Customer Reviews

Creative Company: How St. Luke's Became "the Ad Agency to End All Ad Agencies"

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Don't be taken in. No question about it, Andy Law is an extremely charismatic man and the concept of St Luke's is highly inspiring. But the reality is somewhat otherwise.

I worked at St Luke's, so i should know. Libel laws undoubtedly prohibit me from speaking my mind here, so suffice to say that the gap between image and reality is every bit as big as that between ads and the products they flog.

When this book was published, many employees at St Luke's were flabbergasted by the inaccuracies contained within it. It certainly is a very imaginative book.

The painful reality is that whichever way you wrap it, advertising (as opposed to marketing) is a very un-21st century idea. For the most part it consists of making pretty billboards to disguise the less pleasant faces of the brands we think we know and love.

This is one such billboard.

If you want to really open your mind as to how to do business in the 21st century, you'll need more than this book. If you are reading this, however, you are already interacting with a much more powerful and future-facing tool...

Creative Company is a powerful book that provides insight and motivation for the next wave of advertising professionals. As I begin my career in advertising, Law's book sets the bar for my generation. It illustrates what we expect from, and what we will give to the agencies we will soon be staffing. St. Luke's erases the line between the haves and have-nots. It forces the industry to combat the problems of creativity, loyalty, and personal growth. Even if you are not advertising professional, this book provides an example of the potential for all companies and their workers.

I look forward to seeing the future of St. Luke's, the people that work there, and am eager to witness the arrival of St. Luke's in the United States.

nick_johnston-jones@leoburnett.co.uk from London , 2 March, 1999 Essential reading and thinking for the office-bound This is a marvellous book in all kinds of ways and an inspiration to all who feel there has to be a better way, but don't see it in "virtual" offices, telecommuting or any of the other dubious possibilities thrown up by new technology. I sincerely hope St Luke's fulfils its potential and provides a model for enlightened 21st century business. The sense of humanity running through the text is so palpable, and the whole is terrifically life-affirming.

A couple of gripes. First, I cannot reconcile all of the proud claims made on behalf of St Luke's output with the questionable quality of work such as their campaign for the Express. Honesty is the key note of Andy Laws' philosophy, and I feel this should extend to a properly critical view of St Luke's work. The risk inherent in their approach (and this applies to other radical agencies such as HHCL) is that in their drive to innovate and be different, the occasional dog will get out. The Fox's work also falls into this category for me: I applaud the originality and bravery of the approach, but find it hard to believe it sold many biscuits. Of course, these may be the deluded opinions of an advertising luddite.

Second, am I alone in finding the epilogue painfully artificial by comparison with the text that has come before? Again, if honesty is the byword here, I simply cannot believe that this high-order philosophical debate (complete with word-perfect quotes from Greek and German philosophers) actually took place as reported. And in the unlikely event that it did, I find the tone desperately pretentious. The protagonists go perilously close to disappearing up their own fundaments, and it's a disappointing ending to an otherwise superb book.

Congratulations to Andy Law and all at St Luke's on their courage and imagination. You deserve to make a mint, then give it all away to society.

Whether you plan on starting a business in advertising or animal husbandry (or perhaps they're the one and the same ;-) you would do well to read this book. Not only is it a tremendous source for innovative ideas on how to start and run a small business, it's also an engaging and inspiring read. While St. Lukes' ideas and methods certainly aren't for all businesses, all business owners, big or small, will benefit from this story of dogged determination in the face of trememdous odds and the power of a shared idea.

I just completed this book last week, and it really made me think about my business, where I wanted to go (I don't want my employees to be employees... so this opened up new ideas on how to work on projects, with clients, and run an business).

This book does give information about how salary's were done, vacation time, benefits, and even how shares are allotted, etc. It is a very personal testimony of a life ambition.

What this book is not: it is not a book about how a one person business became like St. Lukes. It is about how a merger happened, and a group of people joined together to keep the big-name clients they already had and make a new company. You won't find tips on how to take a 1 person shop to a 5 person shop, but the book will certainly make you think about how to organize your business, how you will work with clients, and give you a glimpse of a company that runs very well.

Don't let the blurb fool you. Andy Law has not written a how-to book about manging creative businesses. If you pick up some tips about how to do so, that's bonus.

Rather, the author poses some fundamental questions about the role of work, and the interplay of one's economic, intellectual and emotional lives. A subject which ought to exercise us more than it does.

I personally wouldn't like to work in the St. Luke's style. But that a company looks first at its role in the community of its stakeholders, and second at how it might make money, makes it an example for companies far beyond the creative sphere.

Unfortunately, I have heard rumours that St. Lukes has actually had to, er, let people go. Not easy in a co-operative. Does some better-informed reader know if it's true? Sad, if it is. And it doesn't discredit Law's philosophical arguments, nor diminish their importance.

BTW, Andy Law writes beautifully.

Law gave an interesting account on the birth of St. Luke's and the wonderful approach in operating a business in the modern age. Even having read the book, I could not believe the concept would work despite Law's accounts.

Bizarre as it is, I have to say the concept is both inspiring and touching. As so, I made an effort in calling Law in London in the hope of congratulating him and others at St. Luke's. However, shock came to me when I found out that Law has a personal sec. to handle phone calls and appointment dates (when the book confirmed everyone at St. Luke's does their own nitty-gritty stuff).

Anyhow, whether the concept was practiced, is still being practiced or even has yet to be practiced, the idea is fresh, democractic and inspiring. While they have been called the various names (socialists/mormons), I believe a more appropriate one would 'Capitalism with social responsibilities'.

Overall, a well-worth read and a book that will make you begin to question your worth at the place you worked at today.

I just completed this book last week, and it really made me think about my business, where I wanted to go (I don't want my employees to be employees... so this opened up new ideas on how to work on projects, with clients, and run an business).

This book does give information about how salary's were done, vacation time, benefits, and even how shares are allotted, etc. It is a very personal testimony of a life ambition.

What this book is not: it is not a book about how a one person business became like St. Lukes. It is about how a merger happened, and a group of people joined together to keep the big-name clients they already had and make a new company. You won't find tips on how to take a 1 person shop to a 5 person shop, but the book will certainly make you think about how to organize your business, how you will work with clients, and give you a glimpse of a company that runs very well.

As I stand on the brink of growth in my own company I struggle with the transportability of the ideas of Andy Law. How will it survive if not all your work is creative by nature? And can the same effect ever be realised without handing over the shares to all of those that work in your company? It certainly must demand pretty stern selection methods!

This is a really excellent book. It gives you the opportunity to consider the way your organisation is structured and how it works. The book is very readable. You cannot wait to get back to it. It didn't seem to be a 'business' book and therefore something one 'should' be reading but rather a book about a way to live your life and how that can and should involve work. Somehow the people at St. Lukes seem to run a very successful business and at the same time understand that people are humans also and have lives outside work. This book is now more relevant than ever as the pace of life seems to get ever faster. Read the book and I am certain you will get much from it but will you have the courage to put it into practice?