Separate podcast that is about McConnells Advertising and its ultimately demise and my role in it, as the buyer/owner. 

McConnells was the largest Advertising Agency in Irish history started in 1916 and ended in 2009. This is what happened. Produced not with pleasure, but because I was asked repeatedly (!) and so be it.

Any discussion or arguments happy to, at [email protected].

Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. 

A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member; He lives in Dublin (at the minute).  

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The last Episode in our Story brings us to today.

What I set out to understand The Story of Advertising and the reason for a current downfall or, a collapse in advertising standards.

We started with the brands from the Egyptians BC, the development of brands through the 1800-1900s with Pears Soap, Wrigleys, Coca Cola and The Industrial Revolution. The development of media, notably Marconi’s Radio and Baird’s TV. The Sony transistor radio. 

The delay in a developed advertising ecosystem through World War one, The Great Depression, World War Two and the Cold War.

The advent of the 1950’s Madmen generation and then the shift in the 1970’s and 80’s away from Madison Avenue to Soho London.

The greed is good generation of the 1990s and then the formation in the 2000s of The infamous Advertising Holding Company and the new breed of grey financial men running Advertising Agencies.

Then the Split into Media Agencies and creative Agencies as 2 entities, breaking up the full service Agency model.

More or less, where we are now.

A media led advertising industry and not a creative led one run by people who don’t come from the craft of advertising. And how Jon Mandel became to be called 'the most hated man advertising'....



Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. 

A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member

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The “expensive” Mad Men skilled Advertising types were consequently, cast out in the cost cutting or, they simply left because they had been bought out in the 1980s. They didn’t want to stay anyway and as I explained, most of those owners were the true advertising creative people. So, through buyouts, it was the creatives that were missing first.

These the people who probably drank too much, who turned into work at various times (but worked long hours), who wanted to have fun on expense accounts, who got into tricky relationships. Who slept with the wrong people and probably too many of them. 

 But who had produced the great Advertising work. 

 Not of any real consequence to these new financial holding companies and their new grey financial accountancy leaders but rather concerned about how much they cost.

The Advertising Agency culture was changed.

1978 McCanns formed ‘Universal McCann’ media. In 1989 Publicis launched Optimedia. 1992 and Grey Advertising set up ‘Media Connections’. 

In 1999, WPP created ‘Mindshare’ as a standalone media dependent representing the media buying of its two Agencies, JWT and Ogilvy & Mather. 

In 2003, Mindshare also represented The Young & Rubicam Agency and rebadged as ‘Group M’. 

Omnicom opened OMD in 1996 (Optimum Media Direction) and acquired PHD Media. Publicis opened Zenith, Havas started Havas Media and Dentsu brought Aegis/Carat to the world. 

1993 D’Arcy Masius (DMB&B) created Televest to handle media for P&G, Kraft and Mars. 1994, and in 1996 merged with BBDO to form OMD (Optimum Media Direction) and Interpublic Advertising bought Western International Media for $50m. 

In 1994 Saatchi’s set up Zenith media US having operated in Europe since 1988. 

1997 JWT formed Mindshare and in 1998 Grey Advertising brought Mediacom to the USA. 1999 Burnett’s formed Starcom and so on.


Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. 

 A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member

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The 1980’s signified too, a change in the general financial business attitude too, just as the advertising power base was shifting from Madison Avenue New York, to London’s Soho as we said in the last episode.  And of course, the Saatchis showing that Ad Agencies could be financial business too for the first time.

This is the significant moment in the downfall of advertising standards because money now overtook creative advertising. It was no longer about the Ads, but rather the money in it..

 Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. 

A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member

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The ‘swinging sixties’ developed a culture of smoke-filled rooms, ashtrays on board room tables and extensive drink cabinets in offices. A culture of free-flowing sex and Chivas Regal. Fun. 

Women too, entering the workforce – a sexual revolution of short miniskirts and Playboy. The three-martini lunch. 

 Carnaby Street, Mary Quant, Twiggy and The Rolling Stones. Radio Caroline, The King’s Road, The 1966 World Cup, The Kray Twins and The Jaguar E Type. Beatlemania in full swing in 1964. London was suddenly cool. 

A creative social movement that was now becoming more centred on London, than on New York. A cultural shift that brought with it new creativity and thinking back to the UK from the USA. The balance of American Advertising power was shifting. 

 The 1970’s too, showed a completely immersed Advertising Agency culture of fun, excitement and creativity borne from that ‘swinging sixties’ movement. It was in their DNA socially, so it was reflected in the way they worked. 

The shift of advertising power from Madison Avenue to notably, Soho London, is solely down to two incredible brothers, Maurice and Charles. The greatest Ad Agency of all time. 


Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. 

 A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member; He lives in Dublin (at the minute).  

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‘Madmen’ as if often thought, did not mean they were just ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’, although they were, but rather to explain that they were the men of New York’s Madison Avenue, the heart of American Advertising. 

 Men from Madison Avenue, Madmen. A place where I started too. 

The madmen had seen the power of the new TV and scrambled to understand this new medium as a new Advertising option. 

In fact, Television created such a revolution in homes and lifestyles, that Advertising and the Agencies, surged on the back of it as ‘experts’ in this new medium. TV became known as the ‘brand builder’ and it was. 

Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. 

A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member; He lives in Dublin (at the minute).  

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Television became the driving force of Advertising and consequently by their Advertising Agencies. 

 It was all new and it needed expertise and cannot be underestimated. Television is the key to this new advertising age and perhaps, still largely is. Television became the driving force of Advertising and consequently by their Advertising Agencies. 

It was all new and it needed expertise and cannot be underestimated. Television is the key to this new advertising age and perhaps, still largely is.

Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. 

 A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member; He lives in Dublin (at the minute).  

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 Huge GDP growth across the world, Japan notably, coupled with low interest rates and that new massive military spending in the face of a Cold War, all fuelled a boom. The emerging ‘hippy’ generation through the 1960’s. 

The swinging sixties, Mary Quant, Carnaby Street, Acid and the Mamas and Papas. Peace. Make love not war. 

A raft of new housing (some newly ‘prefabricated’ as a concept) in new ‘suburbs’ brought conspicuous consumption on housing, clothing, furniture, automobiles and cosmetics. 

The new ‘white picket fenced’ houses, complete with Bendix automatic washing machines first seen in 1937, and fitted kitchens, became symbols of the time. Conspicuous consumption, keep up with the Jones’s. 

The 1948 ship which first brought people from the West Indies was called ‘Empire Windrush’. Hence, The ‘Windrush’ generation. 

Once the Second World War had ended, brands that had been ready and in place, so the more sophisticated Advertising Agencies, were re-awoken. 

Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member; He lives in Dublin (at the minute).  

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The ‘Voice of America’, Tokyo Rose, Axis Sally (an American employed by the Nazis) and William Joyce ‘Lord Haw Haw’ (American born although often wrongly referred to as being Irish, because he lived there as a child and developed an accent) with his show “Germany calling”. 

As Goebbels, the chief Nazi propagandist noted;

“It would not have been possible for us to take power or to use it in the ways we have without the radio...It is no exaggeration to say that the German revolution, at least in the form it took, would have been impossible without the airplane and the radio…Radio reached the entire nation, regardless of class, standing, or religion. That was primarily the result of the tight centralization, the strong reporting, and the up-to-date nature of the German radio.”

The BBC ‘Home Service’ broadcast a radio diet of ‘inspiring’ programmes, and of course, secret messaging to underground supporters, such as The French Resistance. 

To signal the start of D-Day, a Paul Verlaine poem was broadcast by The BBC radio to key French Resistance saboteurs to begin attacks - Les sanglots longs Des violons De l'automne (When a sighing begins, in the violins, of the autumn song).

Of course, wireless Radio navigation was also a critical part of World War Two, so investment was continually made during the war in the radio technology, the infrastructure. 

 But advertising was again, on hold.

Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO. A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member; He lives in Dublin (at the minute).  

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The story of advertising continues with Marconi's 'Wireless', Bose, Hertz, Edison, Tesla, Morse and The Titanic. But here come WW1 in 1914 and stymies it all.  

The on-going establishment of Newspaper advertising, albeit with their new weekly sophistication, meant advertising was still really a one-horse pony as the 20th century began.  The first radio news transmission was in 1920 in Detroit by station 8MK. Sports broadcasting followed in 1921 and then, regular broadcasts from Marconi in 1922.

Stuart Fogarty is a graduate of St. Columba’s College and UCD Dublin Ireland. He is a second-generation Adman, son of an Agency CEO.  A Former President and a Fellow of The Advertising Institute (IAPI); Board Member and a Fellow of The Marketing Institute; former advisory board member of The European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): Chairman of The Advertising Press Club; Board member of The Publicity Club; former Ad Agency CEO and once Owner of Ireland’s largest Ad Agency McConnell’s and AFAO’Meara Advertising; Co-Founder of Core Media, currently Ireland’s largest Media Agency: Founder of Digital Agency ICAN; Founder of Club Internet (floated Nasdaq March 2000 as Via Net Works); regular media contributor on advertising matters; Sailing World record holder; Leinster rugby branch member; He lives in Dublin (at the minute).  

Send us a text

[email protected]