Lee Mullally |
 |
What attracted you to Ovation?
The genuine fun that I saw from day one and that I continue to see every day – no matter how busy, no matter how stressful, this place always maintains an atmosphere of fun.What got you started in advertising?
Growing up in the TV generation. As a kid, I watched a lot of TV. Don’t get me wrong, I was involved in a lot of other things, too, but I watched a heckuva lot of TV. Even at 3 and 4, I was reciting TV commercials and then starting to observe other forms of advertising – such as print and outdoor. I’m sure I learned to read that way. I was hooked early. I still remember going with my folks to purchase their first Volkswagen Beetle and listening to the salesman. After he was done, I could point out every feature in the car and thought how cool that was. I thought, “I could pitch things.” That’s when I remember my dad laying the foundation for what would later become a key skill in my career. When I spewed forth the fact that front seat belts in that Beetle were shoulder belts (a new thing in the early ’70s), I remember my father asking me why that was important. After I thought about it I told him it was because it was safer and it would protect you and mom (I never got to ride in the front seat!). Years later it dawned on me…hey, that’s what trips people’s triggers – the benefits and what they get out of it.How do you come up with ideas and solutions for clients?
I immerse myself in their brand, wearing the hat of their customer. That’s why having a broad base of interests and a willingness to try new things (new life experiences) goes a long way in coming up with ideas for our clients. Sometimes it involves a lot of imagination, other times it’s easier. I used to work with a do-it-yourself retailer where I could come to the table with new ideas every day because I was their audience. I knew what would make the brand appeal to me and the ideas came easily. On the other side of the coin, we recently did some work for a home fragrance/candle company. I am not their audience. But my wife is…she’s a candle junkie. And over the years, I’ve watched and observed her and have a pretty good understanding of the behaviors and influences on her decisions and perceptions of similar brands. Plus, she’s turned me on to using candles to decorate and to create moods – both visually and aromatically. So by “living” it, so to speak, I was able to generate ideas. The key is having an open mind and one that is always questioning.What makes a great brand?
Customers who are fiercely loyal and emotionally connected to it. The key is figuring out how to get customers to behave like that.What catalogs do you most admire?
Being a copywriter I’d have to say The J. Peterman Company, right? “It was a day of irrepressible heat – like that of a windowless Burmese bothan with the sun’s mid-day rays searing down on its weathered roof.” Sorry, I digress. Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Sundance…to me, those catalogs are works of art.What was growing up like for you?
I had a great childhood. Now being a father and raising two children of my own, I realize creating an environment where my son and daughter can say the same thing in 20 years, is no easy task. My parents were (and still are!) two of the greatest people on the face of this earth. They equipped me so well for life. I was an only child and they did everything with me. Camping, sitting down to the dinner table every night, family vacations, attending every baseball and basketball game I ever played in…they showed me what it means to be committed to a family. But part of that commitment also entailed two incomes and both of them working, so I was a latchkey kid. Even then, they were there teaching me – knowing exactly how much rope to give me. I learned how to be independent and fend for myself. And it also gave me time to “get lost in my own mind.” That’s where I think the creative spark was kindled. Aside from my family, I was your traditional suburban kid. Had lots of great friends, mowed lawns to earn money, played sports, rode bikes on trails we made in vacant lots (remember when there were vacant lots?), even tried jumping off the roof with a garbage bag to test the concept of parachuting. Stuff like that.Who was a big influence in your career?
Two teachers in high school. One was my journalism teacher, Bonnie Wright. She gave me a lot of latitude and really encouraged me to pursue writing as a career. She showed me how to make it fun, engaging and how motivating the written word could be. She was absolutely wonderful. The other teacher, who will remain nameless, was a language arts teacher who told me, in so many words, “Lee, your writing sucks.” I guess she motivated me to prove her wrong and to wind up making a living doing what I loved. I recently saw Mrs. Wright at my 20-year high school reunion. She’s still teaching journalism, still as positive as ever, and she wore an ear-to-ear grin when I told her about my career. I never saw or heard from my language arts teacher after high school. I heard she had been “forced” out of teaching. Wonder why? I made one proud and got revenge on the other one!What was “your finest moment,” the thing you’re most proud of?
No question, the birth of my son. To know that I helped create something so wonderful is magical. I was right there when he was born and even though the doctors in the delivery room told me to back off, I wasn’t listening. It paid off. His little eyes popped open and I was the first person he saw in his new world. We’ve had a special bond ever since.What was your most embarrassing moment in this business?
I was at a client meeting at their offices and was returning to my seat. I wasn’t watching what I was doing. Actually, I was trying to maintain eye contact with a client who was talking to me. I sat down and when I pulled my chair up to the table, I whacked my knee on a metal table leg. It was the kind of pain where you feel your eyes start to water. For a split second, all vision and memory of where I was went out the window and I let out a series of expletives usually reserved for banging your thumb with a hammer. After I said it, I thought, “oh no, what have I done.” Without blinking, the client said, “hurts, doesn’t it.” We all had a good laugh afterwards as it seems I wasn’t the first one who had ever done that.Is there a great client story you’d care to share?
I was assigned to a client whose product line was highly technical. They had used other copywriters in the past with mixed results. For whatever reason – whether the past writers just couldn’t grasp the technological aspect or the chemistry between the writer and the client wasn’t there – the client was a little apprehensive having a new copywriter assigned to their account. I was a little nervous as well, knowing that to really quell their fears, I had to deliver copy that was dead on. During the initial pass of the first project I was on, we met with the client, presented the creative and then silence from the client. When they finally said something it was music to our ears. Loved the creative, loved the copy and it was good to go, as is. Since then, the relationship has grown and flourished. The best client stories are the ones when you’ve really satisfied a need for the client and you gain their trust.What’s your biggest pet peeve?
