High Jun's Speech at Ogilvy Training | Diff's Pilgrimage Notes

I’ve read this many times, almost every year. Reading it again to give myself a boost:

To those gathered here, the elite among elites, I ask you to put down your pens.

Because you don’t need notes. Taking them is pointless. You act like you’re learning, but you’ll just go back to being novices, following your boss and clients. All you can do is submit, and then submit again.

I’m sorry if you don’t like this opening. I have a favor to ask.

Look around you. Look at the colleague on your left, the one on your right. Imagine: in 5, 10 years, the one on your left will be a failure in advertising; the one on your right, either a failure or a deserter. And you, standing in the middle with your black-rimmed glasses, long hair, and little beard, what do you think your “guru” look will get you? Just another failure, a failure as a director, more failures.

Honestly, today I don’t see a bright future for 28 advertising masters here. I don’t see 28 leaders who’ll make outstanding contributions to Chinese advertising; I see 28 failures, 28 puppets of the future advertising world.

You’re angry, and that’s understandable.

Why, you may ask, does Gao Jun, someone who’s never worked at any 4A company or even any ad agency, stand here arrogantly preaching heresy at one of the industry’s most prestigious companies?

Let me tell you why. Because, I, Gao Jun, am the most qualified person in this country to compete with international 4A companies. I can fully implement and execute my brilliant ideas, but you can’t.

Because in this world, on this planet, the greatest advertising master of all time, David Ogilvy, your boss and colleague, could fire clients who undermined employee morale, but you can’t. Ogilvy won’t produce another Ogilvy in a thousand years.

The one rated as an icon of the “creative revolution” in the 60s, Bill Bernbach, worked at agencies like Grey for seven years before decisively starting his own company.

Now, do you understand why you can’t become a master? Because you have ideas, but no freedom to realize them.

You’re in pain, and it’s understandable. Your passion and ideas rot away like leaves on a tree, year after year, till they decay with time. When you’re old, your memoirs will be full of “during my years at so-and-so, following so-and-so, although… but…” full of self-justifying logic.

You’re frustrated, which is understandable.

You need to jot down those so-called strategic tools and creative methods. You need them because you have no creative freedom, all you can do is execute and imitate, so you’ll never become the advertising master you aspire to be. Oh, sure, if you’re brave enough, maybe you can squeeze into the ranks of Chinese ad masters, like Sun Dawei or Zhao Jianing. But I probably don’t need to tell you that every time they complete a project, they’re still obediently following the AD’s brief, right?

As I know, Zhao Jianing once realized and started his own company, but alas, the poisoning was too deep.

Now, I suspect many of you, maybe most, are wondering, “What can I do? What should I do?” It’s too late, you’ve absorbed too much, thinking you’ve experienced and learned a lot. Now, I guess many of you, maybe most, are wondering, “What can I do? Is there a future for me?” Frankly, no. You’re not 22 anymore. You’ve become formulaic, despite your colorful, individualistic jackets today.

…You’re very dejected. Understandable. So perhaps it’s time to talk substance.

Not for you, Ogilvy’s so-called elites. You’ve been written off. Your copy and ideas can’t match the new girls’, your plans can’t match Little Strong’s meticulousness at 24, you’ll just tell your juniors “this or that won’t do,” you’ll just say “right away” to clients, “no problem” to your superiors. Your last decade or so of career will be spent in contradiction and regret, your next boss will be a subordinate who resigned three years ago. In fact, I place my hopes on the newcomers who haven’t joined these so-called trainings. To them, I say:

Resign, grab your backpack and notebook, find a place where you can unleash your great ideas, find a place close to clients and the market, or start your own business, and act swiftly in repentance.

I’m not 22 anymore~~sometimes I fear my heart is like sand at the river’s bottom, still moving forward but never seeing the light again~~Lao Yu said “Be like flowing water, every day a river has its own dream, which is to rush towards the sea, tirelessly! Be like water~” Though I’m not 22, I can always keep the heart of a 22-year-old~