the buzz

This is the first of 6 blogs reporting on the exciting findings we learned about at the Edge Conference sponsored by the Ad Club of Boston on November 16th. During the event, some of the most creative minds in communications & brand-building shared with us inspirational stories, presentations, spirited panel discussions and valuable information we will impart on our viewers over the next series of blogs. So stay tuned!

During the conference, I was blown away by the great line-up of dynamic speakers and overwhelmed with all the great new thoughts about advertising and media. But in the middle of all this inspiration about mobile technology and capturing market share, there was a speaker who was there to talk about something else, something simpler.

Doc Hendley, the founder and CEO of Wine to Water, was nominated as one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of the Year, and while he did not win the honor of being chosen as the Hero of the year, he certainly won-over the room at the Edge. He walked onto the stage in jeans, cowboy boots, and a belt buckle big enough to suggest he was a man from the south. He spoke humbly of his journey from bartender to pioneering philanthropist, saying that he was never good at much, but he was good at listening to people’s problems and giving them a drink. When he learned about the water crisis that is killing billions of people every day, he took those skills all over the world-listening to people’s problems, and giving them a drink. While he spoke, the entire room of clamoring ad execs stopped. All shiny iPhones screens were untouched, no Tweets were twittered, not a Facebook status was updated as he told us stories and showed us pictures of the horrors and triumphs of the places he has been: Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda. Like a room full of tweens at a Twilight premier, we were captivated.

His presentation was moving and inspiring, but it wasn’t just about bringing water to people in need. Water was the goal, but the method was the profound message. One would assume that upon his arrival to war-torn regions like Darfur, where the water crisis is killing thousands every day, he would be greeted with open arms and parades, but this was not the case. In these places around the world, a westerner is neither trusted or welcomed-no matter what he says he is bringing. In order to help, he had to convince the people that he had no agenda other than helping them survive. He had to meet the people, learn about them, have meals with them, get to know their families, live with them. He had to build relationships and become someone they could trust. His journey was about people, reaching out to each other across barriers like language, culture and fear to achieve simple human goals together. By going to the most dangerous places-against the advice of the UN-and personally meeting the people he was able to make connections to what they really needed and find out how best to get it to them. He set out to bring people water, but he ended up opening up communication and redefining how foreign aid can interact directly with the people who need it.

In a room full of people who spend all our time frantically brainstorming about new media and engaging our client’s customers with salesy ad programs, he reduced what we do to something very simple and very human. We are all in the business of people. The relationships that we build are more important than our technological capabilities or our portfolio of shiny designs. The first step of all our business interactions is to meet each other, shake hands, talk about who we are and what we are trying to accomplish, to see if we can make something together. So, as we enter the season of giving thanks, we wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude to all of our colleagues, industry peeps and clients for the great relationships, whether we are just beginning to get to know one another or if we’ve known you for years. You are all the best part of our business. Thank you for letting us know you, for lending us your trust, your brands and your business.

And a big special thank you to Doc Hendley and Water to Wine for running around the world doing amazing things and taking the time to remind us that it all comes down to people.

If you want to know more about Doc Hendley and Water to Wine, please visit watertowine.org or tune in to CNN at 9pm E.T. on Thanksgiving to watch the Heroes Tribute.