We know that Creativity Changes Everything – and it’s the people at M&C who make that happen. That’s why we wanted to bring you another blog post all about our people, the people like…you.
This week we spoke to Senior Account Director Richard Vaughan, who is king of the one-liners and the nicest guy around (but doesn’t seem to know it!)
Rich’s Fact File:
- Morning alarm: “6AM. I’ve got kids. I’ve got to get them up, get everything ready – and basically have time to myself before getting them up.”
- Song of the week: “I Know After Laughter’ by Mounika. If I’m listening to it consciously, I enjoy how layered his music is, but it’s equally something I can listen to in the background. So…perfect for work.”
- Ad of the week: “The first thing that pops to mind is the Three ad. A guy in a restaurant is struggling with a menu in front of his prospective in-laws. There’s something charming about it that keeps me liking it, even though I’ve seen it a million times. I think there’s something to be said for that – sometimes advertisers are too invested in their message rather than thinking about how it’ll play out over time.”
We work in advertising. What’s your viewpoint on the strength of advertising in the world we currently live in?
“I’m always interested by the excitement generated by Superbowl ads. They are focused on creativity and so, year in year out, people want to watch them. They even get news coverage, discussing which were the best ads. Often BAU campaigns put less emphasis on creativity, which is a shame. In a world where we are able to multi-screen and attention spans are short, we should put more emphasis on the creativity that people want to watch and talk about. Budgets don’t have to be high to create great work, as long as the message is compelling. The strength in the advertising world we live in is, as it always has been, the creative minds we have to pull upon. If we are brave and allow these creative thinkers more autonomy then I think we will thrive.”
Which ad captures creativity within advertising to you?
“It wasn’t an ad, per say, but I saw a campaign from Brazil about blood donations that really sticks in my mind. The football team Vitoria have a red and black uniform so the creative idea was to change the team’s colours to white and black until enough blood donations had been given to fill the shirt back and restore the team’s pride. As the season went on and more blood was donated, the team’s colours started to fill up one bar at a time until the target blood donations was reached. While the team were of course local, the creative idea was so compelling that the campaign received national and even international attention, generating a load of unpaid media. How I wish I had been involved in that campaign!”
If you could teach yourself any skill to help you in your role – what would it be? And why?
“Honestly, something like resilience or self-confidence. I don’t know if it’s the best skill to teach yourself [in this role], but I think it’s something we all need.”
You have a tiny baby and a toddler. What is one thing (it could be a message, habit etc.) you’ll make sure you teach your children, and hope they carry with them for life?
“I think something like integrity; if you say you’re going to do something, do it. It makes you part of a useful society, and I think being part of a society makes you happier. As a parent all I want is for them to be happy, of course.”
And finally, we know inspiration can come from anywhere – you don’t need to work in an agency to see it in action. What book/podcast/shows have had you thinking recently? Guilty pleasures welcome!
“‘Endure’ by Alex Hutchinson is quite an inspirational book. I’ve been listening to the audio book of that. It’s all about endurance athletes and how they achieve seemingly impossible goals. Always nice to read about these things rather than actually doing them! I tend to like things that make me laugh, such as the Adam Buxton podcast, which has a good mixture of funny and emotional chat with interesting guests. And just being a dad too. It might sound a bit naff, but I get to watch the world anew through my children’s eyes. I was just on holiday with them and I saw how my eldest daughter reacted to simply being in the sea. She was so full of joy, laughing uncontrollably at the sensory overload of bobbing around in the water. It reminded me how incredibly lucky I am to be on this planet.”
