French fucks himself
WPP's worldwide CD Neil French has resigned following misogynistic remarks to an audience in Canada. When asked why so few women became CDs French said it is because they don't deserve to, "because they are crap". Expanding on this, he explained that they "wimped out due to the need to go and suckle something". French claims the reference was out of context. He referred to his resignation as "Death by Blog". Surely there must be some mistake. This after all is the same man who allegedly owned a multi-story brothel when he was based in Asia.
posted by CB at 10/24/2005 02:17:00 pm
7 Comments:
Go to adage.com for the hilarious post shit hits the fan interview with Frenchy in Miami.
And for all the Neil French blogging goes to: www.ad-rag.com
5:09 pm NZDT
ARE WOMEN CREATIVES CRAP DOWN UNDER?
Of course not all are, but looking at the CB Top 100 Creatives chart (based on international and local award success over the last two years), there are only 12 women on the list. The highest ranked is Maggie Mouat (who got her points while at Saatchi Wellington and is now consulting with husband Gavin Bradley, former CD of Saatchi Wellington) at number 16, followed by former Saatchi Sydney creative, Jane Atkinson (now in London) at number 41. Although there are a few hot female creatives that will appear on the chart next year, including Rebecca Carrasco (Saatchi Sydney) and 2005 Gold Lion winner Bridget Short (DDB Auckland), it all looks a bit thin on the female creative front.
Only one female CD is in the Top 40 CD Chart, namely Jeneal Rohrback at number 30,who got her points while CD of DDB Auckland several years ago. She is now CD of Young & Rubicam, Auckland (and employs 6 women out of a department of 13, a percentage well above the norm). Together with Chrissie Lahood, CD at Y&R Wellington, Christine Isaac, joint CD at The Campaign Palace, Melbourne and Emma Hill, CD of Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne, they are the only female CDs of major agencies in Australasia. Clems has been a major supporter of top women creatives over the years, the likes of the brilliant Sarah Barclay (co creator of "Antz Pantz" and "Legendary Milk", now worldwide CD on P&G's Aerial and Tide, based at Saatchi New York), Lynda Thompson and Christine Isaac. All, including Hill (who will be in the Top 40 in next year's CD Chart), have great, award winning folios, unlike the majority of female creatives in OZ, as Hill herself might agree (or surely she would have employed more than one -- Linda Honen -- in her department of 13). Commenting on the French incident, Hill says: "Yep, not heaps of women doing well. But then its pretty tough for men too at the moment. And as for Mr French, not the first person to get pissed and bag chicks."
Internationally, less than 5 percent of awards in the last five years (Cannes, One Show, D&AD, Clio) have been won by women creatives, a fact Neil French should have brought up, without generalising that all women creatives were "crap".
3:03 pm NZDT
Thanxs Lynchy
Are women better down under?
Best sex driven statement of the week.
And it's only Monday.
3:41 pm NZDT
don't give monday all the credit he had the day off...
4:45 pm NZDT
How about another section called 'Why do DM agencies do crap work, yet slag off mainstream agencies as being old hat?'
I've just read Friday's NBR, and there was some tired old research wally doing the "30 second ads are dead" speech.
You know the speech, usually at DM conferences. They're always surrounded by a friendly inoffensive bunch high on their morning latte.
Unfortunately the work is pretty dire and loaded with Powerpoint arrows and graphs showing reach and cost per thousand households.
They're so pumped up at the end of the session that they feel powerful enough to change the world with a four colour DLE. Maybe, to make it really cool they'll include a free sample (which is great, I love free samples - except, of couse, the Admedia sandwich debacle).
Now, there are some bloody good DM guys out there whom I have to tip my hat to. But whenever I read stuff from industry leaders slagging off one medium over another, it just makes my blood boil. I can't remember the last time an ATL agency slagged off a BTL agency.
Most...no, all agency creatives think through the line. Doing the old 'dinosaur' rant is preaching to the converted and has the end result of making their particular side of the industry look bitter and stale.
Everyone knows TV ain't as good as it used to be and viewer numbers are plummeting. But the smart people who can laterally think around this problem and get to consumers in a new ways, probably weren't sitting in a grey hotel function room in central Auckland last week under the highly dubious title of 'Extreme Marketing'.
5:30 pm NZDT
Isn't it lucky that clients don't fall for all that crap about response and results and still stick to forking out big bucks for TV production lunches
11:20 am NZDT
But surely he was being ironic
4:46 pm NZDT
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