Recently it was announced that French agency-gobbler Publicis has purchased the outstanding 51% ownership of BBH, the legendary UK ad network in which it had a 49% ownership stake.
They now have complete control of it. And the BBH founders are deservedly chilling out.
You have to give it up for Sir Hegarty and pals.
They’ve had an unprecedented run and created a lot of landmark advertising.
I know that personally experiencing the cultural splash their Levis work created in the 80s was one of the big factors that led me to pursue a career in advertising.
And I’m glad it did. Impacting the culture has to be the goal at all times.
I’m also glad I called up John Hegarty when he was interim CCO of their New York office for a period in the early ’00s. I just wanted to meet him. And he said to swing by the office. So I did.
We chatted at length about the industry and his Irish ancestry. I was surprised at how much time we spent talking and how interested he was in what I had to say. We talked for three hours.
He enquired about hiring me but I really wasn’t interested in moving back to New York at the time. But i was flattered no end.
I was a huge fan of his work. And i was canny enough to bring along my copy of the D&AD Art Directors Book for him to sign before I left.
I hear he now owns a vineyard in France. Good for him.
I bet the wine labels will kick ass.
Vinny… I hear the lads walked with more than $30 million apiece. Bogle said… “Selling the remaining 51% to the frogs will give them more independence”… Wot, I said, how the fuck does that work? They’ll eventually merge it with Saatchi and let Kev “Lovemark” the shit out of it… When he isn’t flying around the world to watch fucking rugby.
Cheers/George
An upstart colonial in charge of BBH would be an affront George. Scarcely bears thinking about.
But thirty million soothes a lot of things. good for them. they earned it.
He’s not a colonial. He’s a Brit from Preston, Lancashire. He just likes to pretend he’s a Kiwi to impress his wanky rugby mates. That’s why he wears black all the time. Douchenozzle.
Cheers/George
I’m a bit scared. All the big ones are cashing out and there’s no one to replace them. What will happen if there are no people left to look up to?
there’s plenty of people doing great stuff if you look. 72andsunny are killing it.