The Egotist Briefs: Pete Favat of Arnold Worldwide

As Chief Creative Officer, Pete oversees all of Arnold Worldwide’s Boston clients. He launched the truth campaign, which has become the most successful national anti-tobacco program ever. He has led teams that won Royal Caribbean and Celebrity lines, Progressive Insurance, Timberland, ESPN and Volvo, and created TAG body spray for Gillette. His path to this position started in 1984 when he graduated from the School of Visual Arts in NYC. At 29, Pete moved to Boston to become Creative Director and Partner of Houston Herstek Favat, which later was bought by Arnold. Pete’s awards include Gold Lions at Cannes, Gold Pencils at the One Show, Communication Arts honors, ANDYs, CLIOs, British D&AD, Grand Effies and one Emmy award for truth®.

How do you keep it fresh at Arnold? You guys are huge, but still crank out the quality.

Well, I never have thought of us as huge, but thank you. Maybe that’s how we keep things fresh. We don’t think of ourselves as huge. We keep things nimble. We have a strong hiring filter that looks for determined, highly creative thinkers, who have positive, “can do” attitudes. From the top down, we are very open minded to the possible. We expect a spirited sense of courageous thinking from everyone who works here.

Why Boston? What brought you here and what do you think keeps you here?

Funny question. I am from New York originally. I graduated from SVA and worked in NYC for five years out of art school. I was working at Lintas Worldwide on the Coca-Cola business for a creative director named Dana Jones. Dana decided to leave NYC to move back to Boston where he was from. When he left New York, he tempted me with an offer I could not refuse. : )

I was 25, and I figured he helped me get my career off the ground and he needed me to help him in Boston, so we decided on a one-year plan. After a year of working with Dana in Boston, I wanted to head to Los Angeles. Some plans don’t work out. I fell madly in love with Boston. I became a partner in a small agency named Houston Herstek Favat. We were pretty successful. After five years, Arnold bought our company and that’s how I landed here. Where I have been for 12 years.

Of course, quality of work could always be better. What do you think we need to do to collectively elevate our creative standard and keep it there? (Pretty loaded question, we know.)

It’s not loaded at all. We are only as good as our last idea. That’s the simple truth. We have to strive to be better tomorrow than we were today, right? We need to push ourselves to elevate our work every chance we get. What we provide people here at Arnold is a culture that allows you, as well as expects you, to swing for the fences. To take chances. There isn’t any sort of penalty for that here. We challenge each other daily with the intention of making Arnold the best.

Favorite campaign of 2010 so far? Why? Care to offer up your least favorite?

“We Choose the Moon” was a brilliant piece of work that really stuck out for me this year. The “Replay” campaign also was a real standout. Loved both of them.

Least favorite? Any political campaign. Man, I wish someone would crack the code here and produce something thought provoking and dignified. They all suck bad.

What are some of the characteristics you want to see in great art directors or copywriters?

Create ideas that do not rely on one medium. Today, we are designing conversations. Come up with cross-channel ideas that get people talking. Inject polarity into your thinking and people will talk about it. Whether they love it or hate it, that’s what gets people talking.

Name one advertising trend that annoys you and one that you dig.

If you want to annoy me, show me ideas that tell people how they should live their lives. It won’t go very well, I assure you.

If you want me to listen, tell me a great story, a strong narrative, something about the brand I didn’t know. Something I can tell other people about. That’s great work.

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Do not engage in office politics. Keep your mind focused on solving the problem at hand. Do not listen to naysayers and “no” people. They do not make this world better.

Who do you admire most in the creative industry?

It’s different every single day. We are in the greatest transition ever in this business. Embrace the hell out of that. Re-learn all the time. No one place has a firm grip on what is going on.

If advertising were a person, would you want to hang out with them? Are they a jerk?

Weird question, bud. Like people, there are so many different types of advertising, so it depends. I get along with tons of different types, so you’d have to be a real asshole ad for me to not hang out with you.

What are three pieces of advice you’d give any creative?

Same as question #7. Pass it on. :)