Traffic’s chairman named as industry legend by B&T

The marketing industry’s most respected magazine, B&T, has chosen our Chairman, Austin Begg, as one of the industry’s top elders.

The article heroes Austin alongside other legends including Ita Buttrose, Dennis Merchant, Garry Emery and Reg Bryson and pays respect to their contribution to the industry.

Many may not know Austin’s illustrious history – he has been at the helm of some of Australia’s most successful and awarded advertising agencies. He was the founder of Y&R (Melbourne), created Begg Dow Priday which became the 20th largest agency in Australia, and later was CEO Lintas (Melbourne).

We’re all very proud to have Austin’s grey hair and wisdom still contributing to Traffic and our clients. If you’ve ever worked with him, you’ll know he’s still as passionate about the industry as a young gun starting out as Advertising Manager Repco in 1960. Congratulations Austin.

In Melbourne there was a restaurant called The Botanical. You could go in there any day of the week, and find top agency principals, including me, wining and dining clients. Sometimes each others. But we were all great mates. It was the Mad Men era and we all had a healthy respect for each other.

I think the difference with clients today is there are too many layers of people and too many silos. In my era, I could pick up the phone and talk direct to the owner or the CEO of most clients. In those days, you dealt with the people who had the power to say yes, or the power to say no. Today you mostly deal with committees or people who have the power to say maybe. The fun and the entrepreneurial spirit has gone.

There are things that have happened to me all my life, and if I wasn’t in advertising that wouldn’t have happened. I always try and tell people to be self-sufficient, have an idea, have a point of view. if you don’t have a go you’ll die, and I’m still having a go and I love it. And I’m lucky. I am still alive.B&T – May 2016