Jeff Goodby, Andy Berlin, and Rich Silverstein co-founded Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein in 1983.

In 1992, Berlin left the agency, and it was renamed Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. That’s also when Omnicom acquired the agency. On the sidelines of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, we had a quick chat with Goodby to understand how the agency now operates, its evolution, the role of Omnicom, and awards...

We are seeing a slew of independent start-ups being launched in advertising. How different was it to start an agency back in 1983 when you started Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein?

Like today, it was very dependent on getting press. There was no internet then, and the New York advertising press was used to writing only about advertising in New York and Chicago.

Suddenly, there was us in San Francisco, Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, and Fallon McElligott in Minneapolis. We were like the new rides at Disneyland.

Along with your agency, the others you listed were also named after the founders. That’s not happening now. When did this shift happen, and what do you think of it?

We considered not using our names. I’m really glad we didn’t do that eventually. Agency names have a way of getting old fast. Human names seem more eternal. That’s my hope.

Then came the acquisition in 1992. How was that different from the slew of acquisitions happening within advertising currently?

Ours was more about valuing the agency in the middle of a partner breakup. But the acquisition has worked out well.

How does the agency operate within the Omnicom ecosystem?

We are still very independent, especially in a creative sense. If you don’t like our stuff, you can’t blame our holding company, Omnicom.

What’s the agency’s view on awards? How have they helped it grow?

Awards are important to attract the best talent. If people aren’t being recognised at award shows, prospects wonder whether their work will be famous enough here. It’s good that some clients still care about awards, but the number is dwindling.

Some Indian advertising experts say that the industry isn’t as ‘sexy’ as it used to be. You agree?

There once was a lot more great advertising in front of the masses, out on the landscape. It had the effect of recruiting people at an early age. Our media is splintered now – we go down our rabbit holes. Print is much smaller, and the mass TV experiences are fewer and farther between. We recruit hard at colleges and run our own school, The Academy, to find people who wouldn’t otherwise go into advertising.

This article first appeared in the July issue of Manifest. Get your copy here.