10 minutes with Steve Hough

Each week Campaign Brief Asia sits down with a prominent creative talent from our region and gets to know them better. This week in this regular “10 Minutes With” column is Steve Hough, who this year moved back from Saatchi & Saatchi Vietnam to be Executive Creative Director of Y&R Malaysia.

What did you do before getting into advertising?

When i was 16 my father told me that the local Art College was full of people who did very little work and who only wanted to have a good time. Eureka! I’d found my perfect career path.

How did you first get into advertising as a career?

Back in the eighties I was doing a Graphic Design course in Manchester and came across a D&AD annual. It was full of great ads by John Webster, David Abbott and Dave Trott. It immediately struck me how comparatively boring graphics was and that I needed to escape to the murky world of Advertising, which was far more fun.   

Who gave you your first big break?

My first big break came when Paul Arden hired me to work at Saatchi’s London. 

What is your career highlight to date?

Probably the D&AD Yellow Pencil for the Economist Brain.

Your best ads/campaigns that you have been involved with?

Thecampaigns I’m most proud of are the Wonderbra “3D” ads, the Amnesty”Stamps” posters, and the Guinness “Greatness” campaign platform.

Wonderbra”3D” for me is a great example of simple visual thinking.  Most peopleview me as a headline writer but I prefer visual work, this is my mostoriginal example to date.

Amnesty I think we executed particularly well. It took months of work, but it was worth it.

I’malso proud of the Guinness “Greatness” concept. The heart of ourbusiness is about really big ideas and this was such a simple yetpowerful statement which became a global 360 degree platform.

You’ve worked in several countries in Asia. Which country do you prefer working in?

Singaporeis the easiest country to work in, by a long way. The systems areorganized and professional, and backed up with great suppliers. Incountries like Vietnam, it’s much more challenging to make great ads,but it was worth it as we did manage to pull in a few lions. 

Why did you move back to Malaysia?

I’dbeen quite happy with Saatchi’s, and was considering a move to anotherbig office in the network, but then Tony Granger and Marcus Rebeschiniapproached me to join Y&R in Malaysia. It was the toughest decisionof my career to date. In the end I had to go with my gut, and Y&RKL just seemed like an interesting new challenge with huge potential.

Y&Ris on a mission to become recognized as a true creative force, and theyhave the people in place to make it happen, so it’s a great time to behere and be part of that.

Having lived in KL before, I’m very familiar with the place. It’s a good city for family too.

What’s your take on creativity in Vietnam? What is holding creativity back there and are there any signs of improvement?

Vietnamhas huge potential, and some surprisingly good clients. The biggestobstacle I see is the TV budgets which always tend to be about aquarter of what is actually needed to do the job well. 

Is there an ad that makes you green with envy?

My favourite TVC is the Guinness “Surfer”. A true masterpiece in every sense.

Ialso love the Burger King Whopper “Freakout” and Droga 5’s work for Net10. Both use brutal honesty in an amazingly clever, engaging way.   

Do you have a ‘worst mistake’ or a most embarrassing moment in your advertising career to date?

Weonce did a Silk Cut shoot in Yorkshire. We arrived at the shoot an hourlate to find that our model maker had made the entire front of a houseinto a 1950’s barbers shop. Unfortunately, it turned out to be thewrong house. Luckily the owners were on holiday, so we hastily moved tothe right location.

Two weeks later, we had to send them 500 quid as we’d drilled a few holes in their brickwork, and thankfully all was forgiven.

Is there a person you have enjoyed working with the most?

Theperson I enjoyed working with the most is Joel Clement, Saatchi’sregional head of art for Asia, although we had the most bizarre ofpartnerships. In the four years we worked together I don’t think weagreed on a single thing. Usually that’s the death knell of apartnership, but in this case, it completely motivated us in the mostbizarre and amusing way.

As a result, a great deal of humour and alot of great work came out of it. Joel is a one of the most talentedand funniest people I’ve ever met. Deep down he’s brilliant at what hedoes. Although, if he’s reading this, he will no doubt disagree justbecause I’ve said it.

Who is the most inspiring, person you have ever met or worked with?

Thatclearly has to be Andy Greenaway, he’s a truly inspired leader. Thebiggest part of being a good ECD is to inspire and Andy is a master atit.

Eugene Cheong has been a massive inspiration too. His knowledgeof the craft of making great ads is truly awesome. I learned a hell ofa lot from working with those guys.

What’s your favourite leisure activity/hobbies outside of advertising?

When I can find the time, fishing and following Man City, but not at the same time.

Favourite holiday desti
nation?

Irelandis fantastic. I have an old thatched cottage in the Kerry mountains andtry and get back there a couple of times a year. It’s a wonderful,rugged, unspoilt place, the people and the landscape are full ofcharacter. The fishing is great, and if it rains, which it usuallydoes, you can always go to the pub.

Favourite hotels?

Istayed at a place in the English lake district near lake Windermere acouple of times called the Uplands hotel in Cartmel. It was justsuperb.

Tell me something about yourself that not many people would know.

Inmy spare time I paint landscapes and go back work on my thatchedcottage which is now available for rent to tourists. If any of yourreaders would like to visit I will give them a 30% discount, they canview it today at www.cottagesinkenmare.com  You see, I never stop doing ads!

Beyondthat, my real ambition is to write a screenplay about Oliver Cromwell’sinvasion of Ireland. He’s one of the most revered men in Englishhistory, and by far the most hated man in Irish history. I want to tellthe story from a neutral perspective. If the audience could be leftwith a level of understanding of each others point of view, andmotives, then this could foster compassion and bring closure. It willbe a way of putting history to bed. If I can do that, it will feel likeI’ve achieved something truly worthwhile.

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