The initial thought behind Baileys Irish Cream took about 30 seconds. In another 45 minutes the idea was formed. But let’s be honest, it was a little more complex than that.

In his previous career in advertising today’s guest, who helped create that world-famous beverage, recalls once asking a designer friend to draw him a cartoon for an article he was doing for a magazine. 

He briefed him over the telephone and 30 minutes later he received a superb cartoon over fax. He called to thank him and remarked about the speed of his response – “Wow that was too quick!” he said.

He came back at him fast: “It didn’t take 30 minutes. It took 30 years”…

Most people will have heard of, and probably tasted, Baileys Irish Cream. But did you know that the storied drink has its roots in London? And that it also celebrated its 50th anniversary last year? For fans of the ever-present liqueur, we have David Gluckman to thank.

Because in 1973, David Gluckman & Hugh Seymour-Davies first concocted Baileys Irish Cream in their tiny Soho office.

And even then they were confident they had an original hit on their hands. ​Their unshakable belief in the idea enabled them to negotiate some rocky roads on Baileys’ journey to success…

But in addition to the global success of Baileys, David is also responsible for creating and working on a raft of other brands, too. 

And you can read more about these in David Gluckman’s compelling autobiography – That Shit Will Never Sell – a book crammed with entertaining anecdotes drawn from over forty years of brand creation in and around the drinks business.

In this podcast, we recount some of those tales and speak to David about the early days of his career in advertising and his advice to keep the faith and how to earn valuable buy-in when doubters pour scorn on your creativity.

We also discuss when to push hard in a pitch and when to ease back and take a critique, why the best ideas are the most simple and obvious, and also his pride in helping create a beverage that is sold across 160 countries with more than 220 millions bottles consumed annually.