He tramples underfoot feels ants in the legs

Jean-Claude Boulet a 28 years old, graduated from HEC in Pocket, a physics, Henry Fonda, trimmed to the sickle, and a few lean years of experience in advertising, when he said moods at Young & Rubicam American staff: "I am the man for the job." In this case, the Presidency of the French subsidiary of one of the most important global networks, left vacant by the departure of Bill Tragos and its three main parties collaborators found their own agency: TBWA (Omnicom). As as this as well as a miraculous solution, it is only a small Director Board, arrived two years ago to the "Young".

The evocation of this memory makes smile this discreet Martin Sorrell (WPP) Advisor in particular folder Cordiant interlocutor of Vincent Bolloré during adventure Havas, Hunter talents and President, 64, of the Agency corporate Harrison & Wolf he has to sell (very favourably said) to TBWA / France: "even when I was at the bottom, I myself am always included as if I was a patron of the box".

And in fact, starting with Young & Rubicam, it is the same that, occupying an Office in a few metres from his boss Bill Tragos, arises at regular intervals to to give them advice and proposals. Up to the point where the latter exceeded, said it all GB: "Listen, you're better than I thought but less good that you imagine it." Then, you're going to stop me c..., you're going to take your business and you're going to go install you at the Agency. Like this, I will be a bit quiet...

Bill Tragos there will win a few months of peace... and his restless Director Board still eventually get what it had: the Presidency, for 28 years, of Y & R France. In the advertising microcosm Jean-Claude Boulet, its convertibles, his love of speed, its allure of play-boy, but also its rigour, the accuracy of its strategic arguments, became suddenly famous. Is "busy man" by Paul Morand, a shade close: a systematic asceticism either alcohol or cigarettes, a hygiene of life fierce which stands in the middle. The any associated "a will of iron, even personal professional: it is incredibly brave, but much more funny weekend in week...". ", says Marie - Catherine Dupuy, Vice-President of TBWA/France and"D"of BDDP. "I still put three or four years to learn my job", says today the person concerned in a momentum of franchise... and lucidity.

But that's Jean-Claude advertising now brilliant Boulet after to be first tried to journalism, in "France Tennis" and the AFP, and then have swerved suddenly in Procter & Gamble. Almost a chance, because if at the end of the 1960s, the us how is already a reference in France, it doesn't mention much for this son of saint-cyrien, who lost his father in the war and who arrived from his Morocco natal in fifteen years, did CET to escape the stream X-Mines which were the intended almost naturally... The experience at Procter will last a year but it will enable Jean-Claude Boulet to jump at Young & Rubicam, one of the lighthouses of the how agencies.

He begins to zero

The rest of the story unfolds with a fluidity that seems a posteriori, disconcerting: the success of the Agency Y & R in France, ranked 4th French behind Havas, Publicis and RSCG, he allows to take the European Presidency in 1980. In passing, he spotted a large Brown, a little bear but undeniably talented, Jean-Marie Dru, Creative Director of Dupuy Compton and future Chairman of TBWA world. He hired him as President of Y & R Paris. Their complicity will last 20 years.

But Jean-Claude Boulet was not slow to discover "that everything is decided from New York". He tramples underfoot, feels ants in the legs. This will be the break, and the creation, after one year of notice, BDDP, in 1984, he took the Presidency and whose commercial success will be meteoric: "he brought a concern for fairness and transparency in the trade as well as the willingness to enforce the added value of advertising which was something new, is Natalie Rastoin".Director General of Ogilvy and BDDP ex-DG. He is someone that knows how to say no to a client and that may even be very cold, very cutting if necessary. "And the balance sheet of BDDP imposes respect: in 1992, eight years after its creation, the network Tip 4 rank in France, is 15th in the world and displays its presence in 25 countries.

"But it was an impossible adventure of trying to do a global group present in 50 countries, without money, and since the France, think Jean-Claude Boulet." "We didn't have enough global clients and not enough financial means." Because the expansion international, made late on its French competitors is expensive, too much in a difficult market in the aftermath of the Gulf war. The redemption, extremely costly, of the WRG American who manages the mythical Procter, will be too. Exhausted with 800 million francs of debt, BDDP is bought in 1998 by the number one global Omnicom and merged with TBWA. But if a few years later, the merger between BDDP and TBWA will put in orbit Jean-Marie Dru, it places Jean-Claude Boulet in a complex situation: as President, he wears all the financial responsibility of acquisitions. A framework recalls: "He left very worthy way by bringing us to explain that since the acquisition by Omnicom, should be a single pattern to represent us and obvious, it must be Jean-Marie Dru". Never he returned in BDDP, preferring to definitively turn the page.

Then it will be a new turn professional. He was 58 years old and everything to start over from scratch. Then start a new adventure with institutional communication agency Harrison & Wolf named thus because of his friendship with the American writer Jim Harrison. The Agency to quickly size a great reputation in its niche. Very quickly, it counts as clients Total, Lafarge, Société Générale, KLM Air France... Large signatures that allow Jean-Claude Boulet continue to weigh on the Parisian advertising scene. And it is quite naturally that TBWA, via its subsidiary corporate, he made an offer, as a new foot of nose of fate and, perhaps, a subtle way to return the favor: "It was the most natural partner in terms of culture," says simply. It is through the creation of TBWA Jean-Claude Boulet was able to take the chairmanship of Young & Rubicam, is TBWA which merges with BDDP beset by difficulties, and it is the same TBWA redeems the ultimate "boutique" created by Jean-Claude Boulet... A held perfect.