Guerrero defends Asia’s scam reputation
David Guerrero has defended Asia’s creative reputation in a piece he wrote for excellent UK creative blog Scamp. The recent FT7 Doha debacle at the Dubai Lynx (see previous posting) saw the old “Asia is the king of scams” argument get thrown around on the blog with Scamp stating here that Asia was the “epicentre of scam”.
Scamp contacted Guerrero (Chairman & ECD at BBDO Guerrero Manila) for comment and he gave what CB Asia believes to be a very good reasoning on the issue. In return Scamp published a very flattering photo of David taken sometime in the 80s (not the one used here).
Here’s a reprint of Guerrero’s piece:
The FP7 situation is a debacle, and I don’t want to look like their apologist… which I’m most certainly not.
However, there is a genuine distinction between what they did and the genuine push for innovation that agencies everywhere undertake for major clients.
I think there’s a lot of self-righteous bullshit about Asia being a scam factory coming from London (and other first world locations).
A flick back through old D&AD’s will reveal all kinds of dodgy executions for car repairs, fish and chip shops, TV repair shops, school plays, architectural historians etc.
However it does have to be said that Jim Aitchison, Neil French and many others since have made a lot of ads for a lot of smallish clients out of Singapore which picked up a lot of metal at global shows back in the 90s.
And since then a steady stream of Aussies, Brits and Yanks have made their way there seeking to emulate their stellar rise to international stardom or even just a nicer job when they go home after a few years. I interviewed Jim Aitchison about this a few years ago for Campaign Brief and he said that the secret of Singapore is simply that there’s nothing else to do at weekends except work on ads and get them into shows.
However to write off the entire continent of over 2 billion people because of a few expats in one city-state is going a bit far. Thailand has developed a truly vibrant and highly recognized TV industry with at one point two out of the top 10 directors in the Gunn Report coming from there. There’s no suggestion that this is scam because you can see the work on TV every night and clients have come to demand great work.
Basically small clients and initiatives to big ones are seen as ways of raising the bar for creative teams and for clients themselves.
Western Multinational clients (with some honorable exceptions) in Asia tend to be extremely risk averse and prone to formulaic work. There are exceptions obviously but they themselves are subject to a lot of regional and global controls on the process. Locally-headquartered Asian clients can vary greatly in their appetite for interesting work. Local entrepreneurs tend to be braver because they think (rightly) that it will work better for them. However as they get larger they start to want to imitate the Western Multinationals clients…
So as far as a ‘philosophy’ goes it’s probably something like: the only way we’re going to compete in international shows is to push work to mainstream clients when circumstances allow and keep one or two projects on the go with pro-bono clients and/or Small and Medium size businesses in the hope that a) they will allow the agency to do more interesting work and b) that they will someday get bigger.
Our agency just launched a pilot scheme where we approached a local business organization and asked them to put themselves forward for 3 months free work from a junior team of creatives, planners and suits in the agency. They then pitched to us and we selected three of them (a chain of car repair shops, a high-end boutique cosmetics firm and a small chain of clothing stores.) Our teams (composed of around eight or so ‘rising stars’ were then set loose on these accounts with minimal supervision from senior management. We’ll see the work before it gets presented – and then catch up with the client at the end of the program. If they want to continue the relationship they pay us at our regular rates. If not then they are free to take the work we’ve done for them and use it.
No doubt this story will pick up quite a few comments from the Brits so check out Scamp’s post tomorrow.
20 Comments
“However to write off the entire continent of over 2 billion people because of a few expats in one city-state is going a bit far.”
What’s he saying here…that only singapore is guilty of scam ads? Is he implying that his own agency never does what he blames Singapore for? Hmmmmm.
“The epicentre of scam”?
Don’t these London guys know anything outside of their own little bubble. It’s like they have just worked out that scams happen in our industry.
Sure, Asia has a scam culture, but so does Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Spain Germany, the Middle East, Australia etc etc
I think he’s trying to distance himself from the ‘city-state’, but ultimately he sounds just as guilty as anyone else of doing scams.
Good for you David. How many other ECDs would have put their hand up and replied to this UK website?
2 billion people.all doing scam. shame
David. That photo on Scamp:
1) taken on your wedding day?
2) you used Khai Meng’s photographer/retoucher?
very funny 8.10. very funny.
hmmm…rustproofing print ad, anyone?
Don’t be so quick to crit Dave. I know him and he’s a genuine and decent guy. He raises a good point that there aren’t the same opportunities in asia as the west, and so creatives have to take some initiative. As long as the ad runs for real, with real client approval, why not? How else does a poor kid advance his career when the regular toilet paper account he works on refuse round after round of work? And to the person who raised that other countries do this kind of work, spot on. Theres at least one agency in germany and several in brazil that do it constantly. and many more nations throughout the world.
