCann did not go well. Ken calls McCann "The worst agency I have ever seen...the WORST", a phrase likely gets uttered these days as well (not hatin', just sayin'). They trade happy family news and commiserate in a way that only two Account guys can:

Ken: New family, new agency. Has to be exciting.

Pete: Well, you know...where ever you do this job, you're doing this job.

Ken: You're all slaves to Draper over there, but I'd rather be a slave to Creative than some old fart. Whoever pours the last drink gets all the credit and your spinning your wheels half the time.

There are two brilliant statements in this exchange. The first is Pete's proclamation that the job is the job is the job. You do it one place or another, and you meet the same challenges. The second is Ken's lament that its better to be beholden to the whims of Creative than big Agency Executives.

Here's a little insight about us Account folks. We are creative thinkers, in that we can find creative ways to negotiate and solve problems, but we are not "Creatives" in that we don't write or draw or make the work. But, we like to be around creative people which is why we work in advertising.

Speaking of insights, at the end of the hour we find Don having a show down with Market Researcher/Focus Group Moderator Dr. Faye Miller. After holding a focus group of SCDP's "girls",she reports that Don's creative hypothesis was not proven and they need to change creative direction:

Draper: I'm not going to do that...so what are we going to tell the client?

Miller: I can't change the truth.

Draper: How do you know that's the truth? A new idea is something they don't know yet so of course it's not going to come up as an option. Put my campaign on TV for a year then hold your group again and maybe it will show up.

Miller: Well I tried everything. I said routine, I tried ritual...all they care about is a husband. You were there, I'll show you the transcripts.

Draper: You can't tell how people are going to behave based on how they have behaved.

Miller: Why are you being so obnoxious. Do you think I haven't had this argument before?

Draper: Because you go in there and you stick you finger in people's brain and they just start talking "blah, blah, blah" just to be heard. And you know what? Not only does it have nothing to with what I do, but its nobody's business.  

Wow. There is so much going on here its hard to start. You've got the conflict between Market Research and Creative, those who try to measure opinion and those who try to change it. The real gem is Don's assertion that he does not need to listen to consumers and their opinions are no ones business.

This week's episode has been evaluated as the old school mindset coming in conflict with the new way of thinking, setting up the inevitable culture clash of the late 60s. Don has no interest is listening to the opinions of "a room full of 22 year old girls" because he knows what they want more than they do. I can only imagine what poor Don would have thought of Twitter. 

Your Mad Men Quote of the Week -- "The clients"

I am particularly behind this week. Due to social and work obligations I didn't even get to watch this episode until Tuesday.

None the less, this week we find the cash strapped partners of SCDP planning a small, no frills, no guests allowed Christmas party. That is until their biggest client calls to say he's in town. The client manages to get himself an invitation to the office party which requires the agency to kick it up a notch.

At the party, the client basically treats the senior staff as his personal play things. In very real terms, he owns them. Post party we got this little gem from Roger Sterling:

Ohhh, my Father use to say this is the greatest job in the world except for one thing...the clients. 

Indeed. I'm actually kind of shocked it took three plus seasons for this quote to appear. It's kind of a common turn of phrase in my business, especially among the Account Team. Clients just get in the way of all our good ideas, good thinking and good creative. They muck things up with their internal political battles that we have to solve and their lawyers who are too chicks**t to put their necks out even a little bit. I mean, what good are they anyway???

Then you remember who pays the bills. We live and die by their budgets and they live and die by our ideas. That is the sick pact that we make in this business.

This week I've got two art imitating life tie-ins:
1. I was just talking to a colleague about clients needing to be wined and dinned while not understanding (or caring) that the agency has to pay for that. Its another pact that we make with our clients: we'll take you out for nice meals, you give us business.

2. My last agency took penny pinching to a new level by scheduling the "Holiday Party" for February and spinning it as a "Groundhog Day Party". The utter transparency of this was not lost on all of us (to quote John Guare, "never bullshit a bullshitter"). But I later found out that given the budget our choices were a party in December with a cash bar or a party in February with an open bar. I think management made the right choice, I just wish they'd been honest and called it the open bar party.

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.