by Jerry Mpufane (@JerryMpufane) This column is not about jazz, nor is it about my admiration for the great trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis, even though I remain hugely inspired by his life journey. This column is about passion.
Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator and a leading advocate of American culture. He is the world’s first jazz artist to compose, record and perform across the full jazz spectrum, from its New Orleans root, to bebop to modern jazz. He has performed an expansive range of music for quartets, big bands, chamber music ensembles and symphony ochestras.
A trumpeter, he is a graduate of the world-renowned Juilliard School of Music, Dance & Drama. Marsalis has performed with many of the jazz greats, and famously recorded the Haydn, Hummel and Leopold Mozart trumpet concertos at the age of 20. With more than 30 honorary doctorates from some of the most prestigious academic institutions, he is widely recognised as the embodiment of jazz.
Passion for his craft
Marsalis records and performs music. The mark of the man, however, is the passion for his craft.
He’s a co-founder and artistic director of the jazz programme at the Lincoln Centre in New York. He is a prolific composer, he produces records, he’s an active promoter of jazz through mass-media platforms such as radio and TV, he writes endlessly about music, and he’s a teacher. He’s spent his life giving back — to his jazz family, his community and his nation. The passion for his craft was shown when he waited, a full hour in an empty parking lot after giving a concert, for a single student to return from home with his horn for a trumpet lesson.
I am privileged to I have my own personal story to tell. Once on a flight from NYC to London, I spotted Marsalis deeply engrossed in a game of chess with a fellow band member. I am a big fan, but I did my very best not to interrupt their play. Having shared my dilemma with the flight stewardess, I was pleasantly surprised to be tapped on the shoulder to go share a drink at the bar with Marsalis, who interrupted his game of chess to share his passion for jazz with a fan. I still get goosebumps…
Words vs action
Passion is that elusive but intense, driving, powerful conviction. We get very little of it these days. Where we experience passion, it’s almost always clichéd — betrayed by the frequent use of the word with very little evidence of action.
A former CEO of the Coca-Cola Company in South Africa used to proudly tell the story of three generations of his family who worked on the brand, and that there’s nothing in life which he knew better than Coca-Cola. The top executive who led the successful launch of McDonald’s in SA used to proclaim that he’s got ketchup in his veins. Formula 1 champion, Lewis Hamilton, is often unpopular with his technical team for calling an early return from leave so he can practice. Former world no. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods, regularly went for practice immediately after winning a tournament. After the team practice, footballer David Beckham would stay behind to shoot 1000 balls in order to perfect his free-kicks.
The people who achieve position no. 1 have one thing in common —a deep dedication for what they do.
Our vocation
Nowhere is passion more fully experienced than in the creative industries. A few of us are privileged to call this our vocation — working in advertising. Our field presents us with many an opportunity to incubate an idea on a canteen floor, which grows to become a global campaign.
In our game, the creative director flies to another country to experience the farmlands where the famous chicken spice is sourced. The great account executives worry about small things such as the boardroom recce before a client meeting. The director of photography test-drives the 4×4 truck well before the day of the film shoot. The strategist takes the weekend and deejays with the customer target market in the crowd. The creative team stages a photographic exhibition for inspiration.
And the great clients are present and in attendance along the way!
Great campaigns
Great campaigns come from a fervent passion for the brand idea, accompanied by the meticulous execution of the work. Great campaigns cannot be achieved without inspiration. When we are good, we are really good at what we do as an industry.
And when we are bad, we are really bad.
More often, unfortunately, you encounter suits who cannot recall a recent good advertisement they saw. You encounter creatives who no longer keep porties. You meet strategists who do not attach the actual campaign work to their CVs.
Let’s bring back the love for our work.
Jerry Mpufane has executive experience in both ad agency and client organisations. He’s only got one goal in life, which is to be an inspiring leader. Jerry is currently group MD, Gauteng, of M&C Saatchi Abel. His monthly column on MarkLives, “On My Mind”, focuses upon what it takes to run a great AND sustainable ad agency.
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