Creative Company: How St. Luke's Became "The Ad Agency to End All Ad Agencies"

Don't let the blurb fool you. Andy Law has not written a how-to book about manging creative businesses. If you pick up some tips about how to do so, that's bonus. Rather, the author poses some fundamental questions about the role of work, and the interplay of one's economic, intellectual and emotional lives. A subject which ought to exercise us more than it does.I personally wouldn't like to work in the St. Luke's style. But that a company looks first at its role in the community of its stakeholders, and second at how it might make money, makes it an example for companies far beyond the creative sphere. Unfortunately, I have heard rumours that St. Lukes has actually had to, er, let people go. Not easy in a co-operative. Does some better-informed reader know if it's true? Sad, if it is. And it doesn't discredit Law's philosophical arguments, nor diminish their importance. BTW, Andy Law writes beautifully.

I just completed this book last week, and it really made me think about my business, where I wanted to go (I don't want my employees to be employees... so this opened up new ideas on how to work on projects, with clients, and run an business).This book does give information about how salary's were done, vacation time, benefits, and even how shares are allotted, etc. It is a very personal testimony of a life ambition.What this book is not: it is not a book about how a one person business became like St. Lukes. It is about how a merger happened, and a group of people joined together to keep the big-name clients they already had and make a new company. You won't find tips on how to take a 1 person shop to a 5 person shop, but the book will certainly make you think about how to organize your business, how you will work with clients, and give you a glimpse of a company that runs very well.

Whether you plan on starting a business in advertising or animal husbandry (or perhaps they're the one and the same ;-) you would do well to read this book. Not only is it a tremendous source for innovative ideas on how to start and run a small business, it's also an engaging and inspiring read. While St. Lukes' ideas and methods certainly aren't for all businesses, all business owners, big or small, will benefit from this story of dogged determination in the face of trememdous odds and the power of a shared idea.

Creative Company is a powerful book that provides insight and motivation for the next wave of advertising professionals. As I begin my career in advertising, Law's book sets the bar for my generation. It illustrates what we expect from, and what we will give to the agencies we will soon be staffing. St. Luke's erases the line between the haves and have-nots. It forces the industry to combat the problems of creativity, loyalty, and personal growth. Even if you are not advertising professional, this book provides an example of the potential for all companies and their workers.I look forward to seeing the future of St. Luke's, the people that work there, and am eager to witness the arrival of St. Luke's in the United States.

[email protected] from London , 2 March, 1999 Essential reading and thinking for the office-bound This is a marvellous book in all kinds of ways and an inspiration to all who feel there has to be a better way, but don't see it in "virtual" offices, telecommuting or any of the other dubious possibilities thrown up by new technology. I sincerely hope St Luke's fulfils its potential and provides a model for enlightened 21st century business. The sense of humanity running through the text is so palpable, and the whole is terrifically life-affirming. A couple of gripes. First, I cannot reconcile all of the proud claims made on behalf of St Luke's output with the questionable quality of work such as their campaign for the Express. Honesty is the key note of Andy Laws' philosophy, and I feel this should extend to a properly critical view of St Luke's work. The risk inherent in their approach (and this applies to other radical agencies such as HHCL) is that in their drive to innovate and be different, the occasional dog will get out. The Fox's work also falls into this category for me: I applaud the originality and bravery of the approach, but find it hard to believe it sold many biscuits. Of course, these may be the deluded opinions of an advertising luddite. Second, am I alone in finding the epilogue painfully artificial by comparison with the text that has come before? Again, if honesty is the byword here, I simply cannot believe that this high-order philosophical debate (complete with word-perfect quotes from Greek and German philosophers) actually took place as reported. And in the unlikely event that it did, I find the tone desperately pretentious. The protagonists go perilously close to disappearing up their own fundaments, and it's a disappointing ending to an otherwise superb book. Congratulations to Andy Law and all at St Luke's on their courage and imagination. You deserve to make a mint, then give it all away to society.