On March 4 at the Metropolitan Club in New York City, The One Club will induct Mike Hughes into the Creative Hall of Fame. Hughes, president/co-chief creative officer of The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., is one of two inductees this year, the other being the late, legendary graphic designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Saul Bass.
Hughes has spent most of his career at The Martin Agency, starting there as a copywriter in 1978 and moving up the ranks. He was also deeply involved in the founding of the VCU Brandcenter, where he’s been the only board chairman the school has ever known. His work over the years for the likes of GEICO, Walmart and UPS has been lauded for its creativity as well as its success in the marketplace.
SHOOT caught up with Hughes to get his reflections on the Hall of Fame honor, his observations on how the industry has evolved over the years, and the new chapter getting underway at The Martin Agency with the coming aboard of co-chief creative officer John Norman, who formerly served as executive creative director at Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam.
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SHOOT: What does the Hall of Fame induction mean to you?
Hughes: So many of the corny things that people say at times like this are so incredibly true. The fact is that I’ve been surrounded by wonderful, talented, hard working people who make me look good. I really see this as an honor for the whole group. I wish I could find a less cliched way to tell you that.
I believe every creative person walks out of a meeting thinking, “I know what to do with this.” But invariably he or she struggles a bit and can’t quite nail it. Somebody else says something that maybe sparks an idea or a different approach, that enables a creative person to find some part of him or herself in the creative brief. Once you find that, you are on your way to something human and interesting, work that can become true for the client and the people they’re trying to reach. So I’m that person who says, “Nah, you’re not quite there yet.” It’s a depressing–but at the same time inspiring–part of the process. I’ve been able to surround myself with people who I have the confidence in to dig those answers out of themselves.
SHOOT: During your long and continuing tenure in the business, how has advertising and marketing evolved? What stands out in your mind’s eye?
Hughes: If you had asked anybody 15 years ago about The Martin Agency and what it does well, they would have said we were a great print agency. A couple of years ago, a great television agency with GEICO, UPS, Free Credit Report, Walmart. It seems whatever medium they say is dying, we specialize in.
What has worked out well for us is that these media aren’t dying. So many talk about apocalypse right around the corner. The fact is that what we have is a broadening of the media. People are spending so much more time on computers but not less time on television. A lot of them, mainly people younger than me, are doing both at once.
I’ve been through stages in the industry when the creative work was better than it is now. But at the same time, the opportunities have never been broader and bigger than they are now. An idea that can take place on TV isn’t limited to the networks–or for that matter to 30 or 60 seconds. There are other ways to get your video idea out there. Or an audio idea with podcasts, Pandora, and a hundred different digital ways of connecting with people.
I’m hoping that we can take advantage of this broadening of opportunities. We just had our best year ever at the agency in every respect. So we are robust enough to try to take advantage in meaningful ways.
SHOOT: What are the essential dynamics that have remained the same in advertising over the years?
Hughes: The joy has to come from actually doing the work. It cannot come at the end of the process or when you have reached the peak. In work there are constant frustrations, many ideas that go through rejection, sometimes for good reasons, other times for not-so-good reasons. The key is to enjoy the process of doing the work, of being creative, of collaborating. And there’s joy that can be found in the new sets of possibilities we discussed.
One thing I hope we can lead the way back to is craftsmanship. There isn’t as much craftsmanship in the business now as there was years ago. Things like design online, marketing in the digital space and social media haven’t been quite figured out yet. Those things haven’t had their Bernbach. This means there are opportunities for people to rise up and show how those things should be done.
Ten years ago if you asked me to name the 10 best advertising people of all time, chances are eight of them would have been copywriters. But today you cannot just think strategically and conceptually. You have to apply some design thinking, some digital thinking. We all have to stretch our minds, our muscles and our capabilities.
SHOOT: John Norman started this month at The Martin Agency as co-chief creative officer. What does he bring to the agency?
Hughes: He’s been here only a month and he’s already making a difference, providing a new energy. I spent a lot of time over the last 10 to 11 years looking for a creative director successor for myself. It was at his request, though, that we be co-chief creative officers. I’m not going anywhere. I still have long relationships with clients, and things I can bring to the table. But I am reminded about what Jerry Seinfeld said about babies–“make no mistake, they’re here to replace us.”
I look back at John’s body of work like the wonderful Coke “Happiness Factory” spot. I’m a big fan of him and his work, and am thrilled he’s joined us.
SHOOT: Who have been your mentors?
Hughes: My predecessor at The Martin Agency, the man who hired me–Harry Jacobs who is already in the Hall of Fame.
He stands out but I’ve had so many heroes. In the 1970s, I’d look to Ed McCabe and David Abbott. In the ’80s, Lee Clow and Tom McElligott. I always kept tabs on what those people were doing. They were pure advertising people. I studied them. I could recite McCabe’s ads. I’d look through awards journals for their work.
Later on I had the privilege of getting to know some of these people. From afar in Richmond, I had thought they were perfect. Now that I know them, I realize that they are just crazy. But it’s the kind of crazy that creates great work.
