Gawen Rudder: The Roaring Sixties
Gawen Rudder, principal of The Knowledge Consultancy, Sydney believes age and experience matter, and that sixty is the new forty…
Baby boomers have redefined ageing, claiming ‘Sixty is the new Forty.’ Retirement age to qualify for the pension in Australia, however is currently (and confusingly) legislated as 65½, and the milestone (or is that millstone?) after which one might be labelled ‘elderly’ or a ‘senior.’
We are at a critical demographic turning point, because the oldest of the baby boom cohort – the 5.5 million people born between 1946 and 1965 – turned 70 two years back.
I was also intrigued to learn that ABBA (Ageing Baby Boomers in Australia) have launched a project which aims to generate a body of knowledge to inform constructive action for better retirement.
A horde of highly-experienced sexagenarians were excised from adland after Accreditation which was – if my long-term memory serves me correctly – in 1996. Out with the old, in with the new. A whole generation of admen and women became ‘redundant’ (a new word in those days). These recalcitrant retirees took to the hills, or succumbed to the Gold Coast, seldom seen nor heard of again.
Most Fridays might find a motley collection of the disenchanted gathered at their nearest watering hole. These thinning grey mullets and faded flares prop up around the sticky unwiped bar top, peering into half-empty beer glasses, comparing their PSA levels, diminished super and mourning the demise of the Caxtons. Reliving and embroidering their glory days.
They might recall the once all-conquering and then vain-glorious place known as George Patterson; somewhere in Melbourne called Masius; the rise and fall of Mojo; the all-but forgotten genius of The Palace; and blame that Wire & Plastic Products accountant and the Baghdad-born brothers. Things had changed forever. As with the split between creative and media agencies, it’s now impossible to squeeze the toothpaste back in the tube.
America may well be ahead (if that’s the right word) of us in the anti-ageism stakes. Listen, as 86-year-old provocateur George Lois rants and roars, “Only with absolute fearlessness can we slay the dragons of mediocrity that invade our gardens.” The likes of Lee Clow (right), Jerry Della Femina, Bob Greenberg, Hal Riney and Dan Wieden are all of a certain age. Which makes one wonder, do we have any creatives of note over 70?
Certainly, two in their 60s come to mind. Ted & Tom. Legends. Good mates and competitors. Both heading up the two biggest supermarkets in the land. Both at the top of their game with clients like Commbank and BHP under their wings. Other sixty-something veterans soldiering on include the irrepressible Ron Mather who, with Christine Barnes, runs It’s the Thought that Counts; Nigel Dawson, after 17 years at Grey, co-founded Three Wise Men; Garry Horner, also partner in a seriously impressive triumvirate with Matt Kemsley and Jhonnie Blampied at Matterhorn; and branding guru Hans Hulsbosch, with his impressive portfolio of blue-chip clients.
Stable agency management is an excellent indicator of success. Rob Morgan (left) and the other Tom, M&C’s former worldwide chair, Tom Dery, come to mind as elder statesmen with about two decades at the helm their agencies. In the longevity stakes however, Peter Clemenger wins hands down. At the age of 93 he has been with the agency since it was founded by his father in 1946. Along with USP Needham (the ‘USP’ stood for United Services Publicity) – now DDB – it was one of the post-WWII agencies that sprung up at the time.
So, what are we arguing here? Age and experience matter. Sure, but so does change. Technology means that we need digital natives and future thinkers, a millennial to help when dad is fiddling about with a bent paper clip trying to boot up his antediluvian Mac-Pro.
True Story: Age mattered when a trio of ex-agency blokes, all of whom had been around the block a couple of times and whose joint ages exceeded 200 years, presented a training workshop at Saatchis last year. Amongst the feedback was this classic response from a twenty-something young lady, “It was like hanging out with the Rolling Stones of Advertising.”
