Creative Director, VP
TAXI

If you’ve been in any of the award shows this year, you would have noticed TAXI’s creatives walking up and down and up and down and up and down the awards podium.

Do these guys practice in their office ‘Stairmaster’? They went up so many times they run out of speeches to say.

Pick up the 2003 Comm Arts Advertising Annual and guess who has the most entries? Pick up the latest copy of the Applied Arts Advertising Annual and the index page looks like this Taxi: 2, 15, 31, 42, 55, 66, 77, 102, 122, 124, 125….

How can they win so much? Many people in the industry think that answer is Zak.

Zak Mroueh, who once held the title of mail boy at Saatchi & Saatchi, has definitely moved up the ranks and was last seen accepting the title of Strategy’s Creative Director of the Year. His creative leadership has been key in making TAXI not just the hottest shop to hire, but to work for.

The secret to his success? Converting his dreams into his goals and being determined enough to pursue them.

ihaveanidea: How did you get from being the mail boy at Saatchi & Saatchi to one of Canada’s top creative directors?

Mroueh: Basically, from the beginning, I had a strategy. I knew where I wanted to be, and I knew what I wanted to accomplish. I went to the library and read all the back issues of Marketing. I learnt about all the people in advertising in the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s. At this point, I didn’t even have a real portfolio. After my first few interviews, creative directors were more impressed with my knowledge and enthusiasm for the business than my actual book. Then, after every interview I’d go home and refine my ideas.

I also read every book on the business that I could get my hands on. I’d get really excited reading about a great campaign and how the creative team visited the factory, learned about the product. That’s what I got off on. You know, the whole 60′s, ‘Creative Renaissance’ lead by Bill Bernbach.

As I was starting to put a book together, I saw an ad for a job in the Saatchi mailroom. I thought, ‘A lot of great advertising writers got their start in the mailroom. So why not me?’

All my friends were telling me, ‘that’s terrible, you’re selling yourself short.’ Of course, I didn’t listen. I took the job and worked there for three weeks. It was really interesting to observe how an agency runs and to see how creative people work together. Working in the mailroom, you really get to see people’s true colours. In fact, some of those bastards are now calling me for jobs [laughing].

After my short stint in the mailroom, I took a job in direct response at Sears. I worked there for a year and I loved the fact that I could immediately see the results of my work. I learned a lot about what sells and what doesn’t.

“Of course, one thing I need to learn from Paul is to let go. At this point in time, I’m still a little bit of a control freak.”

ihaveanidea: What would you say was your first big break as a writer?

Mroueh: The first was probably working for Michael Paul at SMW advertising (now Publicis). At the time, SMW was one of the country’s best shops, known especially for its print work. It was a great experience for me and a lot of great talent came out of that agency during its heyday.

At SMW, I teamed up with Rich Buceta (art director) and we had a great partnership. We moved together to Chiat Day in ’92. Back then, it was the only agency in the country that I wanted to work for.

ihaveanidea: How did you end up at BBDO two times?

Mroueh: Well, after a while, my partner and I got tired of the pace at ‘Chiat/Day and night’ as it was then called (laughs). We were lured to Mckim/Baker Lovick/BBDO (now BBDO) by Larry Tolpin who got us really excited about the future prospects of this recently merged agency. We had a really good run there, but then I started to get a little antsy.

“Most of all, my children inspire me creatively. Looking at life through their eyes makes me feel like a kid again.”

ihaveanidea: Where’d you end up next?

Mroueh: Next step for me was to work abroad. And so I got a job at McCann Manchester. It was an amazing experience to work overseas. I teamed up with a fantastic partner. A guy named Dave Price. In fact, he was recently voted one of the UK’s top ten art directors. Working with Dave was a great experience. I worked on pan-european accounts and my wife and I got to do loads of traveling.

Two years later, Larry Tolpin lured me back to BBDO. This time around, I teamed up with Scott Dube from Grip. We did some great work together. Five months before I left BBDO, I teamed up with Dave Houghton who was also a great partner.

ihaveanidea: You were doing a lot of award-winning work at BBDO. What made you go to Taxi?

