An Accutron in Mad Men

A wonderful ad was created in an episode of Mad Men. A Legendary Creative Director Dissects Freddy Rumsen’s Accutron Spot

For all its existential trappings, Mad Men is ultimately a workplace drama about mid-level ad agency.  And that’s the one thing that Don Draper and Friends are good at: creating compelling spots.

To see how this year’s ads, and adaptations of vintage ads, would hold up under real ad agency scrutiny, we enlisted Steve Hayden, former Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. Hayden created the legendary Apple Super Bowl spot, 1984, considered by many to be the greatest ad ever.

We asked him to discuss the Accutron ad that opened the first episode of Mad Men’s last season, and we got a fascinating analysis of the product, the ad, of watches as a status symbol, and an explanation of the rampant double-dipping by Madison Avenue’s top creative talent.

What’s your take on this ad?

It’s actually a pretty subtle spot. Accuracy was the Accutron’s key benefit. It kept better-than-Chronometer quality time because the timing mechanism was a humming pitchfork instead of a balance wheel. Every other watch was Inaccurate by comparison. But this spot focuses more on lifestyle — cool guy with something different on his wrist.  Of course, today you can get an even more accurate quartz watch for $20, and Masters of the Universe are willing to pay $30,000 for a mechanical watch, but I digress.

If this was a launch spot, I’d ding it for missing that key point that this is the most accurate watch in the world. That’s differentiating, and there are certain anal characters for whom it’s a very appealing message.

But the Accutron has been around for a while?

The Accutron was introduced in the mid 1960s.  Around the time that Mad Men started. This episode takes place in 1969.  So maybe by then it was time to move on to a lifestyle campaign.

This spot tells a pretty compelling story

It’s a business guy but a very hip business guy. When he walks into the room everyone looks at him. He’s Jon Hamm.

He’s what Jon Hamm—or Don Draper—used to be when the Accutron was a new watch and Mad Men was a new series.

Exactly.  It’s a guy who’s got a modern haircut, a beard (too cool for school), and a suit, but probably not the grey flannel suit that Don’s wearing. A guy who’s 30, not 40. He’s a man on the make wearing  a watch that tells the world who he is.

What does Peggy mean when she says it’s an “End run?”

Up to that point the Accutron ads were about the accuracy, the hum versus the tick. I remember headlines spoofing Goldwater’s campaign slogan: “In your heart, you know it’s right.”  Another series hinted coyly that your watch was being unfaithful to you. “Do you have an unfaithful watch?”  God, am I old.

Anyway, Freddy’s spot puts all this in a different context.  It’s a conversation starter, or conversation piece, to quote the copy.  Therefore, the lifestyle elements make perfect sense. That’s why it’s an end run.

Is it a home run?

Well, it’s a vastly better tag line and idea than, Lou, Peggy’s creative director buys in the end. Actually, it might be well ahead of its time — a 1980’s spot that magically turned up in 1969. That’s when lifestyle ruled, and Mr. 80’s Guy was out buying the world’s thinnest dress watch or the world’s most complicated gold chronograph for vast wodges of ill-gotten cash.

What Lou picks, “Accutron, it’s accurate,” is dull as dishwater. It’s pretty clear that Peggy is fighting the forces of mediocrity

What do you think about the reveal that it’s Don’s work?

It just didn’t make sense that poor old Freddy would show up with work that impressive, although I have to admit, I didn’t guess Don was behind it until the reveal.  Of course, it makes sense — even though he’s still getting his paycheck, he’s bored and unhappy and wants to prove that he’s still got it.  Why he picks Freddy as his guy, I don’t know, but the irony is kind of sweet.

And what about that little throw away that Freddy is also selling Don’s work to J. Walter Thompson? Wouldn’t that violate the non-compete clauses he’d have in his contract as a partner?

Well, of course, Don is violating his non-compete right, left and center.  But once he has a puppet in Freddy, he doesn’t care.  Who’s going to track him down?  (Although I wouldn’t be surprised if that becomes a plot line down the road.)

I remember back in the 60’s and 70’s, star creatives would often let their wives or boyfriends run their books around town so they could generate two big salaries for one household.  The actual talent would try to get his or her day job done from 9 to 5, then come home and pick up the next assignments their McGuffins brought home from another agency. Many a house in Southhampton was paid for that way.

But this isn’t about money for Don.  It’s about staying in the game.  He’s desperate to feel that sense of confidence and mastery a creative guy gets from knocking one out of the park.