Carl Ally Inc. was one of the greatest New York agencies.
Towards the end of Carl Ally’s life, he and partner Amil Gargano were looking back over what they’d done.
Gargano asked Ally what he thought they’d achieved.
Carl Ally said “We got more than we ever thought we’d get, but less than we deserved.”
That resonated with me.
“More than we ever thought we’d get, but less than we deserved.”
What did he mean by that?
I imagine that’s how lots of people must feel at the end of their life.
At least, the best ones.
The ones who were always striving towards something.
I imagine it must be like the anti-climax after any great achievement.
Winning the World Cup.
Climbing Everest.
Walking on the moon.
Once it’s done, it’s over.
Life, which was always about looking forward, striving, is now just about looking back.
I was reading Mary Wells’ autobiography.
She was discovered and trained by Bill Bernbach, the man who invented good advertising.
His agency was truly revolutionary.
Without doubt the best and most influential the world’s ever seen.
Eventually Mary Wells left Bernbach’s agency and opened her own.
Her agency became successful and she sold it for a fortune.
Bernbach couldn’t sell his agency for the kind of money she’d made out of hers.
She wasn’t the creative genius he was, but she was better at business than he was.
So he asked her to buy his agency.
But Mary Wells, his protégé, turned him down.
So he never made as much money as she did, and he couldn’t understand why.
This is strange for creative people.
If he was better than her, shouldn’t he be at least as rich as her?
We think just being great at our job guarantees permanent financial success.
But it doesn’t.
I meet people in the streets in Soho I haven’t seen for ages.
People who’ve won D&AD awards and Cannes awards.
They say to me “You don’t know anyone who’s got a job do you?”
How does that work?
Once, maybe more than once, you beat everyone else in advertising.
Now you’re unemployed.
It’s hard to understand, being good is not the same as being rich.
Some people can be both, but it’s rare.
Because money doesn’t necessarily come from being great and winning awards.
Being great is what you dreamed of when you were young.
To do amazing things that made everyone sit up and take notice.
But that’s not the same as making money.
That’s the part I think Carl Ally meant when he said “We got more than we ever thought we’d get.”
The agency was creatively successful beyond their dreams.
That part turned out great.
But they thought they’d be rich forever, as a result of being good.
They thought they’d have more money than people who weren’t as good as them.
But it doesn’t work like that.
And Carl Ally, like Bill Bernbach, didn’t make as much money as he thought he should have.
That’s what I think he meant by the second half of the quote.
“But we didn’t get as much as we deserved.”
That’s what most people realise when it’s over.
You can be in it for the money or the work.
But you have to decide which, and go for it.
If you want the money, you have to make that a priority.
Or you decide it’s not just about money.
It’s about fulfilling the vision you had when you were young.
In which case “We got more than we ever thought we’d get” is a pretty good result.
Having run a small shop with a couple of partners I’m not 100% sure that you always have a straight choice. Speaking for myself, much as I worried about the bottom line the quality of the work always seemed more important… We pulled down the shutters a few years ago now, but I don’t think I’d change anything if I could!
Churchy - 13 June 2012 10:04 am
Cyril Connolley said that” There is no more sombre enemy of good art than the pram in the hall.”
It’s fine sacrificing the money side of things to do great work, but what happens when you have to support a family?
As a single parent, I know I’ve made choices that I wouldn’t have made if it was just me I had to take care of.
Tom - 13 June 2012 11:11 am
Tom,
I think that’s a great choice.
IMHO building/growing a human being is the most creative thing you can make.
I just meant we should own our choice at the time of making it, and not regret it afterwards.
Lots of creatives regret concentrating on the work instead of the money.
There isn’t a right choice, just a choice.
Dave Trott - 13 June 2012 11:25 am
Yes, it’s interesting when young dreams of success and greatness clash with adult responsibilites. I often come back to Paul Arden’s book “It’s not how good you are it’s how good you want to be” and his thought that we will indeed become just as good as we want to be.
I find it both interesting and slightly disturbing.
Thirty years from now it looks more important to me to have a good relationship with my children and be a good spouse for their mom.
It’s my choice. I just have to make myself understand what a success that would be.
Carl - 13 June 2012 12:24 pm
How true, Dave, More than 20 years ago, as a joke, I recommened my colleague to a nasty agency. The work was beyond comprehension, the starting pay was low. BUT they had 6 to 8 months’ bonus and a company trip to Hawaii one year, Japan another.
