Read any article on good copywriting and you’ll find the same names appear.
David Abbott and Tony Brignull usually battle for the top two slots, Tim Delaney and John Salmon fight it out for third place.
But talk to writers about the same subject and another name appears; Richard Foster.
Richard is the only one of the five who has worked under the other four.
(He may well be the only writer to have worked under the four?)
For a number of reasons, the other four are better known.
Two have agencies named after them.
They were all Creative Directors, (or Chief Creative Officers as we call them today).
Each took on the title of Chairman.
All four became President of D&AD.
With those roles came P.R.
Whereas Richard wrote.
He wrote for everyone, from 14 year old girls (Lil-lets) to Captains of Industry (The Economist).
He wrote for products from 1p up to £100k.
He wrote ads that featured in 29 D&AD annuals.
He wrote the best section in D&AD’s ‘THE COPY BOOK: How 32 of The World’s Best Advertising Writers Write Their Advertising’.
And he wrote this piece for Mark Denton and I for the 2008 Creative Circle Annual we produced, it’s a tribute to David Abbott on his induction to the Creative Circle Hall of Heroes.
Still the best tribute on David that I’ve read. 
We had a great chat, hope you enjoy it.
BRUNNINGS.
DORLANDS.
Child Guidance Toys.
G.E.C.
NABS.
British Leyland.
VERNONS.
Vernons Creative Department 1970.
Top row l to r: Paul Delaney, Martin Reavley, Andy Arghyrou.
Middle row l to r: Bruce Gill, creative secretary, Margot Mann.
Bottom row l to r: RF, Madeleine Thornhill, Peter Harold.
Amoco.
SCM.
Tetley Coffee Bags.
BBDO.
Armstrong.
Johnson Wax.
Olivetti.
Dutch Bulbs.
Morlands.
KIRKWOODS.
Back to BBDO.
Super Visco.
Yves Saint Laurant.
Sony.
Homepride.
Mace.
Building Societies.
(A pitch they didn’t win. You can tell it’s a pitch by the models featured; Art Director Ron Brown in the dark jacket, Copywriter John Kelley in the mid-grey jacket.)
COLLETT DICKENSON PEARCE.
Barclays.
Pearlcorder.
Birds Eye.
Shopper’s Paradise.
Trebor Sharps.
Heinz.
Robinsons.
Barclaycard.
Heineken.
EMI.
Vingresor.
Parker Pens.
ABBOTT MEAD VICKERS.
Glen Grant.
The British Bathroom Council.
Smiths.
Tefal.
Chivas Regal.
Websters.
Anti Smoking.
No Smoking Day.
Cow & Gate.
Anti-Smoking.
ILEA.
Mansfield Bitter.
K Shoes.
Sainsbury’s.
“The ad was done as a joke – turned out everyone liked the joke.”
The Economist.
These ones didn’t run.
A poster to run on the approach to Heathrow Airport.
A cross track poster.
Quavers.
Presumably a ‘claimable’ working lunch?
Volvo.
It’s strange, this next ad looks very gentle here, it didn’t when it ran.
Saab had just decided to put their entire ad budget behind tv ads proclaiming that they not only made cars, they made jets.
The following week Saab’s biggest rival ran a single ad that killed the campaign.
It was like a snipers bullet.
“A campaign positioning the Volvo against people carriers – rejected on the grounds of being too ‘knocking’.”
Ikea.
DfE Road Safety. (A poster designed to run in the gents toilets in pubs and clubs.)
AMV.
(The ad ran in the programme for the NABS Charity Boxing Night.)
Amnesty International.
Ryvita.
RSPCA.
Hush Puppies.
Anti-Smoking.
They look easy, for a start you’ve got John Cleese right?
Nope…
Homebase.
Ferguson.
English Heritage.
Reed.
Anti-Smoking.
Food Standards new business presentation (failed).
“Sainsbury’s food safety campaign that never saw the light of day (until now).”
FREELANCE:
Nabarro (for Identica).
JKR (for Grey with Paul Belford).
Musicians Union (for This is Real Art with Paul Belford).
Greenpeace (for DHM with me).
The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation (for CHI)
P.s. A few years back Richard and I were looking into producing a book on David Abbott, we got a lot of stuff together, but we also got distracted.
So it still doesn’t exist.
You’ll hear Richard say in the podcast that if more than a thousand people want one he’ll write it.
So if you want one, copy ‘I WANT ONE RICHARD!’ into the comments, let’s get this thing done.
ARTICLES BY AND ABOUT RICHARD.
The D&AD Copy Book.
Adweek, 1975.
Direction Magazine.
CREATIVE, 1997.
Crikey, not a bad creative dept at Vernons.
Richard, please do the book. Thanks!
There’s a lot of amazing work there, but the best bit is the bill from the tapas restaurant.
The book would be a great idea.
I want 3 please, Richard.
I want one, Richard.
I WANT ONE RICHARD!
Please write book, will buy some. (And thx for a great podcast.)
book for me please
Write the book and I’ll buy five. Or ten. Definitely more than one. Dave thank you for all of the interviews and blogs.
I WANT ONE RICHARD!
Oh, and I’ve got 993 people right outside my office who’re also yelling this line. Counting myself and the other 6 people who posted it right above, makes a total of 1.000. I’ll go to Amazon and pre-order now.
PS: Do you really need motivation to write about D.A.?
… and that shallot.
What an extraordinary body of work. Very inspiring. And Dave, you’re right – Richard’s section in The Copy Book is easily the best (and most helpful) in the whole volume.
Oh, and ‘I WANT ONE, RICHARD!’ please.
David Abook
…please
I definitely want one! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Please write the book. Do it.
Ps. Lovely podcast.
yet another great post and podcast. book please you pair.
I WANT ONE RICHARD! WHo wouldn’t.
You did well there Dave, Richard usually hides his brilliant light under several bushels.
Sadly, when you discussed David and Ron’s partnership he failed to tell you what happened when “Ron Brown went on holiday”.
I too am anxious that he gets on with the book.
Marc
Thanks Marc,
You can’t leave us hanging like that; What happened when “Ron Brown went on holiday”?
Dx
Yes to the book.
Words can’t describe how pleasing it was to hear you both. Well, not for now but that’s probably why I’ll be listening to this podcast again and again.
Please do the book.
Dear Richard,
PLEASE do the book about David Abbott and AMV.
And in case of doubt consider the huge exchange rate:
For less than thousand PLEASEs you will get a million THANK YOUs.
Greetings from Hamburg/Germany.
I WANT ONE RICHARD!
Proud to be on that telephone list. Best years of my life – AMV, what a place to work.
I WANT ONE RICHARD!