(DDB, Vice President, Management Creative Supervisor)
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chuukyuu How do you feel the atmosphere of DDB?
Mrs.Green I think it is one of the best atmospheres you probably can find. Basically because they all from the top had a philosophy of openmindedness and nouurishment of creative activity and the diverse ideas. They have nourished and encouraged you to be as good creatively as you can. There has never been a dictum sating "You must write this way because I would write it this way." but rather "What can you do that will best fulfill problem?" They have encouraged diversity. They have encouraged you to be as good as you can be. And I think that is rare thing. And you have never been penalized because a client did not like it. It is both reward and responsibility.
It is a very unique place because the people who run this place are unique. Atmosphere dose not percolate from bottom up. It comes from the top down. And you can be only as good as the people top let you be. And I think they let you be very good indeed.
As far as other agencies. I have worked a couple of other agencies; certainly this is the best. And from what I hear from outside it continues to be the openest and the most encouraging, even though they have grown very big. And generally speaking, growth tends to make things less possible. I have not found that to be the case here.
chuukyuu Do you think talented writers can do a good job regardless what the agency is with?
Mrs.Green No, I do not think a talented writer can do a good job regardless of the agency. I think he can do as good a job as they allow him to do. He may fulfill their requirements but he is not doing perhaps the best job that he can do. It is very frustrating to know you can do something and not be allowed to do it because either of client pressures or agency pressures.
And that is why many times when hiring people, we ask them to ahow us what they wanted to do but was not accepted. Because then we can tell how far had they thought and how brilliantly had they thought, how well had they thought. Not just what they had been allowed to do, but what they could have done. And we think that is very important; what you could have done. By the way I think the copywriting perhaps shohld not be called copywriting. I think maybe that is a great failure, I think you first must be a thinker and a thinker about problem of selling. Then when you can really put that into words, then you become the person who puts the words of the idea down.Too many people who approach this think that all they need is clever and bright use of words. That is not the case. Our sole purpose is to sell. So first you have to be a salesman. You have to have good merchandising and sales concept. Good psychological insights and motivations. When you can put good words to them, then you become a so-called copywriter. I think many people get misled. They think if they can write, they can be an advertising copywriter. I do not believe that.
