CLOSE-UP: ON THE CAMPAIGN COUCH ... WITH JB.(Brief Article)

Q: Why are advertising agencies so reluctant to promote themselves - if advertising works (and agencies had better hope it does, otherwise goodbye job) then surely agencies should be putting their names up on billboards, not just their clients. Or is there something they're not telling us?

A: Always a good one, this; a bit like 'why is there only one Monopolies Commission?' Nice to see all those Soho smoothie-chops wriggling around as they fail to answer what seems to be an entirely reasonable question. In fact, of course, if all those smoothie-chops had an adequate understanding of the business they're in, they'd smack the question to the boundary with effortless grace.

Advertising people still think that advertising is the only form of advertising there is. That's because it's the only form of advertising they do. But it's not advertising that makes brands and companies successful: it's being well known for being good at something. That means: first, being good at something; and second, making sure that people know you're good at something.

Publicity is the business we're all in. (Or, as Rupert Howell suggests, publicite: the word in French means something subtly different and is much more helpful. Or so Rupert tells me.) Advertising is just one part of publicite, and is already in the process of becoming a smaller part.

So any advertising (publicite) agency that's any good at its job will spend a good deal of time and money on its own publicite. Given the relatively small number of people it needs to reach, this is unlikely to include advertising. David Ogilvy did it brilliantly by writing books.

Q: Billy Mawhinney writes: Dear JB, after a great time in Scotland I'm returning to JWT for the Forth time. Any advice?

A: Dear Billy, yes. Your pun pains me. Art directors, however talented, should avoid puns. Word people will never respect you.