30 from 30. The people who helped shape the industry and Campaign Brief: Gordon Dawson

June 23 2014, 9:58 am | BY Martin Trevaskis | 4 Comments

GordonDawson_1988_BLOG.jpgFor Campaign Brief WA’s 30th anniversary, over the thirty days of June we’re looking back on 30 people who helped shape the industry and us.

There’s a generation of creatives who learnt their craft from a generation of creatives who learnt their craft from Gordon Dawson. The first President of the PADC and a lifelong support of the Club, Dawson is the Godfather of Creativity in WA advertising.

When Campaign Brief started he was Creative Director at McCann Erickson, when that agency was arguably at its peak. For as long as we’ve been around then, he’s had a presence as one of WA advertising’s most revered characters. His seemingly effortless, casual style belied a commitment to good writing and strong ideas. For Dawson, that was what the industry was about and all that really mattered.

He was and is a generous educator, always willing to help young and aspiring creatives find their way in the business. Besides mentoring them in his agencies, latterly he has taught for many years at ECU.

As well as McCanns, Dawson also spent several years as CD of Adlink. When he left that agency in 1998 to freelance, a young writer there named Mick Colliss, now a partner at Cooch Creative, wrote a letter to CB that captured Dawson’s unique style and influence:

I’d heard of Gordon Dawson long before I’d heard of Bill Bernbach, which is a pretty good indication of Gordy’s standing in Perth’s advertising industry. He was the consummate Creative Director – always willing to throw out my ideas and make me start again, always keen to talk about rugby and always happy to sit and solve the world’s problems over a couple of beers.

He taught me where to put apostrophes, what to take on TVC shots (a deckchair and a copy of The Australian) and how to nap at my desk when it all gets too much. So even though he’s a bastard for leaving me without a full time hero at Adlink, I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Gordy for his contribution and guidance, and wish him well in his new career as Gordon Dawson Advertising.

Campaign Brief was lucky enough to have him as a regular contributor for five years from 1999 to 2004 with his ‘How To Survive In Advertising’ column. With his characteristic and unmatched wit, Dawson showed his keen awareness of the industry’s absurdities and sense of its own self-importance, but also his great regard and fondness for it.

When Campaign Brief compiles the invitations for our annual Legendary Lunch, Gordon Dawson is always at the top of the list.