Ally & Gargano Amil Gargano 2009

“Think of it this way: there are many forms of expressing creativity: Doyle Dane Bernbach’s genre centred around irony, humor, irreverence, whimsy and a capacity to evoke genuine emotion. Brilliant, yes. But soft on aggression. Ed Butler, who worked first at DDB and later at Ally & Gargano, summed up the relative merits of the three most influential agencies at the time in these succinct words: Ogilvy gave advertising a certain dignity, Bernbach gave it humanity. Ally gave it teeth.” (Gargano, 2009, p.13).

“We figured client-agency relationship should be a two-way street. We had as much right to evaluate and reject a client as their right to evaluate and reject us.” (Gargano, 2009, p.17).

“His (Carl Ally’s) frankness, often brutal, often without tact, made him a vulnerable target. But it was also his willingness to freely bare his soul that made him connect so well with people – a 200-pound mass of raw nerve endings. (…) He once said to me, “In this life, you’ve got to show your ass.”” (Gargano, 2009, p.39).

“For us, comparative advertising became the quintessential advertising form to deliver useful consumer information. A tough, factful approach short on hype, puffery, and embellishment. And when you think about it, isn’t comparative judgement the way people decide on almost everything?” (Gargano, 2009, p.52). “We need something to compare something else to in order to give that something greater definition and meaning.” (Gargano, 2009, p.73).

“Comparative advertising will work only when a product has superior benefits over competition.” (Gargano, 2009, p.73).

 “”The last thing we do is make ads,” were repeated in every new business meeting during what seemed a lifetime.” (Gargano, 2009, p.75).

“Two basic elements of communications, substance and style, were made equal in importance – one was never subordinated to the other. Both are essential in all work.

“I’ve never seen a consumer look at an ad that caught their attention and then go on to say, “I’d buy it, but it’s not on strategy.”” (Gargano, 2009, p.77).

“Advertising is the toy department of business.” (Gargano quoting O’Reilly, 2009, p.138).

“Award shows have an intrinsic merit. They set the standard that serves as a source of inspiration to others, and deliver the recognition and reward to those who have labored long and fought hard to create the best of what we do as an industry. Whatever shortcomings exist, and there are many, their value exceeds their limitations.” (Gargano, 2009, p.138).

“When the French want to sell you something they take off their clothes. The English tell a joke. And Americans sing.” (Gargano, 2009, p.138).

 “We hypothesized, contrary to established thinking, that ad agencies are not in the service business. Although service for agencies was all hat mattered, we insisted that, foremost, agencies manufactured products – tangible and finite – that can be touched, seen, or llistened to. They’re called ads. And that’s what we make.” (Gargano, 2009, p.218).

“Whoever the advertiser,

whatever the product,

there was always the

commitment to uncover ways

to better inform the consumers.” (Gargano, 2009, p.312).

“If I want to be different, I’ll come to breakfast in the morning with my socks in my mouth.” (Gargano quoting Leo Burnett, 2009, p.339).

“He was driven, I suppose like many of us here tonight, by a fear of living an ordinary life – by a fear of checking out before he made his mark.” (Gargano, 2009, p.369).

“And that is what you are about to see: Advertising’s possibilities. Honest, powerful work, filled with humanity and warmth, satire, irony and irreverence.” (Gargano, 2009, p.369).

“Great clients make great agencies, not vice versa.” (Gargano, 2009, p.377).

“Not obvious simplicity, which is to say water is wet and fire is hot, but to edit and transform this profusion of information into an illuminating, simple thought that everyone can grasp and remember.” (Gargano, 2009, p.409).

“Comfort the afflicted. Afflict the comforted.” (Gargano, 2009, p.409).

“Adversity, it is said, introduces a man to himself.” (Gargano, 2009, p.412).

“Company symbols and logos are necessary today, but, as Bill Bernbach was fond of saying, they’re more like “Corporate Cufflinks.”” (Gargano, 2009, p.460).

“I don’t understand why an agency would want to devour other agencies. For what purpose? Why should I acquire a bunch of disparate philosophies and try to assimilate them? Any artist knows when you mix all the colors of the palette, the color you end up with is mud.” (Gargano, 2009, p.526).

“A professor from Harvard appeared, spewing marketing platitudes and shibboleths of inctionable generalities.” (Gargano, 2009, p.539).

Publicly held companies are constrained by a more rigid set of controls than privately held companies. Outside directors with fiduciary responsibility will decide matters in the best financial interest of shareholders over the need for a company to maintain ideology that’s held dearly.” (Gargano, 2009, p.576).