Interview: Prentice Howe

October, 2007

Prentice Howe is the creative director at the Austin agency Door Number 3. He was previously senior copywriter at Ignited LA. Past account experience includes Anheuser-Busch, Petmate and Loyola Marymount University Athletics. His work has received numerous industry awards and is routinely featured in both national and international industry publications. While living in Los Angeles, he co-authored four screenplays and a children’s animated series.

You’ve worked in California and now in Texas. In terms of creativity, what is the difference between these two states? Do they have completely opposing advertising sensibilities?

There was a time when California had the edge. The work was fresher and more relevant. But now, half the people I work with in Austin have worked in either New York or California. Talented people are choosing location first, job second; which means if you’re living in a desirable city, the talent pool will continue to diversify, and the work is going to find its way to the national stage.

Is the online experience making print advertising less relevant?

Definitely. Every client that comes through our doors wants more of an online presence. And that budget is often pulled from print.

Is there a danger that clients will increasingly appeal directly to the consumer via sites like Myspace and Youtube? That someday the agencies will no longer be perceived as custodians of the brand and perhaps in time will be eliminated from the marketing process?

Maybe, but the pendulum will swing back. Merely having a presence on these kinds of sites doesn’t mean your messaging will resonate or produce results. Much of what you see is fleeting. Something gets hits and then?poof?it’s yesterday’s news once the next cool thing is uploaded. Smart marketers realize that sustained branding requires a more holistic and long-term approach. Having said this, ad agencies need to be humble enough to adapt and embrace a few rule changes brought on by the democratization of technology. Like recognizing that content is often more important than the production value. A great idea can be poorly produced and still adored.

What’s the best professional experience you’ve ever had with a photographer?

We hired Andy Anderson and Jim Erickson for a weeklong job in Naples, Florida. It was for the same client but they each had different assignments. When they showed up, neither one knew the other would be there. I wish I could have bottled the competitiveness in the air. At the end of each shoot day, someone from each crew would figure out a way to snag a few stray Polaroids from the other guy, just to check in on the progress. In the end it made for better work. It’s a strategy I highly recommend.

What do you look for in photographers that you hire?

I want to see something in their portfolio that shows they have the skills to pull off the project, yet I want to make sure they’ve never done what we’re setting out to do. If the photo assignment feels repetitive to them, the hunger won’t be there and it’ll show in the work. And they have to be a good person. No one in our shop wants to spend five days on the plains of West Texas standing next to an ass.

What trends in print advertising would you like to see more/less of?

More creative use of space (à la Mini Cooper). Less drug advertising with smiling baby boomers riding two-seater bikes.

Is there one American brand that is in dire need of an image makeover? If so, what kind of print campaign would you put together to revive this brand?

American Automobile Association (AAA). This is a meaningful brand to my parents’ generation but not to ours. I’d infuse some youth, push their services and sell it as a bona fide club. And I’d probably do something to cement that red logo with the three A’s into peoples’ minds. It’s so bad, it’s good.

What print campaigns over the last couple of years have made you say to yourself, “I wish I thought of that”?

Happens all the time. Three that stick out are: Bozell’s poster campaign for Adorama Camera (Nikon), “The World’s Greatest Pictures;” Wieden + Kennedy’s “Nothing is the Same After You Run” campaign for Nike Running; and The Martin Agency’s campaign for “A More Perfect Union,” dealing with bias.

You’ve worked with a huge variety of clients. What makes a good client? Are they becoming more demanding than, say, five years ago?

Good clients trust and empower their agency. They’re the ones who understand that advertising must make an emotional connection with the consumer?not fulfill their own biases.

I don’t think clients are more demanding, but because of technology, the process definitely is. Digital cameras, Blackberries and FedEx create an environment in which we’re all expected to deliver photo selects faster, respond to client e-mails on Saturdays or tighten our production timelines. And when you’re talking about the creative process, speed isn’t always a good thing.

What are your three favorite Web sites?

wikipedia.org, theonion.com, youtube.com.