Bogusky Leaves

I read about this (when was it? A week or two ago?) and kept meaning to post on it.

Anyway, someone commented on it again, reminding me that it’s worth a mention.

I think it’s interesting for Alex to stand by his principles and disrupt what must be a fairly cushy life (no client contact for the last two years) to shoot his employment position in the foot.

On one side, he’s now easily rich enough to screw up his job, but on the other, he is kissing a salary of 2m a year goodbye.

So he slagged off, directly and indirectly, the shitty principles of some of his biggest clients (he doesn’t like selling to kids or promoting things that cause obesity, something BK and Kraft happily and regularly do) until MDC, CP&B’s holding company, thought it might be a good idea for him to fuck off and stop jeopardising their client relationships.

Well, good for him. And fuck those clients for the shitty things they do. Instead of changing their immoral behaviour they grumbled that Alex should shut up and leave. Twats.

I’m with Barney from Singapore, who comments in the above link:

Anyone in advertising that has a modicum of moral fibre lays awake at night wrestling with the consequences of selling a slow, painful death to the masses. Consciousness used to be that annoying time between sleeps. Then I woke up.

Whether Alex found it easier to voice his true concerns when he became fucking loaded, or his conscience finally got the better of him, or he got fed up with the job that he had conquered so completely, I think it’s great that he’s got his out (the article mentions other top creatives who are doing the same).

Yet another Bogusky lesson for us all: if the business is working for you and your principles, fine. If not, get the fuck out and don’t look back.

UPDATE: according to info in the comments this principled stand occurred just after he got $38m from his earnout. Kind of takes the shine off things somewhat. Great ads though. Maybe the Bogusky lesson is that a principle isn’t a principle until it costs you money. Although that does sound kind of familiar…