I could have been Jerry Seinfeld’s twin. “What’s the deal with…?” I’ve got so many pet peeves. Thank goodness I was checked out for obsessive/compulsive. Drivers who don’t use their turn signals. People that don’t wipe down the machines at the gym after they use them. Golfers who take more than two practice swings. The little “9/10th” in the price of a gallon of gas. I need to write a book.What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about advertising?
That really good advertising is more process than the lightning bolt of an idea. It’s not that lightning bolts don’t happen, but when they do, they are usually the result of some past groundwork that’s all part of the process.What talent do you wish you had?
Auto repair. I’m pretty handy and self-sufficient in everyday life. I’ve replaced hot water heaters and toilets. I’ve rewired electrical panels. I’ve built room additions. I sew. I cook. I refinish furniture. I can take apart a computer and put it back together again and have it work. I’m a fairly decent horticulturist. But when it comes to cars…I am absolutely worthless. I know where the gas goes, but after that – forget it.If you had to live on a desert island, what would you miss most?
Interaction with people.What are your plans for after advertising?
I would love to be able to play golf every day. I enjoy volunteering and helping kids so if I could do that, that would be awesome. I’ve been a Cub Scout/Boy Scout Leader for several years and going into a council management would be great. And travel. I figure when the time comes to put the pen down, the kids will be grown and gone. I’d love to knock around the world with my wife.Is there any food that helps you think more creatively?
Does coffee count? Believe it or not, I’m at my best right after I’ve had a heart-stopping, artery-clogging breakfast. Over-easy eggs fried in bacon grease, a whole pound of bacon, sausage gravy and biscuits, and cheese grits. Of course, washed down with about six cups of coffee.What’s your favorite sports team?
The University of Florida Fighting Gator football team. I’ve been a season ticket holder since college and never miss a home game. I used to hawk Cokes at Florida Field when I was in middle school just so I could get into the games for free. I’d sell a tray and then go find a seat. My favorite song is “We are the Boys from Ol’ Florida,” sung between the third and fourth quarters of every home game. I was married on the University of Florida campus. My only tattoo is a Fighting Florida Gator. When I get a cut, I bleed orange and blue.What can’t you live without?
My family, coffee and gummy bears.If you could spend a day with any person, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
Elvis. I would have loved to be on tour with him during his hey-day just to see what that experience was like. I’m not a huge Elvis fan, but to understand the whole Elvis experience I think would make an interesting study in marketing because he was a brand in himself.What driving career goals do you still have?
To write and direct a television spot that I hear people in the grocery store talking about.What’s your point of view about politics?
Charity begins at home. You need to take responsibility for your own life. Don’t blame others for your shortcomings and then make the rest of us pay. If you smoke cigarettes and develop lung cancer, I feel bad for you…but not bad enough to foot the legal bills for lawyers attempting to get you large sums of money because you knew better. Justice should be swift and absolute. Now I’m not saying Middle Eastern countries have the right idea, but the penalties for theft and rape seem to fit the crime. When someone threatens my liberties and my family’s safety they ought to get a boot you know where. Now do you know where I stand?Do you have any pets?
When I got married, not only did I get a wife and a daughter, but for the first time in my life, I got a cat, Rafiki. All my life I have been a dog person, but due to travel and other constraints on my time, the last 10 years of my life have been “petless.” I’ve never really been crazy about cats, but Rafiki has grown on me – much for the same reason I always liked dogs. Because no matter what kind of day you’ve had or who has yelled at you, there’s always someone glad to see you at home.What do you do for a good time when you’re not working?
Golf and do-it-yourself projects around the house. If I’m not committed to fixing something or getting in a round, you’ll find me in or around the water. I can spend the entire day either at the beach reading my latest book, or diving and spearfishing and being happy as a clam.Do you have any kids?
Two of the best…a ten-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter. They keep me young and connected to youth. Watching them gives me new perspectives, which is always good to have in advertising. Sometimes they’ll give me an idea with something that comes out of their mouths.What advertising do you most admire?
In print, I love the Absolut Vodka ads...that’s branding at its best. As for broadcast, I’m a sucker for anything that makes me laugh. That’s why the Anheuser-Busch spots usually strike a chord. The recent Burger King spots done by Crispin Porter are a perfect example. The first time I saw them, I laughed my ass off. Also, being a copywriter, I love it when a spot can tell a story in 30 seconds. There are some holiday spots done by the grocer Publix that are excellent and not a single word is spoken. Oh, and of course, the HP spots by SGP…who wouldn’t marvel at the effects and sit and watch those in a wow-induced trance.What are your favorite Internet sites?
I looked in “My favorites” on Explorer to get a take on what I was visiting and it was pretty boring stuff. My bank, my Yahoo e-mail account, the Palm Beach County Appraiser’s Office (to see what my neighbors are paying in taxes), and weather.com, just to name a few. I use the Internet so much for information. But some of the other sites I enjoy are the ones that get me in and out quickly with either a purchase or information. OfficeDepot.com, QVC.com, and Lowes.com come to mind. Not the most attractive ones, but effective.If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Australia. I’ve always been fascinated with the culture and the incredible variety of scenery within one country. I would love to experience that. Plus, it has some great diving spots that I’d like to check out. I’d also like to visit Ireland and look up the Mullally clan and take in a few rounds of golf on the links-style courses over there.