This is a great chance to debate the very essence of my stock in trade. A chance to ponder what it is one does for a living. To answer a question often asked by my children – does the business daddy is in sell happiness? Indeed does this business make as all sad?

Does advertising, by trying to engage the public with our expensively crafted messages, in fact do the direct opposite. Do we bore people to the point of misery?

Are we making them miserable because they want that 4 Burner BBQ from BBQ’s galore with the warming oven and built-in stubby fridge, but they just can’t fit it into the family budget?

Do we create a happy dream, but a sad reality?

Do we advertisers engage the public with powerful, happy dreams to only bring them crashing back to reality when the remote presses the red button and they take themselves off to bed?

Not at all. I maintain that when they tuck themselves into their Freedom Furniture futon with matching Sleepmaker bedware and turn off their bedside clock with iPod docking station, they are not miserable about having to wait for the 4 burner BBQ, they are in-fact determined. They are energised by the challenge and are looking forward to their next instalment of happiness.

There are of course degrees of Happiness one might pursue. And it is important for this debate that I define the sort of Happiness we want. It’s the very essence of human nature to want to be happy. And I firmly believe the pursuit of it will not make us miserable.

There is the all-out shock and awe quest for Happiness typified by “he who dies with the most toys wins.” This usually results in collateral damage. An American-style– crash through or crash - pursuit for Happiness which will leave some in therapy and does perhaps explain the desire for some in the US to carry semi – automatic weapons.

I am not in favour of this must-have-at-any-cost Happiness. I’m arguing for an Aussie definition.

A she’ll be right, everyone deserves a go, lucky country sort of happiness. A balanced perspective that enables us to enjoy the growth of our Happiness Economy - and the freedom it brings – without having to turn to Dr Phil for mass therapy.

In the adgame we like to personalise brands. We ask really clever questions like ‘if Lexus was a dog, what sort of dog would it be? Or if Wiskas was an actress who would it be?”

So, I used this method to give us all a hand to define the sort of Happiness we are seeking.

I am for a Bob Hawke sort of Happiness. The perfect balance of ‘She’ll be right’ and ‘avago.’

A Happiness that can achieve great things. A generous spirited Happiness, a heart on the sleeve and an eye-on-the-need-for-the-individual-to-steer-their-own-tiller type of Happiness.

A Happiness that allows and encourages material success, and lets you proudly have a piccie taken with a famous new bride and a stubby, in a terry towling robe.

A Bob Hawke economy is of course grouse, a bewty, its bonza, its ace. It’s there for the taking - but only if you want to - because a lifetime in Nimbin, if you’d prefer, is alright too.

We admen are instruments of happiness. Cogs in the happiness machine. The spark and even sometimes the ignition for lots of little doses of happiness.

We admen can bring you 30 seconds of cheer, a DPS of desire, and even these days a website to interact with happiness.

I suspect that if I do this . . . .whistle Maccas . . . it makes none of you instantly miserable.

If I refrain the recent Cadbury endframe from their TV commercials “Cadburyness is Happiness” you might intellectually mock the silliness of it all – but it would not make you unhappy to read such a thing.

The fact that one of the most popular and hugely awarded commercials of recent times – that of a Gorilla playing playing a Phil Collins drum solo – made people laugh out loud happy - And not a square of chocolate in sight – speaks volumes for the power of what we can do. What a wonderful calling to have: to be an instrument of happiness.

To be in an industry that can let millions of coloured balls roll down San Francisco streets with a stunning sound track by Jose Gonzalez is a joyful 60 second watching experience.

This advertisement makes the new buyer of the Sony Bravia happy for sure –with all that wonderful spectrum of colour.

And it makes the shareholders of Sony happy because they are experiencing a return on the ingenuity of some very happy Sony workers because they are rewarded with a sale of their product and they get to work at a wonderfully creative and ingenious workplace. I am struggling to see the misery in all that.

Or when hundreds of men running across a field in orange smocks sing about their beer - every one wins.

Or when butchers are dancing because they are full of vitality – how does that make anyone miserable? And the extra Million sales for Australia Day that Sam Kekovich ignites for lamb certainly keeps the farmers and the butchers anything but miserable (yes, I am aware the mothers of the lambs are the costs associated with this success).

Target tell us to be 100% Happy. “Just be Happy la la la la”. And fair enough too. They have a 100% money back guarantee.

But the ad business is not just about the pursuit of economic happiness. We can create demand for whatever product, service, cause, social issue, social activity, sport, political party, war, peace. Whatever you like. Just brief us, pay us, and you’ll be amazed at what we can do.

We can even create a campaign for misery. Now that’ll sell. 100 Miserable. . . . . . Ka-Ching.

But back to the Four Burner BBQ.

The Happiness Machine, the Happiness Economy relies on aspiration and desire. Aspiration and Desire are key drivers of demand.

And in our economy, demand is everything. Without demand, everything stops. Why did Mr Rudd and Co give us a cheque in the Summer of 2008/9? Because they very wisely knew that if the Happiness economy stops – that’s bound to make us all very miserable indeed.

Russel Howcroft is CEO of George Patterson Y&R and panel captain on ABC's The Gruen Transfer

This is a great chance to debate the very essence of my stock in trade. A chance to ponder what it is one does for a living. To answer a question often asked by my children – does the business daddy is in sell happiness? Indeed does this business make as all sad?

Does advertising, by trying to engage the public with our expensively crafted messages, in fact do the direct opposite. Do we bore people to the point of misery?

Are we making them miserable because they want that 4 Burner BBQ from BBQ’s galore with the warming oven and built-in stubby fridge, but they just can’t fit it into the family budget?

