A few days ago, I stumbled upon a letter I’d almost forgotten about. It was from Neil French.
It took me back to early 2007, when I was working as a 35-year-old Copywriter at Grey Amsterdam. Probably busy writing ads for margarine or toothpaste when my Managing Director strolled into my office with a grin. "You’ve been selected," he said, "along with six other creatives from the European Grey network, to spend a week with Neil French."
Holy crap.
I remember the mix of excitement - and fear.
Neil French—World Wide Creative Director of WPP, former bullfighter, manager of Judas Priest, gangster, inventor of ‘scam ads’. Google him, and you'd find photos of him with a devilish look, chomping on a fat cigar.
But also, Neil French, one of the greatest copywriters alive, with a deliciously literate, sophisticated, irreverent style that had become a rarity in the industry. The man credited for bringing the 'creative revolution' to Asia and maker of classic ads like those for the Singapore Straits Times newspaper in 1993. In case you haven't seen them: to demonstrate the power of newspaper advertising he created a fake beer brand, XO Beer, notable for its high alcohol content. He then ran a series of ads promoting the beer, which led to consumers besieging Singapore bars, asking for the non-existent brand; point made about the power of print advertising. In typical Neil French fashion, he had registered the name of the beer in his own name and profited nicely when, as a follow-up to its hoax, the newspaper actually brewed a few hundred cases of the beer and sold them.
But I digress.
In 2007, Neil lived in Mallorca.
In 2007, Neil lived in Mallorca. Since the mountain wouldn’t come to Muhammad, we were flown to the Mediterranean island to stay in a small hotel in his village. I vividly remember our first meeting. We were all huddled together, somewhat nervous, in a local bar, waiting for him to arrive. When he finally did, he greeted everyone warmly. Then, he got to me. His smile faded, replaced with a look of disdain. Had I done something wrong? Was I not supposed to be there?
"My God," he said, "you look disgustingly like Brad Pitt."
And with that, his frown broke into a grin. He shook my hand, and for the rest of the week (and my life), he called me Brad. I’m still not sure if he knows my real name.
The week that followed was transformative. We spent our days at his hillside villa, creating ads, reflecting on life, and soaking up his unique world. It was one of those pivotal moments in my career. When I returned to Grey Amsterdam, I was more eager to make a difference, more hungry to create opportunities. Less than 3 years later, the Grey Amsterdam office got ranked as the most creative in its global network. Most certainly not just thanks to my efforts but the ambition and zeal that made me contribute to that milestone were to a large extent inspired by Neil.
In 2012, when I was leaving Grey Amsterdam for J. Walter Thompson Dubai as a Creative Director, I hadn’t thought much about that week in Mallorca for a while. Until my creative partner, Ecco Vos, surprised me with a gift: a framed letter from Neil.
Unbeknownst to me, Ecco had reached out to Neil and asked him to write me a note for the occasion.
Reading it again the other day brought a smile to my face. Neil isn’t just a great writer—he’s a guy who takes the time to inspire others to rise above themselves. It’s something I strive to do as an ECD today: to help produce great work and elevate the people behind it.
I’m grateful to have had Neil French as an example.
Here’s the message he wrote:
Richard Hol? Richard? Richard?...who the fuck is Richard?! (Appropriate cue for song...)
And that's what I thought, five or six years ago, when I saw his name on the delegates' list for the Grey Wolves session in Mallorca.
Almost invariably, the attendees turned out to be charming; some were shy; some believed they were better than they were; and to be brutally frank, all 'needed a bit of work' as the house agents refer to a total redecoration job! One or two, like Stillacci, now of Herezie Paris, were bound for inevitable glory and success.
Imagine, then, my surprise when I strolled into the room to find Brad Pitt sitting there. Agreed, he's not exactly Shakespearean standard perhaps, but to decide, mid-career, to go into advertising was a brave move. In the event, it appeared that he'd adopted the nom du guerre of Richard Hol. Well, each to his own taste.
Brad turned out to be a natural. Simple ideas, simply expressed and fluently presented. After sitting opposite him for a few meals, it became clear that he should very swiftly make the leap from the film-set to a Creative Director's desk. And this is where it all went pear-shaped. Nothing I could say, and it seems nothing anyone else could say, would persuade him that he should do this; he thought he 'needed experience' or some nonsense like that. "Bugger experience." I said. "Get your experience while you get on with the gig!"
Nope.
And into the no-doubt comfortable coziness of Amsterdam he retreated, and with regrets I thought that was that. End of story.
But then I had a note from Ecco...clearly a very caring friend and partner...telling me that at last he was to take up a starring role at JWT in Dubai.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, BRAD!
To speak directly for a moment; you'll do brilliantly, my friend. You'll stamp your personality on the work, and nurture the talent that doubtless is waiting to be terrified of you! Remember never to assume that the suits know more about anything than you do; they just talk more. Copy pages 370 and 371 of my book, and pin them on your wall for all to see; follow these Ten Tips for CDs and you cannot go wrong, trust me. And above all...WAY above all...have a great time!
Neil [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
If you're interested: here's an extensive overview of Neil French's work: https://davedye.com/2017/07/17/podcast-neil-french/