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Chutzpah & Chutzpah: Saatchi & Saatchi: The Insiders' Stories
This is the story of the rise and rise of advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi as it has never been told before. With more than 200 astonishing first-hand accounts from the people who were really there, this is a fascinating insight into a remarkable success story and an unorthodox business. Responsible for generating some of the most memorable and groundbreaking advertising of the last 50 years, Saatchi & Saatchi became infamous in their own right. Made up of maverick thinkers and ingenious talent, they broke rules and won big pitches, attracting the business of some of the world’s most successful companies. For the first time, the extraordinary story of Saatchi & Saatchi’s meteoric rise is told by those instrumental in its success—creatives, account handlers, PAs, and directors—each with their own fascinating stories to tell.
- GenresBusiness
208 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2017
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58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 21, 2018
Saatchis’ house brochure.
A disappointing hagiography of the Saatchi & Saatchi ad agency in the 1980s. Billed as a hilarious account of the agency’s shenanigans, this is more an account of their aggressively unorthodox methods of attracting new business. There are one or two chuckles to be had but, on the whole, I would describe this book as a vastly flattering appraisal of a company that was famous (or perhaps I should say infamous) for its arrogance. The page art, however, is fab – and wittier than the copy, frankly.
Saatchis had something of a bad reputation when I was in the business. The worst treated were its suppliers who were kept waiting to be paid until the point of legal threat; for small companies dependent on cash flow this cavalier treatment was most unfair. Another example of their arrogance was the summoning of copywriters’ and art directors’ books (portfolios) without benefit of personal contact. One might be subsequently be graced with an interview or one might not. (I was not. And it was the devil’s own job to retrieve my work.)
Saatchis did do some powerful ads: the Labour Isn’t Working billboard which virtually heralded in Margaret Thatcher and the Pregnant Man poster for the Family Planning Association are two striking examples. But the various antics of the staff described here are as nothing compared to what went on at some of the agencies I worked at. Nice to know that my last agency, Publicis, bought them out in 2000. Please forgive my smirk.
A disappointing hagiography of the Saatchi & Saatchi ad agency in the 1980s. Billed as a hilarious account of the agency’s shenanigans, this is more an account of their aggressively unorthodox methods of attracting new business. There are one or two chuckles to be had but, on the whole, I would describe this book as a vastly flattering appraisal of a company that was famous (or perhaps I should say infamous) for its arrogance. The page art, however, is fab – and wittier than the copy, frankly.
Saatchis had something of a bad reputation when I was in the business. The worst treated were its suppliers who were kept waiting to be paid until the point of legal threat; for small companies dependent on cash flow this cavalier treatment was most unfair. Another example of their arrogance was the summoning of copywriters’ and art directors’ books (portfolios) without benefit of personal contact. One might be subsequently be graced with an interview or one might not. (I was not. And it was the devil’s own job to retrieve my work.)
Saatchis did do some powerful ads: the Labour Isn’t Working billboard which virtually heralded in Margaret Thatcher and the Pregnant Man poster for the Family Planning Association are two striking examples. But the various antics of the staff described here are as nothing compared to what went on at some of the agencies I worked at. Nice to know that my last agency, Publicis, bought them out in 2000. Please forgive my smirk.
February 2, 2024
Crazy how much things have changed over the decades
July 8, 2020
Satchi & Satchi. Those of us who were around during their heyday and had the fortune (or misfortune) of dealing with them, may recall their arrogance more than their sheer brilliance.
This book does not mask any of that. This book is an honest, unapologetic, albeit self-aggrandising narrative of the untold stories of the people who worked at and made Satchi the agency that once was 'the first agency that comes into your head'.
There are many lessons I took away from this book. I particularly loved the story of how Paul Arnold got the the agency's attention and eventually a job by walking up and down outside Satchi's offices wearing sandwich boards with the message 'I want a Job'. Not only did the stuttering P-P-Paul get hired (just to stop him from parading outside their office), but he was put in charge of the Penguin account and was the primary influence behind their famous campaign line, 'P-P-Pick up a Penguin'.
As you flip the pages, it becomes increasingly clear that the people at Satchi & Satchi were always willing to break the rules.
So if you are a HR practitioner, I have this to say - hire the underdog. F#@* the rules.
In a fitting end to the book, the authors remind us why Satchi & Satchi was different - 'Rules are inconveniences. Mediocrity is deadly'.
This book does not mask any of that. This book is an honest, unapologetic, albeit self-aggrandising narrative of the untold stories of the people who worked at and made Satchi the agency that once was 'the first agency that comes into your head'.
There are many lessons I took away from this book. I particularly loved the story of how Paul Arnold got the the agency's attention and eventually a job by walking up and down outside Satchi's offices wearing sandwich boards with the message 'I want a Job'. Not only did the stuttering P-P-Paul get hired (just to stop him from parading outside their office), but he was put in charge of the Penguin account and was the primary influence behind their famous campaign line, 'P-P-Pick up a Penguin'.
As you flip the pages, it becomes increasingly clear that the people at Satchi & Satchi were always willing to break the rules.
So if you are a HR practitioner, I have this to say - hire the underdog. F#@* the rules.
In a fitting end to the book, the authors remind us why Satchi & Satchi was different - 'Rules are inconveniences. Mediocrity is deadly'.
December 3, 2022
War stories from a sadly bygone ad-venture.
February 26, 2023
Read to pass your time
Full review https://youtu.be/P3V1rphrBcg
Full review https://youtu.be/P3V1rphrBcg
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews