The Best of Sir John Hegarty
“We’re all creative, it’s just some of us earn our living by being so.”
Who is Sir John Hegarty?
Sir John Hegarty is an advertising executive and co-founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), a globally recognised advertising agency.
He was born in 1943 in London and began his advertising career in the 1960s as a copywriter.
In 1971, he co-founded BBH with John Bartle and Nigel Bogle, and the agency quickly gained a reputation for producing innovative and effective advertising campaigns.
Throughout his career, Sir John has won numerous awards for his work in advertising, including the D&AD President's Award, the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Advertising Association President's Award.
In 2013, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the advertising industry.
You could say he knows quite a lot about creativity and the advertising industry.
With this in mind, we’ve gathered a collection of his work that will inspire, entertain and inform.
1. Sir John Hegarty’s Books
Sir John’s first book, Hegarty on Advertising: Turning Intelligence into Magic, is one that no creative professional should be without.
It contains over four decades of wisdom and insight from the man who put Nick Kamen in a laundrette for Levi Strauss and gave Audi the immortal tagline ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’, among other highly successful campaigns for major brands.
Sir John's second book, Hegarty on Creativity: There Are No Rules, addresses his belief that creativity isn't an occupation; it's a preoccupation. This book is a pocket bible of creative thinking aimed at provoking and inspiring greater heights of innovation.
2. Sir John Hegarty’s Talks
There are plenty of videos on YouTube featuring Sir John, but here are three of our favourites:
WFA Global Marketer Week 2022 | Sir John Hegarty: The Business of Creativity
Sir John Hegarty, on the World Federation of Advertisers, stage shares in his inimitable way how to address the creativity challenges of an industry, which has slipped from seduction to stalking: rediscovering the power of truth.
Three Great Ads: Sir John Hegarty
Sir John talks to the advertising publication Campaign about three great ads he wished he’d made.
Inspiration Series: Sir John Hegarty
Sir John talks to the Advertising Club of New York about how we are all creative, and creativity is an expression of ourselves.
CreativeMornings HQ: Sir John Hegarty: Advertising Legend
Sir John gives a talk at CreativeMornings in Paris on September 2012.
3. Sir John Hegarty’s Podcast Appearances
And continuing with the power of three themes, we’ve tracked down three of the best podcasts with Sir John as a guest:
Black T-Shirts: Sir John Hegarty 80% Idea and 80% craft
This episode of Black T-Shirts from Thinkerbell founder Adam Ferrier and leading CMO Brent Smart explores the benefits of ageing and optimism, as well as why immersing oneself in high (and low) art is vital for creative success.
Uncensored CMO: When the world zigs, zag with Sir John Hegarty
Jon Evans speaks with BBH co-founder Sir John Hegarty to discover what it's been like to be at the helm of one of the world's most successful ad agencies for four decades.
Uncensored CMO: The Business of Creativity with Sir John Hegarty
Advertising legend Sir John Hegarty returns to the podcast to discuss why he created a course focused on the business of creativity.
Evening Standard How To Be a CEO: Sir John Hegarty - Advertising in a Digital Age
Sir John discusses the challenges of marketing in an ad-skipping era with London’s leading newspaper.
4. Sir John Hegarty and 42courses
Last but not least, if you can’t get enough of Sir John, he features in one of our most popular courses, Creative Leadership.
This course shares practical lessons learned from some of the most successful businesses worldwide, both big and small. If you want to learn how to be a better leader by harnessing the power of creativity, then this online creative leadership course is what you’ve been looking for.
The truth is the best leaders in the world use creativity to their advantage. When we say creativity, we’re not talking about the ability to play music or make art but rather the ability to use the power of creativity to help you and your team better innovate, problem-solve, and ultimately succeed.
If you enjoyed reading and listening to the above and want to build your creativity muscles, why not check out our range of courses on the topic, including Creative Thinking, Storytelling, and Creative Effectiveness?
