There he is, a former six-figure "Mad Man" sleeping at night in front of a Bank of America branch in Manhattan to show his solidarity with the Occupy Movement and showing up regularly over the past seven months at his task of painting his near-famous cardboard protest signs at various Occupation sites in the city -- then manning his laptop to consult with advertising clients. Why and how these circumstances came about for this man and its lessons serves as a survival tale, a source of inspiration, and an education in applying corporate skills to help bring about societal change for all of us... whether we are revolutionaries or bystanders.
The person at hand is David Everett-Carlson, a native of New York and alumni of some of the top ad agencies in the world, including Leo Burnett, The Richards Group, his own award-winning firm in Seoul, Korea, and a career in mass communications, branding and international marketing which has taken him from New York to Asia, Europe, and back again.
All these details and more were mined from a series of conversations I held with David, with each conversation increased my respect for this Madison Avenue-Turned-Activist gentleman. David has arrived at some marketing realizations: The 5 Things Madison Avenue Could Learn from OWS, and The 3 Tips That Madison Avenue has for Occupy.
What Madison Avenue can Learn from #OWS
1. Passion. "Occupiers are involved from the heart and gut in something they truly believe in. Too many Mad Ave execs use the client's laundry powder, smoke the client's cigarettes and sing the agency's song, but keep their passion in a desk drawer of sorts -- a novel, a gallery show, a B&B in the Hamptons -- but definitely something that's not their job."
This gesture pales in comparison to the 24/7 enthusiasm of the Occupier. For the Occupier, their client is the American people. With that, all passions, and both their personal and their professional lives become rolled into the job. They are not only the advocate and the agency, but the client as well.
"There are few pros who can pull that off, although Nike's agency comes close," David opines.
2. Action. "Once you experience true passion, you are compelled to act on it -- sometimes you fall in love with it,"" David believes. Occupiers are participating in Direct Action every day, whether it be to occupy a ...
Click for Full Text!
