Just six months into his stint as a group creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, Eric Silver was presented with a new opportunity: BBDO New York came calling. "Last December I got a call from Ted [Sann] after Gerry Graf left to go to TBWA/Chiat/Day [to become executive creative director]," relates Silver. "Ted and I had been in touch for a while and he said all the right things to get me to BBDO. The most encouraging thing was the body of work they had already amassed."
Silver accepted the offer and now serves as one of BBDO’s six executive creative directors, working primarily on such accounts as FedEx, DirecTV, Guinness, Red Stripe and Snickers. "In hindsight, I honestly think it was just a case of bad luck that it didn’t work out at Saatchi," theorizes Silver. "We lost a few pitches and momentum just didn’t seem to be in our favor. Advertising is definitely very streaky, and sometimes things click—or not—for no apparent reason."
A key factor in Silver’s choosing to relocate to BBDO had to do with the team he would be working with there. "There are, currently, fifteen creatives in the group," he says. "One of the perks of the job was being able to recruit the best people in the business from shops like Ground Zero, Marina del Rey [Calif.]; Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York; Fallon, Minneapolis and New York; Wieden+Kennedy, Portland [Ore.] and New York; and TBWA/Chiat/ Day, Los Angeles and New York, et cetera. I knew some of the guys from previous lives. I worked with Jim Lemaitre at Wieden in Portland. I knew Jonathan Mackler [from The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.] And I worked with Dan Kelleher, Ari Weiss and Aaron Adler at Cliff Freeman [and Partners, New York].
"I tried to pick people that had done good work, but to be honest, almost everyone was recruited based on recommendations," he continues. "I think it’s key that everyone should be passionate about work, but at the same time be fairly easy to work with. I also tried to find people that have different styles, so we don’t fall into the trap of repeating ourselves. If all the work starts to look the same, we are doing a disservice to each of our clients."
Silver strongly believes that each account should have a unique voice, even if it’s not necessarily his own. "As far as my role with the work, I try to do what any decent creative director does: Make a creative team’s idea better without getting my fingerprints all over it," he shares. "I would also add that the group dynamic is key. I think—or at least I hope—that all the creatives feel comfortable asking each other their opinions on stuff. It’s impossible to work in a vacuum. If you respect the people around you, then the more opinions the better. I also need an emphatic blessing from the account executives to feel comfortable moving forward with an idea. I believe the single biggest contribution I can make is helping establish a solid partnership with clients to help sell the work."
Since joining BBDO, Silver has overseen work for Snickers and FedEx, including a Super Bowl spot called "Jenkins," which was part of a Gold Lion-winning campaign for the shipping giant at this year’s Cannes International Advertising Festival. Frank Todaro directed the ad, which was produced via bicoastal/international @radical.media. (Todaro is now with bicoastal Moxie Pictures.)
This summer, Silver oversaw a package of spots for FedEx/Kinko’s, including "Cloud 9," which touted the shipper’s presence inside the office supply chain. Hank Perlman of bicoastal/international Hungry Man directed the ads, which humorously highlight how having FedEx available in Kinko’s makes shipping hassle-free.
Silver also worked on a Snickers campaign, which introduced the tagline: "Make It Happen with Snickers." Filip Egstrom of Stylewar, a directing collective with bicoastal Smuggler, helmed the trio of spots, "President," "Hero" and "NFL." Each commercial kicks off with the main character eating a Snickers bar, which gives him enough energy to make the impossible possible. The creative team on the package included Kelleher and Lemaitre.
Silver also oversaw BBDO’s first creative efforts for DirecTV since the agency was awarded the account earlier this year. The ads feature outrageous dream sequences. For instance, in "Gym Teacher," a guy asks a DirecTV installer if he’s dreaming—he can’t believe that he’s receiving DirecTV’s Best Programming package free for four months. The installer assures the customer that he’s not dreaming, but the customer questions this further, since Carmen Electra—sporting the body of his old gym teacher—is trying to kiss him. The installer concedes that the Electra scenario is a dream, but not the free package. In addition to Silver, the creative team on the spots includes associate creative directors Steve McElligott and Dan Kelleher.
Since coming aboard BBDO, Silver has enjoyed working on the aforementioned high-profile creative accounts. "FedEx and DirecTV always seem to have new work coming out, and Guinness should have new work breaking soon," he reports. "I’ve always maintained that the work is only as good as clients want it to be, and so I feel really lucky to work with such enlightened clients."
Rich Creative
Silver made a name for himself during his tenure at Cliff Freeman and Partners. He joined the shop in 1997, and eventually ended up serving as the agency’s executive VP/ creative director. Campaigns he has created or overseen top many awards lists—including a film Grand Prix honor at the ’01 Cannes Festival for a FOX Sports campaign. He and his team also churned out other groundbreaking and entertaining work, showing audiences a pack of hungry wolves attacking an unsuspecting high school band (Outpost. com’s "Wolverines," directed by John O’Hagan of Hungry Man); a tree falling on a man (FOX Sports’ "China," directed by Traktor of bicoastal/international Partizan); and two competitive bowlers slugging it out (FOX NHL’s "Bowling," directed by Christopher Guest of Moxie Pictures; the director is now with bicoastal Go Film).
After all this, Silver was ready to move on. "Six years at Cliff Freeman and Partners was enough," he says. "When I got there, the agency was known for a slapstick ‘Little Caesars’ approach. When I left, it was known for an edgier, ‘out there’ style. It was clear that the agency needed to write a new chapter. And it was clear I needed a new challenge."
According to Silver, there were two key elements he sought for the next stage of his career: "I knew I wanted to go to an agency that embraced creativity, and I wanted to work on bigger national accounts."
Prior to Freeman, Silver was a writer for the Late Show with David Letterman. From there, he spent a year at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, working on Levi’s, followed by a year-long stint at Wieden+Kennedy, New York, where he was immersed in campaigns for Nike and ESPN.
Post-Freeman, Silver toyed with the idea of opening his own agency, but a chance meeting with Bob Isherwood, the New York-based worldwide creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi at a conference in China sent the creative in a different direction. It was Isherwood who convinced Silver to join Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, as group creative director. "I am a huge fan of Bob’s and of the work that the Saatchi global network put together," he remarks. "We both agreed that it would in all likelihood be tougher in the New York office, but we felt that we could create a pocket of stand-out work."
Silver has had about nine months to settle in at BBDO and will soon find himself under new creative leadership now that David Lubars, who hails from Fallon, Minneapolis, is chairman/chief creative officer for BBDO North America and BBDO New York. Silver is confident that Lubars’ arrival will translate into good things for the agency. "David and I have e-mailed over the years," he says. "He is passionate, and puts creatives first. A lot of creative directors say they are all about the creative, but then fold due to various pressures put upon them. David is a stand-up guy who will fight the good fight. And, of course, he champions new ways to reach the masses."
