5 Minutes with… Paul Hirsch

Paul has filled the role of creative frontman for some of the biggest agencies in advertising, including Leo Burnett, McCann and Goodby, Silverstein. In 2021, in addition to being CCO, Paul Hirsch was appointed the role of president at Doremus, the speciality agency delivering B2B content since before the acronym even existed. As an advocate of awards, it was fitting for the straight-talking Chicago native to oversee the new Creative B2B category at this year’s Cannes Lions. Enthusiastic about his role in supporting the creative, Paul maximises capabilities to ensure the hard work pays off, having witnessed many ideas die a death before being given the chance to shine. Keen to not lose sight of the joyful side of the creative, the president regularly takes stock of Doremus’ various achievements and relishes the chance to celebrate his multi-talented team. 

Here, he takes LBB’s April Summers through his career so far; from his first One Show pencil to his long-standing belief in all ideas beginning with a leap of faith, touching on why the B2B space deserves more recognition and how Doremus is well on its way to graduating from “the best-kept secret in advertising” to global market leader.

LBB> Tell us about your start in the industry – what was your first creative milestone?

Paul> I’ve always thought being creative in advertising is like being on the island of misfit toys. Most people I know arrived in the industry after doing something else or through some sort of side door. I graduated from college with a degree in advertising but no real book to speak of. After working as an assistant account executive (yes, that’s right), and a brief stint as a ski bum, I went back to school to figure things out. From there, I got my start at the now defunct Cole & Weber, a special place loaded with good, talented people – I couldn’t have been luckier. It was there I won my first One Show pencil which I would consider to be my first creative milestone. Getting paid to live a creative life is something I have never taken for granted.

LBB> Over the course of your career so far, what are you most proud to have worked on? 

Paul> If I had to pick something, it would be a small campaign I worked on to raise funds and awareness for the homeless, which revolved around the practice of ‘Dibs’. If you're not from Chicago, Dibs is the legitimate way to hold your neighbourhood parking space after you’ve shovelled it – it’s a very Chicago thing, Google it. 

To illuminate the fact that not everyone has a space in the winter, Dibs chairs, covered in messages, were dropped all over the city during the first major snowfall. People noticed, the press followed, and one of the many things we did to raise money was to hold an auction for one-of-a-kind Dibs chairs, created by a generous line-up of artists. Though it’s far from the biggest project I’ve worked on, it was one of those ideas that would not have happened if we didn’t see it through ourselves. Since it was for charity, we bootstrapped the whole thing and cashed in favours to get artists and vendors to help make it happen. When things were looking bleak, like it might not happen due to a lack of snow, it dumped down. I think this goes right to the heart of being creative: all my favourite ideas begin with a leap of faith. You never know if it’s going to succeed, but that’s part of the joy – it’s far more fun to take the road less travelled. 

LBB> You’ve been with Doremus for three years now – how has your role changed during this time? 

Paul> When I first got here, my job was to lead the creative, and that hasn’t changed. Then last year, in addition to being CCO, I was also given the title of president. Now, instead of just setting the tone for creative, my neck is on the line for all sorts of other things. Although my new role comes with an array of different responsibilities, my day-to-day approach remains focused on looking at how to bring creative ideas to life that elevate our clients’ business, except now, I get to oversee it across account, media, and strategy. It’s a big challenge, but I’m comforted by the fact that we have a great leadership team here, all of whom try to make this the most interesting place around. 

LBB> How does what you do support creative ideas?

Paul> As both CCO and president, my entire job is about supporting creative ideas. I believe creativity is an economic multiplier which is at the centre of everything we do. To that end, we do the best we can to find whatever resources or support we can to help our people bring ideas to life. I remember interviewing someone, not long ago, who told me that if the account lead at the agency they currently work at didn’t like the creative, it wouldn’t be shown. All I can say is, as long as I’m here, that shit will never happen. The idea may not get bought, but we do not hold anything back. 

LBB> Doremus is the longest standing B2B creative agency in the States – how do you blend the company’s learnings and legacy with new talent and technologies, to develop innovative ways to deliver first-rate creative? 

Paul> Our heritage puts us in a very unique space. We’ve been doing B2B since before there was even a name for it, so that knowledge has formed a foundation that no other agency has. We like to say we were “founded in 1903, but reinvented daily” because we are continuously building out the team with talent hailing from non-B2B backgrounds including B2C, journalism, social, and technology, as well as finding unique programs and partnerships that continue to advance our creative agenda.

