Express Yourself
Keeping people happy is one of the best ways to keep them creative, according to Warren Dunn.
Don't we all wish we could be "creatives"? It sounds like fun. It looks like fun. And, according to Hodes' Southern Region creative director, Warren Dunn, it's the most fun he's ever had.
But, as one may expect, there's a dark side. Or, better said, a blank side. In fact, until you've tried this work, you can never fully appreciate how stressful it can be to look at a blank sheet of paper or an empty screen.
Pressure? At any given time, this team is drilling on 20-25 creative projects with deadlines that may exceed a day. Luxury is a couple of weeks. Most days, tomorrow, is considered a lot of time.
New beginnings and fast turnarounds come with the territory. So, a creative leader has to bring plenty of “something” to help the process run smoothly. And Warren brings a Texas-sized sense of humor.
From his first years with an Atlanta consumer advertising agency through to his seven years with Hodes, Warren has brought his better side to work every day. He encourages his team to stay in touch with their wild and wacky selves.
Warren took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to chat with us
Q. So, you always wanted to be an ad guy?
A. Not quite. When you're a kid, you're either going to be drawn to sports or not. And, if you're not drawn to sports, what fills your time? For me, it was arts and crafts, and reading and creating things. It was my Dad who actually put the idea in my head. Because when I first said to him, “Hey, I want to be a doctor," he went along. But, dads being dads and knowing everything in the world, he knew my math abilities were just terrible.
So, I pursued the pre-med thing all the way through college actually, and when I finally had the epiphany in some Calculus 8 course, where my eyes were just crossing and I said, “I can't do this any more,” it was my Dad who suggested, “Maybe you should switch and go into advertising, because you were always so clever with the words.”
Q. And how did you end up in recruitment?
A. If you're going to work in our business, you kind of stumble upon it, because it's certainly not taught in the schools and no one ever knows about it.
I got my start in product advertising. After completing the University of Texas advertising program, I went to Atlanta and got my foot in the door at a very nice, mid-sized shop. After two years in the business, I thought I hated advertising. I left my job. But I wasn't quite ready to totally call it quits.
So, I started freelancing, and one of my freelance accounts was a recruitment agency. When a position opened up there, they offered it to me and I took it, and that's how I got into the world of recruitment advertising.
Q. How does it compare?
A. Well, I think our colleagues from the consumer side may not agree, but I really think it's harder. I think it's more pressure, I think the budgets are smaller--they're definitely smaller--the turnaround times are faster, yet the level of creativity still has to be there.
So you're trying to do more on less, faster, so that equates to, I think, certainly more pressure.
Q. Ah yes, pressure. And what does the doctor prescribe?
A. Yeah, well, you know what they say. I guess we all have to have a certain amount of humor and laugh at ourselves in this business because it's crazy. Anyone in the advertising industry can honestly tell you, it is a nutty business.
Advertising agencies are really special places. You're surrounded by very bright people, there's a lot of strong egos, there's a lot of creativity flowing around, and people need to express themselves.
You spend so much time at work, you've got to laugh. You've got to laugh at yourself and what you're doing--not in a disrespectful way, but in a healthy way--so you can kind of deal with the stress and laugh along with your brethren in arms to say, “We're in this thing together,” and you've got to get through it.
Q. Introducing Warren's funny bone.
A. (Laughs) Look, we spend more time at work than we do at home. It's got to be a place where you can be yourself. So, even though you're working a bunch, you can still relax in the sense that you can be yourself.
Working in an ad agency is very different from what you find at most of our clients' companies. In our office, toys are everywhere. We have two guinea pigs, Chickee and Rocko. They wear tiny hats and sunglasses. It's kind of mayhem, but it's a good mayhem.
Q. If your clients could see you now.
A. Oh, I'd love it if a client could be a fly on the wall and see what we're doing to help create messages for them. That even though we're having a great time, it helps us develop a stronger product in the end. It's a magical process.
In fact, I think if clients saw a little bit more into what happens--how we go at it--it would shed some light on things. They would better understand why we're suggesting a certain headline or a certain illustration style, or something that's really going to make the piece unique and help them be unique.
Q. And that must be tough. Doing something unique and special for so many clients with similar profiles?
A. Yes, but there's always something to grab on to. Maybe it's the product the people produce. Maybe it's the benefits they can all experience together. There's got to be something where we can take a common ground, and then branch out and make it unique and specific.
Because that's really what we're doing when we're building a brand. We're helping them put their unique voice or thumbprint on their company and their recruiting message.
Q. You're speaking about the employer brand?
A. Sure. It's the brand promise where I'd really want to focus. When you're dealing with that brand--I mean, we deal in recruitment with a lot of vertical markets, for example, health care facilities. All hospitals are caring. Right? So why would you want to work at caring hospital A more than caring facility B or C or D or E?
It's all because of the tone, the look, the feel--it's all on that brand promise. In each case, it needs to be distinctive and different. I think if the client and the agency really understand where we're coming from in helping to create that point of difference, that uniqueness, that's how you get a really strong product.
Q. And how do you approach this as a team?
A. Well, no one's working in a vacuum. We have creative brainstorming meetings that often include the account folks. I think the worst thing you can do is have someone just hole themselves up in their office and close the door. I mean, there's a time and a place for everything, but when you collaborate, you share ideas and bounce stuff off each other, it really becomes a more robust product.
Take a look at my Seven Secrets to a Happy, Healthy Workplace. Look at number four.
Q. Express yourself?
A. Right. This is what creative people are all about. You express yourself in how you dress, in your environment, and obviously, in your work.
For dress, again, it's going to vary from environment to environment, but, personally, if I'm not seeing a client, I'm dressed for the beach. You've got to be comfy. So that might include flip-flops, it might include shorts; again, whatever your personal environment can tolerate, I say go for it.
Speaking of environment, I've got an art director with a collection of world masks on the wall and this goldfish in a bowl that looks like a blender. You can walk into my office and warm yourself by my fake fireplace with crackling wood. Whatever space you have, you need to make it your own, because most likely, you're going to be spending a hell of a lot of time there.
Expressing yourself in your work is also key because you've got to be passionate about what you do. Life's too short to do something you don't love. I happen to be lucky that I found recruitment advertising, and I love building brands and giving companies a voice. I think, whatever you do, you've got to be excited about it. And that's essential to being happy at work.
Q. Oh, look at the time, it's October already.
A. I know. In October, Halloween is a big thing for us. We go all out. We have a costume contest. We dress up. The agency buys us lunch. We gorge ourselves on candy. And, kids, clients or vendors, they're more than welcome to come, too, and we just have a really good time.
Last year, a professional photographer used us for her portfolio. That was really, really cool.
Q. What can we expect from Warren this year?
A. I would never tell. But honestly, the jury's still out.
So, you'll have to see the photos. (pauses)
I'm sure we'll have photos.
Warren B. Dunn is the Southern Region creative director at Bernard Hodes Group. Having developed campaigns for some of the country's biggest brands, Warren is well versed in every medium of recruitment marketing, from television to print. His creative kingdom extends throughout seven Hodes offices, and includes an award-winning team of art directors, writers and production pros. Warren has been in recruitment advertising for nine years, after a few years of working and freelancing on the product agency side. A graduate of the University of Texas' advertising program, he dreams of the day when recruitment gets the glory it deserves.
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