Is our industry the only culprit in this? This wanton waste of mid-life talent. We don’t write off wrinkled rock stars any more than we do our creative elite such as John Olsen (right), who at 90, continues to surprise the art world, or the late Lloyd Rees who aged 94 and almost blind, was still painting. At the age of 82 the prolific Thomas Keneally now co-authors with his elder daughter Meg; Fred Schepisi and Phillip Adams, both closing in on 80, worked together on TVCs and films like The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, based on Keneally’s book of the same name.
Add to these architect Glenn Murcutt, actor John Bell, Queen of the Kitchen and former JWT account executive Margaret Fulton, historian Geoffrey Blainey, Barry Humphreys, jazz musician Don Burrows, all north of 70 or more. Indeed, much more in the case of Fulton (93) and Blainey (88.).
Not Entirely True Story: Humphreys, now 84, leapt to the defence of erstwhile friend and colleague, Sir Les Patterson. His alter ego and former chairman of the Australian Cheese Board had been accused in a Fairfax-ABC investigation of political incorrectness, as in: “Sex is the most beautiful thing that can take place between a happily married man and his secretary.” More than that, in Patterson’s role as Minister for Inland Drainage & Rodent Control under the Whitlam administration, there were questions from the Opposition over his dual citizenship status, as his British birthplace was said to be Earls Court.
The creative arts aside, arguably our two finest prime ministers since Menzies, Whitlam and Howard, were both in their sixties. Winston Churchill was a remarkable twenty years older during his second stint as Great Britain’s prime minister.
After-thought: Bugger, just remembered that Trump, at 70, is the oldest elected President of the USA. An inconvenient truth.
21 Comments
The problem with getting older in this industry is that you run out of people to look up to.
@Been around……. if you’ve made to to ‘old’ you don’t need to look up to anyone.
Conspicuous by his omission from your list of alleged distinguished creative practioners is Jack.
Lets we forget that the late Neil Lawrence did some his greatest work after he was 60.
First of all, the 65 and a half bit is not entirely accurate. Yes, it is the qualifying pension age and 65 the minimum age to access your superanuation, but 60 is the age you can actually get a ‘Senior Citizen Card’. So, by all accounts, you’re a Senior Citizen after 60.
Second, 60 is not the new 40. It just isn’t. It doesn’t mean you’re a useless old invalid, and it doesn’t render you redundant in any way shape or form, (unless you want to be), but 60 just isn’t 40. The body changes, the mind changes, the spirit and emotions also shift. You are interested in different things, you realise this is not a dress rehearsal and the countdown clock gets louder and you have a thousand better things to do than wasting your time in feedback discussions with a 20 something ‘Brand Manager’ who believes an Instagram influencer is actually an idea.
I think the world is a worst place since we invented all those stupid self-validating metaphors. You’re 60 something, you’re older, so what? Stop pretending is not the case or trying to be cool and dress like you’re 30. Own it. You had a good run so far, and if you don’t think that, go to the nearest cemetery, check out the dates and realise how a lot of people checked out before they hit 60. A lot of people. Some of them close to us.
Third and the truth. You can grow old in advertising ONLY if you OWN your OWN PLACE. The examples given are of people that at some point in their lives put their skin in the game, opened a business, made it work and now, of course, they can’t be fired. Why? Because it’s their business. And if it isn’t entirely theirs, they are major shareholders, which is kind of the same.
Just go to an average agency, have a look, and tell me how many people over 50, (yes, Fifty) you can see. Let me assure you, not many, and over 60, definitely NONE. There’s no point whining about it or crying foul. It is what it is. This is an industry that feeds on youth and NEW and unfortunately after 50, you are not very youth or very NEW. It isn’t a matter of age or opinion or on how old you feel. It is the truth.
So work hard, save for a rainy day, try to pay off your house as quick as possible, try not to get divorced (expensive) and enjoy the journey for as long as you can. We all have an expiry date in this crazy business.
Or go and open your own.
