Beattie's ad philosophy gets his clients noticed

Looking at some of Trevor Beattie's work, it is not surprising that his ad campaigns get as much editorial column inches as bought space. He put Eva Herzigova in a Wonderbra saying "Hello Boys"; he put sky-high legs on giant billboards for Pretty Polly and controversially, renamed the French Connection fashion chain, FCUK.

As creative director of Britain's fifth-largest ad agency, TWBA, and one of the most talked about people in the business, his advertising philosophy is, not surprisingly, "get noticed".

"In the advertising game, where it is harder and harder to stand out from the pack, getting noticed works," said Beattie at an Index Communications seminar in Dublin this week.

Column inches aside, it's a philosophy that works commercially. The Wonderbra campaign resulted in an 80 per cent increase in sales and the FCUK campaign increased the fashion chain's profits by 50 per cent in its first year.

The edgy style of the French Connection's advertising, he says, is not only reflected in the "attitude" of the clothes but is carried through to the look of the shops and to its sales staff.

Every ad campaign should be a sample of the brand, he says, "so that you only have to glance at the ad to know what the brand is." Mr Beattie refers to himself as an accounts man because he works directly with clients, which is uncommon in an industry that tends to keep creatives away from clients - unless there is a problem.

Referring to his open relationship with the press, he says: "I look at what I do as 50 per cent PR and 50 per cent advertising. Most advertising people are afraid to talk to the press because they think they'll say something wrong or they'll lose an account or something, but part of my job is getting the ads talked about."