139: A front row seat at The Howard Gossage Show with ad land greats Steve Harrison and Dave Dye

This week we sent off a coupon to catch 1960s advertising copywriter, Howard Gossage, through the eyes and work of Steve Harrison and Dave Dye.

As a copywriter, Steve tamed more Cannes Lions in his discipline than anyone else in the world. He’s been on the show twice before, once guesting, once hosting, and is a great friend of …Gasp!. Dave is the true “art director’s art director”. Through his career he’s won everything, worked for the best agencies in the business, and the visual techniques he uses to squeeze every ounce of juice from an idea are frankly unparalleled. 

The pair have joined forces to pen and produce ‘The Howard Gossage Show’, a fitting celebration of the fun and fame peddling ad man; one of the industry’s lesser known greats.

We gossip on Gossage’s showmanship, breaking conventions, having half an interesting conversation through his ads, writing to somebody, stunts, fame, and so much more. At a time when advertising is disliked and avoided by most people, his legacy feels even more important now than it was 60 years ago. So listen up. 

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Here’s The Howard Gossage Show 
Follow Steve and Dave on LinkedIn 
Check out Dave’s Stuff From the Loft
And Steve’s biography on Howard Gossage 

Timestamps
(02:34) - Quick fire questions (Posh Spice or Persil?)
(04:41) - How Gossage ended up in advertising 
(12:09) - Why now’s the time for a book about Gossage
(20:50) - How he broke conventions 
(26:28) - People read what interests them 
(35:00) - The industry becoming hyper-serious 
(45:17) - Listener questions from Vikki Ross and Nick Asbury 
(52:00) - The Cannes Lions humour category  
(1:00:00) - A dedication to Alice Lowe and Phish Food 

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