Reasonable Questions to Tim Pollak

Die Blogpartnerschaft von Being Reasonable und dem Werbeblogger trägt nun erstmals Früchte. Ich hatte die Gelegenheit ein ausführliches Interview mit dem Blogautor und der Werbegröße Tim Pollak zu führen. Tims Lebenslauf allein deutet schon auf ein enormes Erfahrungspotenzial hin. Von daher bin ich wirklich froh und auch sehr stolz, dass sich Tim viel Zeit für unsere Fragen genommen hat. Das folgende Interview über Werbung, Weblogs und neue Wege der Kommunikation haben wir auf Englisch geführt:

Werbeblogger:
As a global account manager for Y&R you consolidate both the Colgate-Palmolive and Citibank accounts, as a political campaign consultant you led Ed Koch to victory for Mayor of New York City. What is more catchier: selling toothpaste for a worldwide combine or running a mayoral race in New York?

Tim Pollak:
I don’t think advertising is about being catchy. It should inform in an engaging way, in order to motivate an action. Against that standard, there is no substantive difference between consumer product and political advertising. The former motivates the consumer to make a purchase; the latter, to cast a vote.

Werbeblogger:
Did you rest easy at all when you managed the colgate-palmolive and
citibank accounts? How could you bear up against this pressure?

Tim Pollak:
The issue for me was not resting easy, it was finding time to rest. Managing a global account requires communicating with people around the world during their business hours…no matter where you happen to be at the moment. I was blessed with the ability to function on 4 to 5 hours of sleep.

Werbeblogger:
You are an alumni of advertising legend Bill Bernbach, what kind of
person was he? Was he an enjoyable or severe boss? Was he kind of bizarre or a quite normal person?

Tim Pollak:
Bill Bernbach affected none of the mannerisms we often associate with the creative “free spirit.” He looked like an account executive… or an account executive’s uncle. I often heard creative people complain that he was a sharp critic, which worked to my advantage because they would avoid meeting him and let me present the work. That was almost 40 years ago, and I don’t remember if I found the meetings enjoyable. But I’ll never forget what he taught me.

Werbeblogger:
Bill Bernbach said:

“As soon as you become a slave to the rules, you’re doing what everybody else does. When you do what everybody else does, you don’t stand out. And if you don’t stand out, you don’t do
advertising that gets attention.”

What do you mean and how can it be used in advertising nowadays?

Tim Pollak:
I don’t particularly like this quote, because it suggests that being different to attract attention can be an end unto itself. It feels to me as if it was taken out of context. Bernbach was devoted to the idea that advertising must sell, and that the purpose of creativity is to attract attention to the selling message.

Werbeblogger:
Has advertising been changed over the years? What is different nowadays
and which time period was more creative?

Tim Pollak:
Great advertising ideas — like great movies, books, art or any other creative pursuit — are rare. The volume of advertising has increased exponentially, but the number of great ideas has not grown proportionally, if at all. So there is a lot more bad advertising out there today. On a per capita basis, creativity is declining.

Werbeblogger:
So what shall we do with the increasing advertising volumes?
Shall we concentrate them much more or pay more attention to quality factors to avoid bad advertising in future?

Tim Pollak:
Increased advertising volume is a function of supply and demand. If and when advertisers are convinced that the volume of advertising in any given media is yielding diminishing returns, they will demand more concentration and the media will be forced to comply. As for paying more attention to quality factors, that is the obligation of everyone in the industry…advertisers and agencies. But clients ultimately are to blame for bad advertising, because they are not forced to buy it.

Werbeblogger:
Who should decide which ideas shall be implemented, clients, creatives or perhaps the consumers?

Tim Pollak:
Clients must decide, because they are responsible for the performance of ideas in the marketplace. Advertising ideas do not exist in a vacuum; their sole reason for being is the role they play in the marketing process.

Werbeblogger:
What was the most creative campaign for you in the last 3 years?

Tim Pollak:
In the U.S., probably the Geico insurance campaign. They consistently find engaging ways to express a compelling message, and the advertising has had a significant and proven positive impact on the business.

Werbeblogger:
Imagine one of your children makes the resolve to work within the advertising business, what would be your first advice to them?

Tim Pollak:
Do not fall victim to the belief that your business is advertising…or that your product is ads. Your job is to understand your client’s customers and to enhance your client’s marketing efforts with ideas – creative ideas, new product ideas, media ideas, promotional ideas – that will appeal to those customers.

Werbeblogger:
You have discovered weblogs as a new way to communicate. How does it
happen and why do you write for a weblog?

Tim Pollak:
Weblogs are a fascinating media. There has never been anything like it. For the first time, every individual has the opportunity to express their points of view to a worldwide audience. Whether people read it depends on the value of the content and the marketing skill of the bloggers.

Werbeblogger:
Weblogs in Germany are in the early stages, they are either underrated
or demonized by persons like Jean-Remy von Matt, the CEO of Jung von Matt, one of Germany’s top ad agencies. He termed Weblogs as “the loowalls of the internet”. What do you think? Are Weblogs a potential risk for corporate and their brands? And on the other side, what are the positive aspects of weblogs?

Tim Pollak:
Open, uncensored communication poses genuine risks for corporations, brands, and individuals. Anyone can say anything and potentially reach a global audience. It clearly places a greater burden on marketers to live up to the promises they make to consumers…or risk being exposed in a damaging way. For Mr. von Matt to call weblogs the “loo walls of the Internet” is, I think, elitist. It implies that advertising executives have the right to tell the masses whatever they wish, but individuals do not deserve that right.

Werbeblogger:
So how can advertising/corporates handle or steer blogs? Can they steer it anyway?

Tim Pollak:
From sponsoring advocacy blogs to developing quick response protocols, corporations have found various ways to participate in, and try to manage, the blogosphere. But the best thing they can do is to offer high quality products and services, good value, responsive customer service, and open and accurate communications.

Werbeblogger:
Do you think weblogs are a short-time hype or a new size in media business like newspapers and TV.

Tim Pollak:
Currently, there is an infatuation with weblogs that has led to an incredible proliferation. Eventually, that will settle down, as people realize that gaining readership requires quality content and maintaining readership takes a lot of work – a steady stream of fresh writing. But the Internet has given every individual a global voice, and unless governments step in to regulate that voice, then weblogs, or something like them, will play an increasingly powerful role in free enterprise.

Werbeblogger:
Today you work as a consultant and you have your own company. What do
you offer your clients today? Is it different from your past activities?

Tim Pollak:
I try to offer my clients unbiased objectivity. Corporate employees can’t always do that. They have to protect the interests of their employer.

Werbeblogger:
How do you start a normal day?

Tim Pollak:
I generally spend the first two hours of the day reading. The Internet is a godsend.

Werbeblogger:
What kind of internet news sources are you reading? Can you tell us your favorites?

Tim Pollak:
I read a broad range, from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal to the front pages of popular portals such as AOL, Yahoo, MSN. I subscribe to several sites that compile advertising stories from around the world, and scan the on-line services of major industry publications (Ad Age, Adweek) and general business magazines (Forbes, Business Week, etc.). I also look at the key blogs that are linked to Being-Reasonable.com.

Werbeblogger:
Last but not least, what is your favorite news channel?

Tim Pollak:
By force of habit, I generally tune in to CNN. It was my companion during endless nights in hotel rooms around the world.

Werbeblogger:
Thank you very much Tim for this revealing conversation.