New York Uncovered

Article by Rodd Chant, Executive Creative Director, DraftFCB, New York

I’d like to debunk some myths about the stereotypical New Yorker and in fact about New York itself.

I’m coming up to my first year here and I am starting to feel like a local, I have a long way to go before I can truly say that, but I’m getting there. I’ve been to a Yankees game, I eat hot dogs and I can hail a taxi in peak hour (that isn’t as easy as it sounds). Like I said, I have a long way to go.

So here we go, New York uncovered.

True of False: All New Yorkers are rude, abrupt and unhelpful. FALSE.

To be honest I am yet to encounter a rude New Yorker, my experiences so far have all been good…people are friendly and helpful.

True of False: New York is expensive. TRUE & FALSE.

Well, rents are certainly expensive. An apartment that could accommodate yourself and not much else can cost a pretty penny. No room to swing a cat…or even a mouse. But a hot dog will set you back just a $1 and at my favourite bar they have Happy Hour from 12pm-9pm…buy one Heineken for $5 and get one free.

Now let’s explore some popular myths about working in advertising in New York.

True of False: No one ever gets any work produced. FALSE.

For years I have always heard people saying “Oh yeah, I know guys that worked in NY for years and never got any work produced.” If that’s the case, maybe they were just crap.

My teams are constantly producing work, in the past year I have had teams shooting TV spots in Argentina, Cape Town, Kenya, Chile, London, Vancouver, and more. They are constantly producing TV spots, print ads, radio, non-traditional work, etc.

True of False: Everything gets tested/researched to death. FALSE.

Yes, testing/research is very common, but is everything subjected to it? No. We have 3 new TV spots going ahead that did not go through research. Often, we’ll research a strategy, and that can be very helpful when developing the work.

True of False: NYC is a dangerous place. FALSE.

Ok, if you were to compare it to Singapore then yes, you could say that NYC is dangerous. But a monastery is dangerous compared to Singapore. I have seen no crime, never been mugged, never felt in danger. NYC to me is the same as Sydney.

One other interesting fact, I hardly ever get asked – “where are you from?” As you know, many refer to the NY as the capital city of the world, and I believe that more and more every day. It is a true melting pot of races and religions, so much so, when someone hears an accent that isn’t American it doesn’t even get noticed.

And it’s funny how so many Americans in NY are not from NY.

We had a creative meeting the other day, I had 40 people from my department in the room and the question was asked – “How many of you are originally from New York.” The answer was zero.

Ok, that’s it from me, I am off to get a hot dog.