Mroueh: I’ve always used my gut instinct when it comes to both career and creative decisions. Something about Taxi just felt right. I instantly clicked with Paul Lavoie and all the partners at Taxi. Paul and I had similar sensibilities and the same winning attitude. I remember Paul saying to me, “Canada is for the taking.”And I said, “What about being the best in the world!”He thought I was a little cocky. I think going to Taxi was one of the best career moves I’ve ever made. A lot of people told me I was crazy to leave the cushy job I had at BBDO. But the great thing about Taxi is, I’ve been given the opportunity to affect the agency and the agency, in turn, has affected me. Because of Taxi’s strength in areas such as design and integrated branding, I feel like I’ve grown as creative person. It’s a truly symbiotic relationship.

ihaveanidea: How do you feel about awards?

Mroueh: I want to be clear that I am not embarrassed about winning awards. But what people may not realize about a so-called “award-winning”agency like ours is that we encourage our creative teams to get involved with really understanding the business problems first and foremost.

I tell our creatives not to focus or worry about winning awards, but instead to challenge conventional ways of thinking about a problem. We imply call it creating the “next big thing”or entering our “Sgt.Pepper”phase. I’m a Beatles fan after all (laughs) This is simply a dedication and commitment to creating ideas and ways of thinking about messaging that break conventions, that are a little radical and could one day revolutionize the industry. We haven’t done it yet, but that’s the goal. It’s certainly a more exciting prospect than winning another award.

ihaveanidea: What’s something that fits this bill for you?

Mroueh: Today, I’d say it’s the thinking behind BMW films. From yesteryear, I’d pick DDB’s “lemon”and “think small.”Basically, for thirty years after those ads ran, creative folks kept copying the style. That’s pretty incredible when you think about it.

ihaveanidea: What do you think are the weaknesses of Canadian creatives?

Mroueh: Actually, I think there are some incredibly talented people in this country. But you know what? There aren’t enough ‘truly creative’ people in this business. Most writers and art directors learn how to follow the ad ‘formulas.’ That’s the weakness. Advertising annuals are partly to blame I think. You know, the work all starts to look the same. Sure, you can try to break ideas down to a science, but I think that leads to solutions that aren’t very inspired. Mind you, everyone has their own way of working.

ihaveanidea: You apparently ask all your creative teams to give you one “career-defining”campaign a year. Could you elaborate?

Mroueh: To me, a career-defining campaign is an idea that solves the problem in a fresh, original way. It’s an idea that is on strategy. A career-defining campaign also must have that magic quality that would stop the target dead in its tracks. Something that would stop everyone on the street and make them say “Hey, did you see that ad for Flow, or that MINI on a wall.”

Once we’ve achieved all this, the second part of the puzzle is when the media covers the campaign. It becomes part of pop culture. Articles are written about the campaign. Consumers love it, the press loves it, clients love it.

And finally, getting back to your awards question, if a campaign meets all the above criteria, chances are the industry will recognize it. But if the industry doesn’t award it, that’s perfectly okay. I’d rather have a campaign that the consumer loves, rather than a campaign an awards jury loves. The Telus campaign is a good example of this. It’s never won an advertising award, but it’s still a career-defining campaign that’s helped define an entire company.

ihaveanidea: Taxi is extremely successful. Do you find that there is more envy in the industry than admiration?

Mroueh: I’m not sure. There will always be jealous people who want you to fail. And there will always be those who are rooting for you. I hear mostly good feedback from people in the industry. You know, our philosophy is not to be number one in Canada, it’s to be number two. That way, we can focus our energy on being the best in the world. Everyone loves the underdog.

ihaveanidea: How do you explain winning 2001 Marketing Agency of the year and 2002 Strategy Agency of the Year?

Mroueh: I’m disappointed. Obviously, we were off brief.

ihaveanidea: Where do you see Taxi in 10 years?

Mroueh: We’d like be known internationally as the premiere creative company in the world. Clients will come to Taxi for our international creative expertise in solving problems in a manner that is unlike any other agency in the world. It won’t matter that we’re based in Toronto.

“I love spotting talent and seeing them develop into the future stars of our business.”

ihaveanidea: Are creative people scared?

