On My Radar: Dave Buonaguidi

Crispin Porter + Bogusky's chief creative officer, Dave Buonaguidi, appeared on a panel hosted by hs agency at Advertising Week Europe to discuss how important creativity is for brands as well as presenting some of the problems facing the industry.

Below, as well as talking about some of his inspirations, Buonaguidi expands on his industry observations having co-founded creative companies St Luke's and Karmarama, as well as having worn various hats on both the agency and client side of the business.

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently? 

My favourite campaign is Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull, but it's a few years old now, so I would say all the work done for Dominos by our Boulder office, it's an incredible case study.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

PayPal. I buy tons of shit and finally PayPal gets used by all the places I buy shit from.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

I recently bought some pocket scales like the ones you see drug dealers measuring out cocaine with in the movies. I will be using them to measure out inks for my screen printing escapades.

What’s the last item – tech or otherwise – you bought that improved your life?

A pair of Vans slip-on red checkerboard shoes. Very low tech, but Vans always make your life better.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Instagram. The other two come with it.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

The first app I hit when I wake up is Sky Sports. I love sport.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

My favourite show right now is Texas Killing Fields on Discovery. It's a real life show about a retired cop who re-opens a cold case from his past. It captures his frustration and emotion in trying to solve a crime that he couldn't solve 18 years previously. Half way through it right now.

What film do you think everyone should have seen? 

Kung Fury. It's only half an hour long. But it's mesmerising. Funniest film I've seen for a long time.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

It happens almost every minute of every day.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The work got shit. And worse still we just moan about how good it used to be. Our clients are way smarter than ever, the consumer is more important than ever, tech and data is way more powerful than it ever was, so you'd think that would be a fantastic inspiration for the industry, but it's not, we have lost sight of our purpose.

We make too much below-average work that is still only aimed at the ad industry and not real people. We need more creative entrepreneurs, and creative problem solvers who will start doing the innovative and culturally powerful work that will build new, stronger relationships with our clients and customers, and also inspire all the people who work in the business to challenge the status quo, and help get our mojo back.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

The whole industry is stuck in a rut, it's old fashioned, outdated, devoid of ambition and inspiration, and needs to be pulled apart and totally rebuilt. A revolution would be awesome, but bloody! If I could just do one thing, I would start at grassroots, education. It's too expensive and as a result excludes everyone but rich white boys, and it's rich white men that have fucked it up already. I would make education free, and get a smart young bunch of creative entrepreneurs into the creative industries and get them to create the business they want to be part of. It would be good for staff and clients, good for agencies and great for business.

What’s your hot tip for Advertising Week Europe this year – either a talk (not your own) or general piece of advice?

The great thing about AWE is the inspiration that is there to be collected, my advice would be to get inspired and more importantly act on it and use it to make something amazing happen. Turning up and watching is not enough.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know...

I used to play cricket internationally. For Italy. Yes, Italy actually play cricket! Strange but true.

To see the full Advertising Week Europe click here for the week's agenda.