We've never been ones to blow our own trumpets. For us, it's always been about the work. Creating ways to make an impact for our clients. And anyway we prefer looking forward to looking back.
But in spite of our inclination to industry, modesty and introversion, even we could concede that any agency reaching 40 is a milestone and that over the last 40 years AMV BBDO has created some pretty groundbreaking work.
Work that has saved lives, improved lives, moved people, brought people together, been a force for good, created value, driven sales and delivered fame.
Work that has influenced.
So we decided to mark our big birthday by celebrating the influence of that work with the people that made it, bought it and supported it over four decades.
And by saying a ton of thank yous.
To David Abbott, Peter Mead and Adrian Vickers who founded an agency driven by a simple and enduring aspiration: to be the best. To do the best work, recruit the best people, develop the best relationships and to try to be the best place to work.
"It's amazing how big you can get if you're not worried about how big you can get"Peter Mead
'It's amazing how big you can get if you're not worried about how big you can get ', said Peter.
And 40 years later AMV is still the biggest advertising agency by Nielsen billings and has been for the last twenty years.
Thank you to the thousands of AMV BBDO staff past and present who have shaped and crafted our product and our brand, cherishing our clients, our culture and each other.
"You owe the people who work for you a debt of gratitude, not the other way round"Adrian Vickers
"Take care of each other...and everything else will take care of itself"David Abbott
And to this day, we do.
To the five creative giants: Abbott, Souter, Brazier, Grieve and Rossi – who have quality-controlled every last word and detail of our work, pouring their hearts into our product and building a worldclass department.
To the hundreds of clients who have supported us, many over decades, backing our recommendations, putting their careers in our hands, giving us their loyalty, forgiveness and friendship, even when money hasn't changed hands.
To past CEOs Farah Ramzan Golant and Ian Pearman for making our business competitive and future- proof. For giving us teeth.
To Michael Baulk, Andrew Robertson and John Wren who truly scaled AMV, building capabilities around us and taking us global, into a network that shares our values, our ambition and our standards.
To all those who have written about us, produced and directed for us, pitched us, coached us, scolded us, competed with us, cheered us on, helped us drive work, wins and clients and made us better and stronger, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
On behalf of everyone at AMV BBDO 2017, proudly in our fortieth year, we thank everyone who has shaped us into who we are today and equipped us so beautifully to influence the future.
Life begins at 40 and we will be celebrating our birthday full of ambition, determination and gratitude.
Cilla Snowball is chief executive of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO