Hello, I'm Krestey Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1991, and the presenter was Sue Lawley. My castaway this week is an advertising man, responsible for many of the cameos and slogans that

accompany our everyday lives.

He's now at the age of 47 worth, in his own words, a huge amount.

His wealth has been built on images familiar to all of us.

Forshongdush technique is his, and so is the man who takes his genes off in the laundrette.

He brings some principles, though, to the techniques of persuasion.

He won't advertise cigarettes or political parties.

As a result he and his firm, the rhythmically named Bartle Bogle Hegarty, enjoy a reputation that extends well beyond the confines of their industry. He's

John Hegarty.

John Hegarty.

John, we know what's wrong with cigarettes, but what's wrong with politics?

I mean, it's made a lot of advertising agencies a huge amount of money. I think it's a very interesting thing in some ways to

work in. I think that the point of view that we take is that we're best as an agency

when we're working as one and I think it will be very difficult for us to

sort of amalgamate all our points of view under one political party I think it goes

very deep in people's beliefs. It just seems to be a contradiction in terms, if you forgive me, the idea of principles and advertising.

Well, I think life is about contradictions and those sorts of things.

The more I experience the world, the more I realize is that we live largely mostly myths that all have to be challenged.

And I think advertising is at its best when it's honest. I think it is the most powerful thing you can use

when you're selling something or when you're talking to somebody or when you're

...