Good for this man to stand up for his region.
However, much of what he said is disingenuous. Firstly, his plan to take on little clients is just they way scam ads have always worked (before this ridiculous development of doing work for clients you don’t have). He’s trying to make his way sound new, and it’s not. And I’m sure he and anyone in Asia or around the world knows it.
Second;y, he claims that scams are trying to somehow raise the bar by “pushing the work to bigger clients”. the problem is that very very few Asian agencies push anything to anyone. They produce scams in a vacuum and the client rarely even hears about them because of the agency’s fear of being chastised for not working on real briefs.
If scams were made as tools to lead clients, then that would be great. But let’s face it, their sole reason to exist is awards. Scam pushes absolutely nothing forward at all. Just the award show entries.
He is right about one thing, Asia, shouldn’t be solely blames. Brazil is just as bad.
2.35, 4.55, I agree it’s not just Singapore but from the UK they often seem to assume that Singapore IS Asia. Which of course is a tribute to the high profile the country/city/state has achieved. The context here is that there was an attempt to link Asia as a whole to what happened at Dubai Lynx and I felt it was important to draw a distinction. As for us, do we finish work to the highest possible standard before entering it into shows? Absolutely. Do we make things up for clients we don’t have? Absolutely not.
8.10. The picture was only taken a couple of years ago but the photographer/team of retouchers was clearly keen to get some work out of us. Obviously we’ve been using them ever since!
1.43, Yes small clients used to be a regular staple of awards shows. The pilot project I we are trying out is a training scheme to involve junior suits and planners as well as creatives. One of the problems with creative ‘initiatives’ is that they tend to be done in isolation with little input from the rest of the agency team.
Right on David!
We have to admit one thing about David and his agency: their commitment and passion for great work – while oftentimes controversial – has been a catalyst for other agencies in the Philippines to lift the quality of their work. By wanting to “outdo” or “be better than” David, people have stepped up their game.
David…singling out singapore and frenchy….shame on you….. willing to back through the portfolio and defend all your work? Even very recent work? …or would you pass that off as having to impress Jim and Neil?
You’ve obviously done lots of great work, but admit what is was.
I think its unfair to attack David personally. The discussion is about the scam issue. David is absolutely right about the issue. It is also unfair also point just to Asia.
Firstly, scam is too strong a word to use. And I think our own industry has blown the word out of its context and meaning. It was first used in the 90’s for work that has no real client, and no budget. The work was really done for a real ghost client. ha. These days, creatives do it for small clients with no budget, or doing something for free to build a book or get an award. Does it still classify as a scam like you people make it out to be? Or would you classify this as an initiative? An initiative that could probably further a person’s career, and initiative that could do something good….like the Tap Project. Or possibly, and initiative that could build a small client into something big. Well, then its not really a shame isn’t it?
The real shame is, harping about this topic after all these years. I mean, is this really an issue? The real shame is also our industry blowing it out of proportion, you think clients do not read our blogs and articles? The real shame is also slagging someone off and nit picking on his article rather than doing and selling better work.
Isn’t it time we moved on from this scam issue? Whats wrong with a little initiative?
We all live in glass houses. Period.
Correct 2.50. I agree completely.
People like 2.50pm is what is so terribly wrong with this industry. Their response to a serious issue like this is “isn’t it time we moved on from the scam issue?” They prefer the status quo because without it they don’t have a pot to piss in. Fortunately, their careers begin and end in Asia. Agencies in the west have wised up. Need proof? Look no further than the top names on CB Asia’s hottest creatives list that have gone to famous agencies in the West and find out how many are still there. Once these agencies find out that the brilliance doesn’t extend beyond the scam work, they cut such creatives loose. How disgraceful that every portfolio from Asia is now viewed with suspicion over in the US and Europe.
2.50 and company: you need to realise that it is precisely because of you that we’re all still here discussing scam ads.
To April 7, 2009 1:14 AM
We do share some point of views. And would love to agree with you on all. But facts state that those names are still there. A couple came back, but there are those that are still there. Some even did well.
Either you can’t make it in Asia or never tried or can’t leave Asia. That explains your bitterness. What are you so bitter about by the way?
2:50
11.25…..I came from there to Asia…why the hell would I want to go back?
I’d put some names up of a bunch of these so called superstars who went there and couldn’t cut it but they would rightly be edited out by the blog owner. Don’t need to anyway as most people know who they are. Of course, a few are still there but they are not exactly making waves with their work. Because they have to do real work now….that’s different and extremely hard if you want to make a mark.
Question is, 11.25 did you come back or are you still there?
Did anyone read the original article pertaining to this or was it just fun to go around the mulberry bush with indignant noses in the air based on someon’e over sensitive opinion to a one liner?