Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, 6th Edition

FOREWORD

When Luke Sullivan invited me to write the foreword to the sixth edition of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This I panicked.

Not because Mike Hughes or Alex Bogusky had written previous forewords for this classic guide to creating great ads. Or because lots of people in marketing and communications from all over the world would read it.

I panicked because Luke Sullivan would read it.

Luke Sullivan was a name I used to see usually followed by a series of numbers. It’d be something like this: “Luke Sullivan, 17, 18, 19, 47, 48, 56, 57, 80, 93, 94, 95, 110, 111, 130, 147, 158, 159.” Those were all the page numbers showcasing Luke Sullivan’s work on the One Show Annuals.

When I was a junior writer starting my career in São Paulo, I would spend all of my entry-level salary on imported, expensive advertising annuals instead of basic items like food and clothing. It was all Luke Sullivan’s fault.

I would buy any One Show, Communications Arts, and D&AD annuals available for international shipping. Back then, it would take months to arrive.

I still remember the feeling of opening up the box, tearing off the plastic wrap, and taking a deep breath: “Ah, the new imported advertising annual smell.” It was the smell of a foreign, unattainable world. A world where advertising was clever, witty, funny, inspiring, emotional, and groundbreaking. The opposite of that promotional radio spot waiting to be written.

I was so moved by that kind of work that one day I sat in front of my parents and said, ...