Mather remembers The Campaign Palace – the agency that put Australian advertising on the map
June 29 2012, 12:18 pm | | 7 Comments
The Campaign Palace was named Campaign Brief Agency of the Year in 1987, 1991, 1992 and 1998. And would have done so almost every year from 1972 to 1986 if CB had been around. In the following piece for AdNews former Palace Sydney ECD Ron Mather recalls why the agency was so damn good.
Working in an advertising agency with the simple philosophy of ‘Be The Best’ and then living up to that promise is an amazing experience. The agency was The Campaign Palace.
An agency that won everything worth winning at every major award show.
An agency that was respected around the world.
An agency that put Australian advertising on the map.
An agency that had the best creative department in the country.
7 Comments
And now they’re JWT. What a fall.
Before planners.
Before WPP.
Before scams.
Before initiatives.
Before PR spins.
Before AWARD school.
And 9,994 violations.
It was just about the work.
The Palace at their very best was a fusion of creativity and planning – before planning!
You see, Lionel, Gordon, Ronnie, Jack, Scott, Rob, Terry, James, John, Chris and the other Terry, Warren, Paul, Simon, Ian etc., etc weren’t just great creatives, they were great planners – intuitive planners. Take Computer Socks. They created it, named it, packaged it, positioned it, marketed it. And they did it time and time. That’s the Palace at their best. Just like Mojo were at the very best when Mo and Jo did all the thinking as well as all the creative. Both The Palace and Mojo didn’t decline because they sold out to Cordiant, or WPP, they began to decline when it took 3 weeks to do what Lionel and Ron, or Mo and Jo would take 3 minutes to do. They began to decline when people who thought too much, took over from the people who didn’t have to think much at all; because the truth is planning doesn’t create greatness, greatness creates greatness and Lionel, Gordon, Ron, Jack, Mo and Jo were the greatest of them all.
Ron, Jack, Lionel, Gordon and all those who were The Palace, I salute you.
Yes, yes, they were all very clever. Time to move on now.
They add absolutely nothing to the creative process whatsoever.
Agencies and clients would save alot of time and money if they got rid of them.
Useless bunch.
Is the founder of Campaign Palace, Lionel Hunt, still alive ? An old friend in advertising.