About a hunderd years ago, in the 1920's, when advertising standards were lax and cigarette research non-existent, the U.S. Lucky Strike brand came up with this really BIG idea; encourage women, who want to loose weight to reach for a Lucky Strike cigarette instead of a snack.

So hard to believe you say. 

What were they thinking you say. 

That would NEVER happen today you say.

With the benefit of my age and time, I see it differently.

Invariably a big idea begins as a creative solution to a practical challenge - but goes the extra mile in that it manages to slip through or past all of the current 'restrictions' governing the use and promotion of a product or service.    

Across North America everybody wants everything faster, cheaper, free shipping and returns plus a lifetime guarantee.

To satisfy this unreasonable, insane, and insatiable desire for more cheap food, goods and services, we’ve gutted small manufacturers across North America and sent millions of jobs and billions of dollars, per year, overseas so that we can brag about how cheap 'it' is.

NOT HOW GOOD OR DURABLE IT IS, OR HOW THE PURCHASE SUPPORTS YOUR LOCAL, PROVINCIAL OR CANADIAN ECONOMY.

In the process of ignorantly discounting the price of everything from peanuts to military pensions, we’ve taught our kids that many jobs are not worth doing or having. This self-serving, short-sighted and narrow-minded economic mentality continues to shut down local businesses and lays waste to cities, towns and individual aspirations all across North America.

Where will this end?

When companies don't earn a decent profit margin their foundations crumble.

• They cut back or stop doing research and development. Without leading edge research and development their managers blindly follow the “best practices” of their competitors, fail and fall behind.
• Then they cut back on staff training and development.
• Short and long term employee benefits are cut next. Loyal full-time staff members are 'fired' and then 'rehired' as part-time staff without benefits.
• Part time staff, who don't earn a living wage, need to juggle two or three part time jobs to make ends meet. They have no holiday pay, day's off with pay, pension plans or medical support.
• Many do not have enough savings to cover two or three months of unemployment. 
• Because they are just making ends meet, they can't afford to "support" the arts or local charities; key indicators of a healthy economy. 
• It even affects homeless people, who depend on our collective good-will to get by - one cold night at a time.  
• And on and on it goes in a giant downward spiral.

One of my x-clients had his website designed and built in the Philippines to save money; "they charge 1/4 of what you do Frank." He thought their deal was far too good to pass up. Sadly, while the site-construction was cheap, it didn't drive much business to his store.

No research.

No analytics.

No strategy.

No tactics.

Because he focused on price, so did his customers. In the end his business tanked because he couldn't make up in volume what he consistently lost on margin.

When we charge a fair price and invest the profits in our people, our communities, and our industries, and Canada, we all grow stonger, better and smarter.

My father and father-in-law both served in WW2. My father was in the German army and my father-in-law was in the Canadian Navy. They didn’t see each other much because my family lives in Toronto and my wife’s family lives in Winnipeg.

I remember the 1st time they met. They talked about a lot of different things for a long time and about the war for a short time. Then I remember them agreeing on the stupidity and the futility of that war, the one that preceded it – and all of those that have followed since.

My father came to Canada with his wife and five children (and me on the way) to escape conflict and conscription – and to give Petra, Henry, August, Martin, Barbara and me a better life.

My wife, Michelle, and I went to the Winnipeg Legislature Buildings this morning to remember Heinrich Wilhelm Wehrmann and Robert Bernard Convey as well as all the others who have stood on guard for us for all these years.

If we’re as smart as we claim to be, why can’t we figure this shit out?

Over the years I’ve worked on a lot of different accounts with many, many clients including George and Bruno who were both real clients.

Now, here’s why I miss George but not Bruno.

While George didn’t believe that advertising could help the Canadian division of the international Brand he managed, he kept an objective, open mind and listened to reason.  Every call, letter, fax or e-mail from George began with ‘Dear Frank, could you please’ and ended with ‘Thank-you very much.’ He showed me, our agency his team-mates, the franchise and his customers how common courtesy, common sense and the common touch can be used to build a brand-loyal service business one customer at a time by addressing our basic need for acceptance, dignity and respect.

The collateral benefit of George’s approach included the following – and more:

• he brought out the best in me as an individual,
• he encouraged me to become a great, not just a good, agency director,
• he offered our Agency the benefit of the doubt when things went wrong and heaped on the praise when things went right,
• At George’s meetings you parked your ego at the door because the meetings probed and challenged emotions and intellect to ensure all stakeholders agreed with, could support and would defend the decisions that were made there.
• We all worked long hard for George, and the brand he led and managed.

In the end we proved George wrong. Our promotions worked so well that we often ended the campaigns earlier than planned. George was happy to be proved wrong!

Bruno was a very different man. He had a sign on his desk: “If anything goes wrong – someone will die”. Professionally he didn’t like Partnerships. He had one with his wife, and that’s it. He expected people to do as they were told, no questions asked. Bruno liked being in charge and in control. It was important that we all thought that Bruno was brilliant - even when he was being a dick.

While Bruno was a regular guest at our agency, and was always available for a cross country TV shoot, lunch, dinner and golf, to make the most of any event the spotlight had to be on Bruno from start to finish.

Bruno did whatever it took to make his numbers and did not care who got thrown under the bus when additional traction or a lighter load were called for. He never expressed appreciation because, in his mind, we didn’t exist. Or if we did, only by his grace.

While people like Bruno may have a role in our society, it’s definitely not in any play that involves marketing, advertising - let alone customer service.

Great ideas are most often discovered where a key operational insight and an emotional contradiction collide like a pair of freight trains. Getting to that intersection takes intelligence, leadership, teamwork, insight and trust.

In the end Bruno lost most of the business that advertising brought in because his operations could not consistently deliver on the claims and promises that he insisted on making in advertising.