Ad industry mourns the passing of John Archer
Many in the ad industry in Australia and throughout Asia will be saddened to hear of the passing of creative director John Archer at home in Saigon on Wednesday.
After graduating from RMIT in 1964, Archer worked for George Patterson, Melbourne through until the late 60s before joining O&M, Melbourne in around 1970. In the mid 70s he transferred to O&M Jakarta, then on to O&M Singapore as creative director from 1980 to 1981. When he left, he replaced himself with an up and coming young creative, Neil French.
He returned to Sydney in the mid 80s for a short time but was in a serious taxi accident coming off the Harbour Bridge in which the taxi driver died. After he recovered Archer headed to Bangkok as creative director at McCann, followed by the CD role at Bates, Bangkok.
In 2002 he was appointed regional creative director – Indochina, Bates Worldwide, later BatesAsia, based in Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, until he left in 2006.
Since then he has run WOOF!, his own consultancy based in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
In an email from friend Rob Graham: “Arrangements for various celebrations of his life are being made, in Bangkok, Saigon and elsewhere. I know I and others will do our best to convey these details to John’s incredibly vast community of friends all over the world.”
Says friend Peter Skalberg, who emailed the bottom two pics: “This is a great example of who he really was…fun, light hearted and always willing to please and of course hand me another drink at his favourite bar – Qing in Saigon.”
Visit a tribute page to John on Facebook which will include updates on memorial plans.
Here’s a recent article on John in AsiaLIFE:
Thanks to David Bell, former MD of McCann and Bates Bangkok, now managing director, Ra-Kahng Associates Ltd, Bangkok and Rob Graham, former CEO of Bates141 Indochina for supplying the bio info on John.
13 Comments
A tribute from top photographer Brian Geach:
I met John Archer twelve years ago, an event that qualifies me as a latecomer among a rich pantheon of friends. My great regret was that I had not the fortune to meet him earlier.
John was old school; a talented writer and a polymath who’s interests extended beyond the narrow confines of his profession. He dismissed politically correct wankers and obtuse poseurs with his withering wit. He saved his loyalty, kindness and generosity for those close to him and those who were privileged to gain his respect. He loved his dogs.
John was a delight to work with. He instinctively knew when to encourage and when to admonish but carried both tasks with his customary wry sense of humour.
An email from J the A had to be opened. Not to do so was to risk missing a joke, a bizarre video clip, an incisive comment on some poor bloody politician, a snippet of arcane trivia, but more often as not, a simple enquiry as to your welfare.
John was an unreconstructed bloke who often played his cards close to his chest, but beneath his sometimes irascible exterior, a softness and a sensitivity resided. I wish I had risked his scorn and told him that, but there you are. I still can’t imagine him gone but I will miss him dearly.
Dear Brian….I knew John probably as long as you did. Your beautiful words have said it all. Thank you. mxxxx
A legend.
RIP.
I had the pleasure of having John around when I was a wide-eyed expat in Bates Singapore back in the early nineties.
He was a wonderful guy. Younger than his years and absolutely loved Asia.
He knew where to find the best food and the best beers. And if you were very lucky, he’d invite you over for a fabulous dinner.
He was the Dad we’d all left behind.
Very, very sad indeed.
Both Sarin and myself send our love to his family.
I was lucky enough to have John as my creative partner during my tenure as CEO of Bates/141 Indochina from 2002 to 2006.
John was responsible for all creative work for Bates Advertising and 141 Worldwide in the Indochina markets of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. On some clients such as British Amercian Tobacco, he was also responsible for work stretching as far afield as Nigeria and Ghana, across the Middle East and Asia and into the nations of the Pacific Ocean.
John was a perfectionist. No detail was too small. No word was wasted. He was a classic wordsmith; one the last of the great Asian-based copywriters that saw the craft of advertising morph from the all-important headline copy-centric era to that of the “no-headline/visual-gag” ad that had seen communication cross barriers of language and culture.
John lamented the demise of copywriting, not just in Asia, but in the industry generally.
In 2006, he left Bates and founded a writing consultancy in Vietnam, where he had a stable on many long-term clients. He also commenced writing the first of four novels; each of which are doorstoppers, way in excess of 500 pages. Unfortunately, at this stage his four novels remain unpublished and are reputedly a rollicking read. John kept himself busy right up to his untimely death.
He was a voracious reader. He had a level of integrity that is uncommon today. He was a walking thesaurus (I would regularly ask him questions on the derivations of English words and a mountainous email of reference material (all his own words) would be returned to me.
His wit was as sharp as a knife. And his bark was much worse than his bite.
He was a true professional, an amazing talent and a great friend.
He was known as Ahchah, J The A, an intellectual force to be reckoned with and a unique genius.
John was a great friend and I feel privileged to have worked on many TV commercials with him in Thailand and Vietnam where he was respected and loved by all who have worked with him.His reputation and passion for the advertising, film and music industries were known throughout the world and his work highly regarded as he never gave less than 110%. RIP John , you will be fondly remembered and dearly missed !
Dear all,
A brief update, of sorts.
I can report that a number of celebratory drinks to honour John’s life have already been organised on a very impromptu basis and I know there’ll be many more to come.
In Singapore last Sunday, Matty G, Peter “Scrawny Buttocks” Miller and Skally got together at the Lot (sic) Stock & Barrel pub (aka The Dog & Vomit), John’s favourite Singaporean watering hole in later years, behind the Raffles Hotel. The only reason you’d go out of your way to have a beer there was if John was in residence.
And in Bangkok’s Soi 33 last Friday night, a group comprising of Barry Smit, Pat Brett, David Bell and a number of others gathered at The Office Pub to toast John.
No doubt there were many more toasts made over the last few days, all over the world.
At this stage, I cannot forward any details of more formal proceedings for John. I can say, for those who might be planning travel over the next couple of weeks, that it is more than likely that John will be cremated in Ho Chi Minh City this week and his ashes taken to Thailand next week.
No other plans have been made and no dates set until all authorities have been informed in the proper legal manner. As you can imagine, this is no small task as we are making arrangements across three jurisdictions.
I hope to have more news very soon.
Regards,
Rob
I first met John in Singapore in ’82 en route to Ogilvy Jakarta.
Over the years he has been a true friend, mentor and latterly a great creative partner when we worked together at Bates Indochina.
He will be sorely missed by a legion of mates around the world.
Forgotten?
I very much doubt it!
Robs
in London
I will always remember the great times we had in Bangkok, Singapore, HCMC, Phnom Penh, Yangon and Cannes. But John was not only a good friend/drinking buddy… he was also a great mentor who taught me everything that made me a Creative Director.
John,… you will be missed for sure.
His rapier wit and unreserved friendship will missed by all who knew AhCha. What torment leads a man with so many friends and admirers to this tragic end?? God be with you John. May your soul rest in peace.
J the A was a character they simply don’t make anymore. I hold particularly cheerful memories of Ahchah on a riotous Dave x 4 Tour to Saigon c1992. 18yrs later, we’ve all moved on but the memories fortunately, haven’t.
In recent years John sent me a couple of draft chapters for his novels which were of course, well written & hilarious. It’d be a fitting tribute for at least one to get to print….let’s hope so.
Ahchah RIP
John gave me my first job as a writer and for that and all the good times down the Dog n’ Vomit, I’ll always be grateful. RIP old friend.
I met John through Mark Kovalevsky and shared more than a few drinks with him in Thailand, Vietnam, HK and Taiwan in the early ’90’s. He was to me the expat extraordinaire. Always entertaining to be around. I am truly saddened by his passing.