The compamy was so switched-off my friend had time to do a post-grad. They almost never worked late.
His partner tried all the glamorous agencies, got some awards, but not much job security – he was retrenched a couple of times.
Sadly, this is a case of less than he expected and less than he deserved.
Robin. - 13 June 2012 3:25 pm
If you get the opportunity to do what you love, you’re already way ahead in the game.
How many people apply to ad agencies every year and get turned down? Ad agencies have never had to go begging for talent and are notorious for having some of the most overqualified administrative staff imaginable (because talented people are willing to do your filing if it gives them a shot at the job they really want).
Be glad you picked a tunnel with some cheese in it. Most people spend their lives locked in tunnels with no cheese and no exit other than access hatches to other cheese-less tunnels.
Mark Gisleson - 13 June 2012 3:54 pm
In the Bernbach/Ally/Gargano vs. “Riches” tale, there’s a bit of New York Garment industry:
“You make for the classes, you eat with the masses. You make for the masses, you eat with the classes.”
It seems to me, having worked at Ally (though not during its decades-long heyday) that their work, like some of DDB’s, was a bit rarefied. It wasn’t as mainstream popular as the work of people who got rich. Its appeal was often more cerebral than that of the advertising giants.
In other words Bernbach/Ally/Gargano tried to stay true to their craft. Whereas so many others seemed more bent on appealing to the masses.
George Tannenbaum - 13 June 2012 5:19 pm
I’ve just finished reading Steve Harrison’s (very good) book about Howard Gossage, and what’s interesting is that while he produced great ads, for preference he would write for the ‘New Yorker’ audience. Is that a case of astute target audience marketing or picking the battles you wanted to fight? He certainly was a guy who never settled for second best.
And I quote ‘People read what interests them, and sometimes, it’s an ad’ to account men, clients and – dare I say it – art directors all the time.
Tom - 13 June 2012 5:25 pm
That’s a brilliant thought George.
I hadn’t heard that before.
I really have to let that roll inside my head for awhile.
Dave Trott - 14 June 2012 8:38 am
Tom,
I think George’s reply is very enlightening, certainly provocative, in this respect.
Dave Trott - 14 June 2012 8:39 am
yes, be your own criteria.
there’s a lot of pride in that.
and much less regret.
Riki - 14 June 2012 9:24 am
Wasn’t it Bernbach who also said ‘A principle isn’t a principle till it costs you money.’ ?
rachel carroll - 14 June 2012 12:16 pm
Well spotted Rachel.
He didn’t just talk the talk, he walked the walk.
Dave Trott - 14 June 2012 1:42 pm
Dave
How much money do I need under my mattress be4 I can afford 2 be uncompromising?
(My main outgoings are bananas, if that helps.)
Grilla Login - 14 June 2012 2:55 pm
Gossage certainly never got mega-rich, but we’re still looking at his work 50 years later…
Tom - 14 June 2012 3:30 pm
Dave, I’m in that position right now. I concentrated on doing great work all my career. I never bothered playing politics in the agency. Now, i have to scramble to find freelance work to stay alive, while the less talented creatives who were all about the politics are now the creative directors at big global agencies. It’s one reason the work is so bad today. The people who got into the business to make money drive out the people who have a passion for excellence.
Cal - 15 June 2012 4:24 pm
I think that’s always true everywhere Cal, in the long run.
Ultimately the book-keepers take over.
Ultimately we’re all just numbers in a balance column.
And the number 7 is still the number 7 however pretty or ugly it is.
So, knowing that, we make our own choice whether to subscribe to it or not.
The question is always, for each of us about our life, quality or quantity.
Dave Trott - 16 June 2012 12:14 pm
Hallo Cal, if it’s any consolation, I’m in the same position as you. These days, talking seems more important than doing.
I know some people who, disillusioned with the agency politics, start their own agencies. But once they start an agency, then it’s about making money. So quality of work doesn’t quite improve.
Thanks to YouTube, I can now pretty much find any song I want. Sadly, YouTube has also caused CD shops to close down.
Robin. - 16 June 2012 2:57 pm
How much money do I have to lose before someone begins to understand my principles?
Kev - 25 June 2012 8:15 am