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2 Minutes …With Al Merry, Co-Founder and CCO of Flower Shop
On the nature of Plans C and D
Al is the co-founder and chief creative officer of Flower Shop. Previous tenures include TBWAChiatDay, Wieden + Kennedy and BBH London.
We spent two minutes with Al to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Al, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up in Dundee, Scotland, and now live in Westchester, N.Y.
Your earliest sports memory.
Watching Dundee United beat Barcelona in 1987 (and thinking that was normal).
How did you first get involved in advertising?
Someone in a university seminar came in waving around their application for Saatchi & Saatchi. It was a four-page booklet with questions like: “What would you write on your gravestone?” and “How long is a piece of string?” It was way more fun than the PricewaterhouseCoopers’ graduate application form.
A recent project you’re proud of.
Equally proud of our Fanatics work with Tom Brady and our Almave Non-Alcoholic Tequila work with Lewis Hamilton.
Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.
The morning after David Beckham’s penalty sent Argentina home from the 2002 World Cup, Paul Silburn walked into TBWA with the ad below. Even as a Scotsman, I loved it.
Someone else’s project that you admired recently.
Liquid Death’s positioning as “an entertainment company that makes water.”
One thing about how creativity is evolving that you’re excited about.
Rupert Sanders told me he wanted to pitch an idea to Netflix, where they would only run great advertising. A jury would select the most entertaining and wouldn’t let bad ads on the platform. I hope they do it.
Someone or something worth following on social media.
Comedian @Juliaiscooliakelly on Instagram. @juliakiscooliakelly is my wife and claims I never support her endeavors @juliaiscooliakelly.
Your favorite fictional character?
Nathan Fielder (if he qualifies as fictional)
What sports can do that nothing else can?
Expose pretenders in an instant.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the advertising/creative world.
I’ve already tried to make it as an athlete in two different sports, so this is effectively Plan C. Plan D doesn’t bear thinking about: a therapist specializing in the effects of human failure.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series,