Mroueh: Sure, fear can hold back a lot of talented creative people. But I think laziness is a bigger problem. A team will come up with their first idea and then go home because they’re ‘done’. As a creative director, my job is to ensure that teams don’t fall into that trap. At Taxi, the teams work really hard to find that magic solution. The biggest challenge for me is knowing when to say ‘yes, it’s great’ or ‘no, you’re not there.’

ihaveanidea: On hiring:

Mroueh: There are two ways to build a creative department. One is to hire the teams that are doing all the work that everyone’s already talking about. The only problem with that is sometimes after a little success, some creatives let their egos get in the way. They start to believe everything they do is brilliant. The other way is to find people who are working in less than ideal creative environments, but have the hunger and desire to do great work. These are the unknown quantities. I love spotting talent and seeing them develop into the future stars of our business. It’s a real thrill. The sad part is, eventually they leave. But then the cycle begins again and you have to go back to the well and replenish with fresh talent. Either way, the most important thing is finding people who’ll be the right fit at our agency.

“I tell our creatives not to focus or worry about winning awards, but instead to challenge conventional ways of thinking about a problem.”

ihaveanidea: How do you know?

Mroueh: It’s simple really. Never, ever base it purely on the portfolio. And especially not on awards won. Sure, the portfolio is important, but I always look beyond the actual ads. First and foremost, I want to make sure that the writer has the ability to write. It seems obvious, but the truth is, a lot of writers can’t write. Same goes for art directors. I probe in interviews to ensure the art director has the ability to art direct. For example, if the portfolio is full of stock shots with a logo in the corner, I’m not impressed. I like hiring Art Directors who, beyond coming up with great ideas, enjoy the craftsmanship and have a great eye for type and art direction.

ihaveanidea: What would you say is the difference with the Canadian industry now compared to twelve years ago when you were a junior at SMW?

Mroueh: I think there’s a lot more confidence within the industry that we can compete with the worlds best. Americans believe they are the best and so do the British. Here in Canada, we are slowly starting to think we can play in the big leagues. Agencies like Palmer Jarvis have helped take Canadian advertising to another level internationally.

Canada also has this collective of people who want to do great things for our industry. A lot of people are excited about putting us on the map. There are a dozen or so Creative directors I can think of who talk about international standards. Ten years ago, my perception was that we were too localized.

ihaveanidea: What’s your opinion of award shows like the Advertising Club and the Lotus Awards not being judged by Canadians?

Mroueh: Ideally, yes, we should be using Canadian judges. We’re completely capable of judging our own work. But that’s not always the fairest, most objective way to judge. Having outsiders gets rid of all the politics.

ihaveanidea: How do you keep up creatively outside Taxi?

Mroueh: I play guitar. I love to cook. I find it very creative. I play volleyball. I suck at it, but I am working on that. I love watching movies. Most of all, my children inspire me creatively. Looking at life through their eyes makes me feel like a kid again. And just observing everyday life keeps the creative juices flowing. You know, reading the paper, watching the news, observing how people interact in everyday life. A few years ago, I did a year of Second City Improv in the evenings. That was amazing because you’re forced to generate ideas literally in seconds. After that a two-hour deadline to come up with an ad, seems quite reasonable.

ihaveanidea: You mentioned Paul. What are your thoughts on him? He seems to have given you free rein at Taxi.

Mroueh: Paul’s brilliance is that he realized that in order to grow the agency, he had to empower others. Paul put me in place and set me up to win. He’s incredibly inspiring and you want to make the guy proud. We’ve learned a lot from each other. He can wear many hats. He’s both a brilliant creative guy and industry leader. I’d say he’s one of the few remaining mavericks in this country.

Just look at this agency compared to others that started around the same time. A lot of those agencies still have the same number of people and the work hasn’t evolved.

Of course, one thing I need to learn from Paul is to let go. At this point in time, I’m still a little bit of a control freak. But I’m working on it (laughs). Paul is also the first to credit the success of the agency with his other partners. Jane Hope (Taxi co-founder/CD design) and Heather Fraser (Managing Partner/Planning Director) are both brilliant in their own right.

ihaveanidea: Did you ever dream about having your own agency?

Mroueh: I once did, and you know what? I have it. No, I didn’t start this agency, but I feel the creative product is a reflection of me and the agency that we’ve built. I’m really proud to be here. Taxi has become a family to me. I feel ownership in where we’re going. It’s an incredibly exciting time in the agency’s evolution.

Interview by:
Ignacio Oreamuno
President
ihaveanidea