ADC

ADC Q&A with Donald Gunn
Posted on 2008-Apr-10 at 02:09
Awards season is upon us. Appropriately, we interviewed a man who knows more than most about awards. Donald Gunn, once dubbed as "the man with the best job in advertising," is the founder of The Gunn Report, launched in 1999. The Gunn Report is based on a very simple idea: it combines the winners' lists from all of the major advertising award contests in the world - national, regional and global - thus establishing the annual worldwide league tables for the advertising industry. Donald, who is Scottish, joined Leo Burnett in London, fresh from Cambridge University, in 1962. Donald worked as an Account Executive for six years before becoming a copywriter. He subsequently served as Burnett's Managing Director in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and Creative Director in South Africa and France.

In 1984, Donald was appointed Leo Burnett's Director of Creative Resources Worldwide. In this job, based in Chicago, he created several Burnett institutions which are the envy of the industry (including the World TV Update and Worldbeater reels, and the Global Product Committee), as well as spearheading the worldwide study on creativity and effectiveness, "Do Award Winning Commercials Sell?" After retirement from Burnett, Donald served as President of the Cannes Festival in 1998 and 1999.

After much top-secret data-crunching for The Report, the league tables emerge, including top commercials, top agencies, top production companies and top countries, as well as a Showreel of the Year featuring the 100 most-awarded campaigns in the world. Donald talks about notable trends at award shows including the "return of the giants," how you can use The Gunn Report Library, and which particular nineties sitcom featuring Jennifer Aniston his kids got him hooked on. Interviewed by Regan Murphy, regan@adcglobal.org.

ADC: What led you to create the Gunn Report?
DG: There was a need for the best in advertising to be identified. Because there are so many individual award shows there was a need to bring together a consensus and identify and celebrate the best.

ADC: What made 1999 the tipping point for the Gunn Report?
DG: In the first seven or eight years the report did not change very much. Eventually, consolidated league tables enabled better comparisons, and after that big things happened.

ADC: Last year for the first time The Gunn Report included online and interactive work in order to reflect the changing face of the industry. What took so long?
DG: I had never worked in interactive. I worked in TV and print and I have always regretted the fact that I was not around for interactive. Some countries have gotten really good at interactive really quickly. I have really enjoyed observing this trend.

ADC: What other trends have you noticed?
DG: The trend of the "return of the giants" is fantastic. These giants have recently done very well in all media. Unilever, with their Dove campaigns for example, is one of these "giants." So are Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola. Pepsi was eclipsing Coca-Cola but that is not so any longer.

ADC: Any other notable trends?
DG: In 2007 within the agencies league table, twenty-three different countries were represented in comparison with sixteen countries awarded in both 2006 and 2005. Countries like Romania and Latvia are being awarded. The geographical spread of creative excellence is increasing and I think this is a great trend.

ADC: Given the example of your life and success in advertising, have you encouraged your children to pursue a career in the advertising world?
DG: I haven't strongly encouraged my children. They are similar to me in some ways though. Two of my children have had internships in London but who knows yet. I am not sure yet what they will pursue.

ADC: The Report serves agencies and networks - but in your opinion, how does the Gunn Report serve an individual creative?
DG: Individual creatives are one of the biggest groups of The Report users. In addition to having a nice book on their shelves, the reel allows individuals to look at 100 of the most awarded works. It is a record of the whole year at their fingertips.

ADC: Any plans to add design to the Gunn Report?
DG: Next year we will add integrated, which is a complete campaign with mixed media. I think design is a whole different thing, but perhaps it will be added to the report one day.

ADC: What should our readers know about the Gunn Report Library?
DG: The Gunn Library is unique in a couple of ways. We only put in 100 of the best of a year of advertising. And as we have gone back and put in commercials from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's we have used the same criteria - only including the most awarded. You can find things in a way you would not expect. Beam.TV allows us to provide a whole menu and the menu is devoted to strategy. For example you may search by topics like "safety", "long lasting", "examples of roles of mothers." Or you may search within different formats, "demos" or "side by side comparisons." Categories like "naughty," "rude" and "daring" have been very popular.

ADC: And now your three favorites:
Places you want to go: more of India, the middle of Africa, and more of Japan.

Books: Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and books by Carl Hiaasen

Movies: The Godfather, Jaws, The Magnificent Seven

TV Shows: Cheers, Friends, UK comedy shows

Drinks: vodka, scotch, wine (but only with meals)

ADC: And what is coming up for you next?
DG: I am about to leave for Thailand for Adfest then will go to India for the Advertising Agencies Association of India's annual festival, Goafest.

ADC: No sign of slowing down?
DG: No, not yet.