Do we create a happy dream, but a sad reality?

Do we advertisers engage the public with powerful, happy dreams to only bring them crashing back to reality when the remote presses the red button and they take themselves off to bed?

Not at all. I maintain that when they tuck themselves into their Freedom Furniture futon with matching Sleepmaker bedware and turn off their bedside clock with iPod docking station, they are not miserable about having to wait for the 4 burner BBQ, they are in-fact determined. They are energised by the challenge and are looking forward to their next instalment of happiness.

There are of course degrees of Happiness one might pursue. And it is important for this debate that I define the sort of Happiness we want. It’s the very essence of human nature to want to be happy. And I firmly believe the pursuit of it will not make us miserable.

There is the all-out shock and awe quest for Happiness typified by “he who dies with the most toys wins.” This usually results in collateral damage. An American-style– crash through or crash - pursuit for Happiness which will leave some in therapy and does perhaps explain the desire for some in the US to carry semi – automatic weapons.

I am not in favour of this must-have-at-any-cost Happiness.

I’m arguing for an Aussie definition.

A she’ll be right, everyone deserves a go, lucky country sort of happiness. A balanced perspective that enables us to enjoy the growth of our Happiness Economy - and the freedom it brings – without having to turn to Dr Phil for mass therapy.

In the adgame we like to personalise brands. We ask really clever questions like ‘if Lexus was a dog, what sort of dog would it be? Or if Wiskas was an actress who would it be?”

So, I used this method to give us all a hand to define the sort of Happiness we are seeking.

I am for a Bob Hawke sort of Happiness. The perfect balance of ‘She’ll be right’ and ‘avago.’

A Happiness that can achieve great things. A generous spirited Happiness, a heart on the sleeve and an eye-on-the-need-for-the-individual-to-steer-their-own-tiller type of Happiness.

A Happiness that allows and encourages material success, and lets you proudly have a piccie taken with a famous new bride and a stubby, in a terry towling robe.

A Bob Hawke economy is of course grouse, a bewty, its bonza, its ace. It’s there for the taking - but only if you want to - because a lifetime in Nimbin, if you’d prefer, is alright too.

We admen are instruments of happiness. Cogs in the happiness machine. The spark and even sometimes the ignition for lots of little doses of happiness.

We admen can bring you 30 seconds of cheer, a DPS of desire, and even these days a website to interact with happiness.

I suspect that if I do this . . . .whistle Maccas . . . it makes none of you instantly miserable.

If I refrain the recent Cadbury endframe from their TV commercials “Cadburyness is Happiness” you might intellectually mock the silliness of it all – but it would not make you unhappy to read such a thing.

The fact that one of the most popular and hugely awarded commercials of recent times – that of a Gorilla playing playing a Phil Collins drum solo – made people laugh out loud happy - And not a square of chocolate in sight – speaks volumes for the power of what we can do. What a wonderful calling to have: to be an instrument of happiness.

To be in an industry that can let millions of coloured balls roll down San Francisco streets with a stunning sound track by Jose Gonzalez is a joyful 60 second watching experience.

This advertisement makes the new buyer of the Sony Bravia happy for sure –with all that wonderful spectrum of colour.

And it makes the shareholders of Sony happy because they are experiencing a return on the ingenuity of some very happy Sony workers because they are rewarded with a sale of their product and they get to work at a wonderfully creative and ingenious workplace. I am struggling to see the misery in all that.

Or when hundreds of men running across a field in orange smocks sing about their beer - every one wins.

Or when butchers are dancing because they are full of vitality – how does that make anyone miserable? And the extra Million sales for Australia Day that Sam Kekovich ignites for lamb certainly keeps the farmers and the butchers anything but miserable (yes, I am aware the mothers of the lambs are the costs associated with this success).

Target tell us to be 100% Happy. “Just be Happy la la la la”

And fair enough too. They have a 100% money back guarantee.

But the ad business is not just about the pursuit of economic happiness. We can create demand for whatever product, service, cause, social issue, social activity, sport, political party, war, peace. Whatever you like. Just brief us, pay us, and you’ll be amazed at what we can do.

We can even create a campaign for misery.

Now that’ll sell. 100% Miserable. . . . . . Ka-Ching.

But back to the Four Burner BBQ.

The Happiness Machine, the Happiness Economy relies on aspiration and desire.

Aspiration and Desire are key drivers of demand.

And in our economy, demand is everything. Without demand, everything stops.

Why did Mr Rudd and Co give us a cheque in the Summer of 2008/9? Because they very wisely knew that if the Happiness economy stops – that’s bound to make us all very miserable indeed.

Russel Howcroft is CEO of George Patterson Y&R and pannel captain on ABC's The Gruen Transfer

As sports fans gear up for the start of the AFL and NRL seasons, in this week's print edition of B&T we've assembled our own dream (agency) teams. With our heads firmly in the sand over how to pay for this lot, below we've laid out our squads for an agency face-off between Sydney and Melbourne. Who gets the final nod in each position to create the victorious agency? You decide... Just leave us a comment outlining your first-choice team from our squads, or suggest your own fantasy agency based on B&T's full-service structure.

A few disclaimers before you read on. We had fun putting together our Fantasy Agency teams for both Sydney and Melbourne, but it's so tough to call that we were simply unable to accommodate many other brilliant agency folk out there – even when we nominated three prospects for each available space in the line up. The three potential choices per shirt, we hasten to add, are listed in no particular order. And as this is very much a fantasy line up, we’ve also placed a few agency folk in positions that we know they have long left behind. But, like everyone, we’re entitled to dream.

To see the dream teams and to have your say Click here