Howell, Henry, Chaldecott, Lury and Partners.

HHCL (Howell, Henry, Chaldecott, Lury and Partners) was a London-based advertising agency that found fame and fortune in the late 1980's and most of the 1990's.

Founded in 1987 by Rupert Howell, Steve Henry, Axel Chaldecott, Adam Lury and Robin Price, it was a new breed of agency with a new approach to advertising. It wasn't about winning awards, and it wasn't about making money hand-over-fist. The HHCL philosophy was built around irreverent work that was aimed at the smarter, ad conscious consumer. They were "professional radicals." Some called the work "bizarre," others said it was unorthodox (it was) and many traditional shops and clients said it was just plain confusing. But, it worked.

Controversy and intelligence - the HHCL way of life.

This new way of working was not a fad, but an ethos that was the cornerstone of every campaign that HHCL worked on. It was always about the work and the product or service. Finding the most creative way to deliver the message was paramount, and it was believed that this approach would bring the agency critical and financial success.

That was an understatement. It turned the agency into a hotshop that soon became THE place to work in London, and the envy of other ad agencies around the world.

The agency structure

HHCL took Bernbach's idea of teams and pushed it to the extreme. Now, teams consisted not only of an art director and copywriter, but a strategic planner, account director, production designer and more. And the whole team was responsible for the creative work. Research played a big part, too, and was used to ensure that very few projects ever had to go back to the drawing board. This agency model kept the company lean, mean and boasting margins of over 25%.

The working model

Unlike the "them and us" mentality of the majority of ad agencies at that time, HHCL embraced the clients and their input. Early on in the process, clients were invited to creative brainstorming sessions (also known as tissue sessions) to help with the ideation.

Rather than hinder the creative process, it accelerated it. Based on the idea that you can't kill what you helped birth, the radical ideas quickly passed through the system and got approved in record time.

Hot desking was also something that HHCL introduced. Agencies had become places that were compartmentalized. Copywriters and art directors sat in small offices or cubicles. Planners sat with accountants. People had pictures of their families and dogs on their desks. Hot desking eliminated all of that. You would find an empty desk, anywhere in the agency, and use it for the day. This fresh environment, changing daily, also helped the creative process for everyone in the agency.

The Howell Henry Show

One of the many innovations within the HHCL agency was The Howell Henry Show. It was a TV show broadcast within the agency that showcased the new work, policies, staff and clients. It was this open approach that made the agency function in such a different way.

The Work

HHCL's work for First Direct was groundbreaking to say the least. Two commercials aired simultaneously on different channels, each offering diametrically opposed opinions. This had never been done before.

The HHCL commercials for Maxell also broke the mold, using misheard lyrics shot in the style of the Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues.

But it was the work for Tango that stands out by far. From the large orange man slapping people in the face, to the Tango CEO demanding a fight with someone who didn't like the taste of the drink, and work that got even more sexually provocative as the years went by, Tango was the agency's masterpiece.

Other work for Ronseal, Go, Egg, The Automobile Association, Pot Noodle, Iceland and Martini is still considered some of the best advertising work ever to come out of a British agency.

The rise and fall of a legend

They say the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. This was prophetic for HHCL. From such strong beginnings they became the most creative agency in the UK, if not the world, during the 90's. In 1994 HHCL was the first agency to offer a completely integrated agency, combining PR, below the line, through the line, above the line, media buying and more. This is the way most agencies work now. HHCL was bought by Chime PLC in October 1997. In 2000, Campaign magazine voted HHCL the "agency of the Decade" but the celebrations were short-lived. The company was merged into the Red Cell Network in January 2002. In January 2006, the "professional radicals" had become the old guard, no longer the hot new kids on the block. The HHCL initials were dropped and the agency was renamed United London in January 2006. It finally closed its doors in early 2007, 20 years after being founded.

The HHCL legacy

Many agencies have followed ion HHCL's footsteps, whether they did so intentionally or by accident. The most obvious disciple is Mother, an agency formed when HHCL was still going strong. They had the same savvy approach to advertising and produced campaigns that treated the consumer with respect rather that patronizing them. Ironically, Mother has just got stronger and stronger, while HHCL is now just a memory. St. Luke's is also a classic example of an agency mimicking another, refusing to enter awards shows and organizing unique environments within the agency (including meeting rooms without chairs to speed up meeting times). They also adopted hot desking.

Perhaps the biggest follower of HHCL's advertising model is Crispin, Porter & Bogusky. Their work is often controversial, and is centered around the product and the smart consumer. They are now one of the biggest, respected and most awarded agencies in the world.