The (advertising) world according to Matthew Bull
Adman Matthew Bull, on a short visit to SA, talks to the Financial Mail about what he thinks is broken in advertising and discusses his new venture — a profit-sharing collective of top creative talent
To say SA advertising veteran Matthew Bull is disillusioned with the global network agency model would be an understatement.And he should know: he’s been in the belly of the beast for years since relocating to New York and working on some of the world’s biggest brands.Bull contends that 90% of fees paid by clients go towards servicing the account in a never-ending rotation of "meaningless meetings and dialogue", and the remainder on ideas, creative output and talent. It should be the other way around, he believes.The larger-than-life Bull was a leading figure on the local stage before selling his Lowe Bull agency a few years ago and moving countries. During a quick visit home this week, he spoke about his new venture, SoloUnion, a profit-sharing collective of top creative talent around the world, and about what he believes is broken in dvertising."The network agency system is now all about consolidation, billable hours and [it is] one increasingly based on profit by all means befor...
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