I agree with much of what you have said. There’s no better way to protect yourself than to open your own agency, especially after the demise of accreditation. When that happened approx. 50% of all agency revenue went out the ad agency door and poured straight into media companies. As a result, employing multiple senior creatives, which was the norm, suddenly became unaffordable – meaning many of those ‘oldies’ had no choice but to open their own agencies/consultancies. But, one point I think you’ve not given enough credit to, is that many of the biggest clients in Australia have deliberately given their business to agencies run by 60+ creatives and CEO’s. I believe, it’s because many big budget Australian clients, like their US and UK counterparts, will always seek out experience to manage their advertising dollars. It was true for Peter Clemenger, Geoffrey Cousins, Alex Hamill, Geoff Wild, Renny Cunnack,Tom Dery, Paul Jones etc., etc as it is for the 60+ of today.
I guess now I should be grateful I lasted until I was 53.
Not sure that any of the aforementioned work being produced by Ted & Tom demonstrates that they are ‘at the top of their game’.
Au Contraire, if we’re being honest.
Woolies great?
BHP?
It’s a matter of personal taste I suppose…
And as for Three Wise Men; there’s only two of them…reminds me of the joke:
‘There’s three kinds of people in this world – those who can count, and those who can’t.’
Recent photos of Ted, Tom & Ron would debunk the assertion that 60 is the new 40.
Or even that 70 is the new 50.
“Down Down Prices are Down” is the best example that 60 ain’t 40. Nuff said.
You muppet, guess who’s laughing all the way to the bank… not you.
Now get back to that very important edm you have been given 15mins to complete.
The 300x250px banner awaits you.
shit I was old when I started and I’m still learning something every day – and, not surprisingly, clients like that I know what I’m talking about… so it’s about continually growing for mine.
conversely, there are plenty of old crunts who were old when they were young and never learned anything except “borrowing the credit” for the creative that others devised… (you’ll see them giving talks about the important role of creativity to the likes of KPMG as if they invented it, or offering to share their handwriting font to the kiddies if today) so the fact remains that they still don’t have a valid role to play today – just like yesterday
in fact, they’re the ones who carbon-date the rest of us who actually create original solutions to real business problems
‘Down Down’ may well ring the tills, and recognising that advertising ‘s role ultimately is to sell, but it’s hardly an enobling moment for the industry.
‘Enobling’?
Snob you are a knob.
Indeed this is an ageist industry. But, there’s nothing wrong with looking up to people who are younger than you. It they’re talented, then no matter your age, there’s something to learn.
Sadly, it’s no surprise there are no women (except Christine Barnes, forever linked to Ron) in this illustrious list of your Adland heroes… or even other luminaries you mention in the ‘arts’ Gawen.
Imagine for a moment this ageism you’re experiencing in your 60’s was the sexism you’d experienced your entire career. Then imagine yourself a woman in your 40’s or 50’s still having to make your living in this industry.
It’s hard to feel sorry for a group of people who have had it all (including the ’80’s) and should for all intents and purposes be financially set-up (unless of course you pissed it all against the wall).
Sure, you’d like to be busy. But do you need to be? And if you do need to be, maybe it’s you who needs to change.
‘Down Down’ has made a man incredibly rich. But what a way to destroy what was until then an incredible creative legacy. I wonder if Lee Clow would have done the same.
Hi Peggy.
Some good points there but I don’t see where Gawen is seeking sympathy for the people he mentioned.
I’m 62. I’m far, far more creative now than I ever was. That’s just a fact. If I wasn’t pitching movie and tv ideas (see my Linked In posts) I’d go nuts. I cop it because everyone should experience at least one -ism in their life.
Last time I did a freelance gig at Ted’s agency there were about 120 staff.That number was made up of a large range of ages with different skill sets.That many jobs in this tough town seems like a fine legacy to me.
Worked with both Ted and Tom.Both exceptional generators of ideas and both know how to sell those ideas.An apprenticeship with either would be an invaluable experience for any young creative.