Elevation
As I stepped into the lift in top London ad agency, going up, there he was. Jack Wynne-Williams, mighty Chairman of "The Grocers of St James's", the agency that made the Mars Bar the behemoth it is today.
I was immediately overawed. Should I say something to the great man to 'make my mark', and what? "Morning, Jack", I started (first name terms... it was the ad business after all).
A positive grunt was his reply, followed by, "I like your tie!"
Wow!
"Thank you!" Say no more, Nev! The boss just confirmed that in advertising, appearance is everything!
- Category: True Stories Told As Fiction
- Tags: Masius Wynne-Williams = "The Grocers of St James's". Lift = elevator. Mars Bar = Milky Way in US.
12 comments add one below
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Neville Hunt about 8 years ago
Thanks Drew. It's all true, I was on cloud nine for weeks! (That's how trivial the ad business is! :-))
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Neville Hunt about 8 years ago
It was in the glory days of the business (not quite as far back as Mad Men though, Drew). Ties and natty suits, which was why blokes like me were called 'suits'. What a great job it was, fabulous lunches.... and the women!!! (off-limits for me of course as I already had the best one.)..and they paid you as well! :-)
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shaun about 8 years ago
From a simple moment, an entire industry laid bare.
Love the insight. -
Neville Hunt about 8 years ago
Thanks, Shaun.
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Christopher about 8 years ago
I'd like to see this tie!
Your story reminded me of a guy back in Liverpool named Gerry Marsden, who along with his brother had a band called the Mars Bars, but after complaints from that company changed their name to Gerry & The Pacemakers (and if I'm correct they're the second biggest group ever to come out of Liverpool. I wonder who the first was?).
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Neville Hunt about 8 years ago
Gerry now lives in a big house in the posh part of the Wirral Peninsula where my wife hails from. You have to take the Ferry Cross the Mersey to get there (or the tunnel), so he went across in the world.
Milky Way, to us, is the much inferior Mars Bar cousin, 3 Musketeers over your way, I believe. -
Christopher about 8 years ago
That's interesting. I didn't know that they were the first group in England to hit number one with their first three singles. Even The Beatles can't make that claim. And it wasn't repeated again until the 80's with Frankie Goes To Hollywood, who concidentally were also from Liverpool. Must be something in the Mersey water.
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Christopher about 8 years ago
And I see I misspelled coincidentally.
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Neville Hunt about 8 years ago
You're starting to sound like a real Anglophile, Christopher!
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shaun about 8 years ago
And I see I had to re-read concidently to realise it had been misspelt.
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Neville Hunt about 8 years ago
Don't you mean misspetl, Shaun.
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shaun about 8 years ago
Of coarse.