Paul Silburn

Londoners use to say their city is the greatest in the world. And, let´s be reasonable, when it comes to advertising, they are right. Just check out Paul Silburn curriculum. In any other place in the world, he would be the best advertiser ever, but in UK he is just, let´s say, in the top 20. He has won over 20 lions, including legendary campaigns like "No nonsense" or John West Salmon´s "Bear Fight" and, more recently, "Life´s for Sharing" for T-Mobile.

Paul has worked in a row of agencies that include Lowe, TBWA Leo Burnett, BBH and Saatchi & Saatchi, we could say, half of the best London agencies. He has also made a small adventure at Fallon Minneapolis, but it didn´t last long. Pat Fallon fired him and, since them, things haven't been working at the classic agency.

Different of other creatives, its hard to identify his strong point. He has done funny physical comedy, sensitive subjects and down-to-earth advertising. He has been awarded in alternative media, film, print and outdoor. One thing, although, it´s easy to notice. His ads all look real. If he had done any scams, we don´t know, but their biggest award campaigns are pretty real.

Ad Genius 17: Paul Silburn.
Countries: UK, USA.
Agencies: Lowe, TBWA, Leo Burnett, BBH, Fallon, Saatchi.
At Cannes: Over 20 lions, 7 Gold.
Strong Points: Versatility.

Ari Merkin

Crispin, Porter + Bogusky is known for totally crazy

and original work. But in the middle of freaks, there

was one classic advertiser shining. Yeah, maybe his

work was not really ultra-fresh, but his Bernbach style

was respected in awards like One Show and Cannes.

Ari Merkin used to write long copy, headlines, make

big concepts and tell the truth. His clear, no-nonsense

way was just the opposite of most things from Crispin.

Maybe, that´s why the agency succeed so much. There

was always someone who could do great, but more

digestive work. And that made not-so-crazy clients

really happy.

Low-profile kind of guy, Merkin might be a brilliant

creative, but not exactly a great executive. Even

winning 13 pencils in a single One Show edition, he is

not very well-known and his agency, Toy, is also out

of the award circuit, probably because of lack of lobby.

Ari Merkin started working in 1993 for Roy Grace

and Diane Rothschild, advertising legends from the

70s and in 1998 began his fantastic epic in CP+B,

creating all that great work the agency is known for.

Some years later, he was hired to lead Fallon´s

operation in New York and he really succeeded,

winning loads of awards with some standout work.

But Fallon was not on its best days and had to close

its NY doors, keeping its work mainly in the original

Minneapolis agency. Now, calm Merkin is making OK

work in his small agency on Manhattan for about 3

years. We hope he doesn´t give up and come back

with some great stuff!

Ad Genius 5: Ari Merkin.

Country: USA.

Agencies: Grace & Rotschild, CP+B, Fallon NY, Toy.

At Cannes: 10 lions (1 GP)

Strong Points: Clever down-to-earth thinking.

Juan Cabral

Juan Cabral is probably the biggest ad star of our generation. With only 29, he became partner of one of the leading UK agencies, Fallon London. And he is not even british. Born in Argentina, Cabral began at Agulla & Bacetti, where he already collected some global awards.

You just couldn´t say that Cabral is lucky since he has worked in the best agencies and had the best opportunities. If you check out the credits, you will see he is usually the copywriter, the art director of the ad (if print) and the director (if TV). He usually has no company in the credits. And when he does, we can suppose who is the real brain...

Like most superstars, he is a bit exquisite. After winning his most prestigious award, the TV Grand Prix in Cannes, Cabral decided to move back to Argentina to raise his first kid. Will he become the advertising James Dean and retire forever, maintaining intact his image of legend or will he come back to try the tough challenge of keeping being the best?

Ad Genius 1: Juan Cabral.

Countries: Argentina, UK.

Agencies: Agulla & Bacetti, Mother, Fallon London.

At Cannes: 11 Lions (2 GP).

Strong point: Emotional advertising and use of music.