madcomments

Hail and farewell HHCL

Posted in Advertising, Creative, Branwell Johnson, Latest reporters' blogs April 3rd, 2007 by Branwell Johnson

Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair! So read the inscription on the statue of Ozymandias in Shelley’s poem to make the ironic point that all things must pass. This has a particular resonance for the advertising industry as agencies come and go, merge and dissolve, expire and rebrand on a regular basis.

But when those “works” include “You’ve been Tango’d”, “The Slag of all Snacks”, “Does exactly what it says on the tin” and countless other straplines and images that have caught the attention of the consumer and provoked smiles, outrage, interest and wonder, then it’s worth a brief pause.

HHCL & Partners was behind those campaigns for Pot Noodle, Tango, Egg, Maxell and Ronseal but the agency, which rose to prominence in the 90s, is now no more. Although under its United name it was really a shadow of its former self.

Any lessons to be drawn from the relatively swift decline of HHCL? Is it possible that creativity and risk-taking become stifled once a maverick agency is absorbed into a global network? WPP bought into HHCL in 2003 but by that time its glory days were already fading in the rear view mirror.

So, is it that such an agency is dependent on the driving force and vision of its founders? Once the original dynamic team has gone is the writing on the wall? The last of the founders, Steve Henry, left in April last year.

Or finally, does the capsizing of HHCL once again prove that having one huge account – in this case BSkyB – can unbalance an agency. The departure of that account really spelt the end of United and it’s not the first time an agency has gone under after losing the “big” client.

Feel free to deliver any comments on or eulogies for HHCL…