In the last year alone, we partnered with Interbrand to help launch a B2B sector report on the best global brands, and we’ve expanded our capabilities to include new products and offerings that span the enterprise value chain. In addition to leading the inaugural B2B jury at Cannes, we’ve just finished producing 70 films to launch two companies. It’s been a busy year of firsts and we may be the best-kept secret in advertising, but I’m not sure for how much longer.

LBB> Last month Doremus rebranded – what has the response been? 

Paul> Externally, it’s been great. Internally, the response was, “What took so long?!” Doremus is not like other agencies, let alone any B2B shops, and I really wanted us to pursue something that reflected that. So, we jettisoned our Montserrat logo, revisited what makes us unique, and partnered with Play in San Francisco to design something that more accurately reflects who we are, the thinking we bring to each project, and the type of work we want to do. Oh, and something that would look good on company merch, nobody likes bad company merch.

LBB> How do you immerse yourself in a creative project? 

Paul> I don’t have a particularly smart answer for this one – no sage is burnt and there’s no secret formula. It’s just about getting some coffee, turning up the music and putting in the hours. After that, the process is usually the same:

1. Get f*ing smart about something

2. Have a point of view

3. Make something good

4. Repeat

Advertising shouldn’t be as hard as we make it out to be.

LBB> An idea at conception rarely looks the same once it’s been made. How important is it to preserve the integrity of creative ideas? When is it acceptable to remix an initial idea?

Paul> Preserving the idea is everything. If things start to change too much, it’s better to start from scratch. Committees are bad creative directors. That being said, I truly believe that an idea on paper is nothing more than a guide. You have to be open to input and changes, nothing goes untouched from presentation to production, and you have to be able to roll with it. The best agencies always find a way.

LBB> Can you tell us a bit about some of the main things informing your work right now?

Paul> This month, it’s been The World Cup, Sleater Kinney, the new season of Slow Horses, CalArts posters, the temperature in Chicago, latkes, and doing right by our employees, because the world right now is oh-so messy.

LBB> At this year’s Global ACE Awards, Doremus won Gold in the B2B2C Campaigns category, after being tasked with launching a new brand platform. In your opinion, why was “Vonage Does That” such a hit? 

Paul> One of the strengths of our agency is that we’re particularly good at taking complex businesses, processes and notions, and reducing them down into something that can be universally understood. This is exactly what we did with Vonage. 

We deliberately steered clear of “tech speak” to capture the complexity of business use cases in a more human and memorable way. The digital and video executions were built on engaging stories that customers can relate to, both personally and as a business buyer. In a category that relies heavily on B2B jargon, stock, and animation, the work was able to cut through the noise to show how Vonage helps empower the modern world we live in. 

LBB> Which other work from the last year are you particularly proud of?

Paul> As someone who married an educator, LEGO® Education is close to my heart, and I’m always excited to see what we can come up with for them. Our latest work certainly continues a great animation run with Scholar and adds a new twist to our heroine’s tale. 

On the other side of things, we just finished making 34 films with Greg Bell to help launch the trucking logistic company RXO with a talking cow and egret. I’m excited for people to see it and think it’s some of the best work Doremus has done to date – it’s got a talking cow and egret in it after all…

LBB> You were jury president for Cannes Lions’ new Creative B2B category this year. What was the biggest takeaway from heading up this category?

Paul> I said before we started, but I was worried about the calibre of work because it was such an unknown. What would we see? Would it be good, or would it suck? It wasn’t like the other categories that had years of history and precedent. Who knew? In the end, there was a lot to be excited about! The biggest takeaway was that B2B work could not only compete with other categories at the festival, but also add another layer to what people see and expect at Cannes. Inspiring agencies and clients to push things even further in the future was hopefully the main takeaway and legacy of the first year.

LBB> What are your thoughts on the future of awards? How have things changed since you first started in the industry?

Paul> I like awards, I think they’re great. I’m insanely glad Cannes created Lions for B2B last year, and I really wish other shows would follow their lead by creating more opportunities for B2B, our business would benefit greatly from that. Not because the advertising world needs more awards, but because those working in B2B (and elsewhere) could use the love. 

In baseball, 3 out of 10 gets you in the Hall of Fame, but in advertising, most of what we think about and present dies, sometimes horribly. If you’re lucky enough to get something approved, there are a million ways it could go south from there too. You need a thick skin to work in this business, and winning something shiny is a nice validation that sometimes, the hard work pays off.