If you were thinking with some relief that you hadn’t heard a peep out of me, your good times are over. I’m back.
I came over to Washington where an absurdly clever and unfeasibly successful young man called Yanik Silver is holding an event which has been attended by about 400 people.
He and I have corresponded in a desultory way for a couple of years, always meaning to meet but never managing it, so he suggested I pop along to his big thrash. Then yesterday afternoon he suddenly suggested I do a talk, which I did this morning to a somewhat hungover audience.
When I finished they were so relieved they stood up and applauded. This was deeply satisfying, because the last two times I’ve been here things have not gone quite according to plan. Once someone arranged for me to speak but neglected (as far as I can recall) to invite anyone, so I found myself in a hotel room holding my dick, as the saying goes.
The other time I was invited to an event at the White House and got so drunk over lunch I never made it. Brilliant, Drayton.
Besides having a very forgiving audience, Yanik has had some very good speakers here. One, Bob Parsone, founded Godaddy.com – who run some of the best TV spots you can imagine every year during the Superbowl. Check one out: http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2006/01/godaddy-girl-superbowl-tv-commercials/. If you don’t like it, you’ve had a sense of humour bypass.
Yanik’s event has been themed around James Bond; I think my job was to show what happens if you have ten vodka martinis – shaken but not stirred – in quick succession and have to talk the next morning at 8 a. m.
Just kidding – and for those of you I met today who said nice things afterwards – thanks. It was a pleasure.
So that’s my news for today. Tomorrow evening, back to New York. Funnily enough, my old boss David Ogilvy worked in the secret service with Ian Fleming who wrote the Bond books, but who sounds as though he was a bit of a shit.
“The audience was so relieved they stood up and applauded.” LOL.
How was Bob Parson’s presentation by the way?
Frankly, I don’t find his commercials to be effective because they don’t focus on selling the domains or the unique benefits of his company.
It’s be interesting to know your point of view.
Be Well,
– Tian Yan
He came over as modest, funny and not slick.
Modesty works in a market where there is a lot of boasting. Everyone likes funny. Not being slick works in the same way that text e-mails and editorial-style ads work; they seem more sincere.
His ads work because when nobody else is saying anything and you say something memorably, how can you fail?