On My Radar: Cedric Devitt

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently? 

I've been really impressed with the work from Droga5 on the Hillary Campaign. Both Role Models and Mirrors are interesting because they don't use Clinton's voice in a promotional manner, but instead use Trump's own words against him. It seems like an obvious move when you see it done so well, but quite risky since this approach has not historically been the most effective way to go.

It's worth mentioning the Troll Trump Twitter tool, too. It was perhaps even better and a masterful hijack of Trump's penchant for late night tweeting.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

Mostly football sites, like The Guardian, because I'm addicted to the English Premier League. 

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

Amazon Echo. I love the radio and it allows you to easily jump from radio station to radio station.

What’s your favoured social media platform?

Instagram.

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

The NY Times and The Guardian apps.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Favorite show ever? I think it would have to be The Sopranos. It set the bar for TV. James Gandolfini’s anti-hero character is incredible and transformed TV forever. You would never have had Walter White, Don Draper, or Dexter, without Tony.

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood.  No other film teaches us that life is VERY short.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Inspiration usually strikes when I wake up around 5.30am. I'm at my best when there are no distractions.  

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The amount of time we have to ideate and create – it keeps getting shorter and shorter. I think the lack of time to actually have to develop creative is the biggest loss, and I think I see it mostly in the design and execution of the work. There's no time to stop and really think about the work and do design critiques and such.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

More time.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

I think perhaps Steve Jobs. I know it sounds corny, but he does seem to represent a high watermark in the business. His approach to the work, to cut back and focus on one thing and do it well. From 1984 to Think Different he architected two of the greatest campaigns in advertising history.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know.

Most people do not know that I helped bring the world of competitive air guitar to America and started the US Air Guitar Championships in 2001.