Allen Thomas, who is about to take his final bow as worldwide
creative director of J. Walter Thompson, is one of the last links
between the Berkeley Square agency and its golden years.
He is a legacy of the time when creative departments were staffed by
dilettantes filling in time while they were writing the ’great English
novel’.
Dilettantism is a charge that could never be levelled at Thomas, whose
valediction after three decades at JWT appears on page 36 of this week’s
edition.
On the contrary, he is one of that rare breed of eternally witty writers
who have never lost their populist touch. Thank goodness he is staying
on in a part-time role. His talents are rare - and becoming rarer.
