Retired Marketing Man Andrew Piccoli Speaks About His Children’s Book ‘Dexter The Dahu’
Andrew Piccoli spent his career overseeing some of Australia’s most memorable ad campaigns. Now, he has turned his attention to a particular area of passion: children’s literature.
Now retired, Piccoli spent the COVID-19 lockdown writing the story of Dexter the Dahu for children aged between five and nine. He has donated a copy of the charming book to every Victorian primary school and public library, and released it nationally.
Piccoli spoke to B&T about the inspirtion for Dexter the Dahu, the story of a young European mountain goat who must make his way to a prestigious boarding school, experiencing adventures and life lessons along the way.
B&T: What prompted you to make the shift towards writing?
AP: First of all, I’ve always had an interest in and belief in children’s literature and children’s storytelling. I’ve always believed that storytelling and the literature that evolves from it is the foundation of early childhood education. That’s been that’s been a number one belief. Secondly, I had the good fortune to be living in Zurich, Switzerland a couple of years ago.
I went into the English section of one of the bookstores in Zurich. They had an amazing collection of children’s stories in English, and I started to read about all those, and discover the concept of the dahu [a mythical European mountian goat].
I [wanted to make up] a story about this, and then of course, with COVID hitting here so badly, we were locked in for five months, across two bursts. [I had] the time to pull it all together, and finish it off and get it professionally edited, get an illustrator and a graphic designer and printer, and get on with it.
I hadn’t [done a book before but] I’ve always had an interest in storytelling and literature, because of its importance in the foundation of early education. And combined with my experience living in Zurich – because this whole thing is semi-set in Switzerland, and the concept of a dahu who is a European Alpine legend.
So using that folklore element, what are some of the themes that you wanted to explore?
There are messages, subtle messages in every chapter, because Dexter goes on a six day journey across the Alps, to arrive at his school, St. Nicholas Alpine School for Dahu. It’s written in an entertaining way, because it’s aimed for children who are aged five to nine years, so one does not want to be too didactic about all the messages in there. So I mean, he comes across Ivan the ogre, the river of stones, etc, etc.
There are messages of the importance of family, simple things about how to deal with a bully, to have to think for yourself, the importance of family, resilience and determination to overcome obstacles to ultimately get to your goal, which in this case, is arriving at the boarding school where [Dexter] is going to spend the next six years.
Ads on some fundamental level are about telling stories. Is that something that you found helped while writing, even though you’re catering to very different audiences when you’re creating an ad as to when you’re writing a children’s book?
I enjoy the creative process – although I was in marketing, I wasn’t a pure advertising person. I worked in marketing all my life, for 40 years, here in Australia and Canada and United Kingdom, and in the United Kingdom. I worked in various markets from there: Canada, Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.
The whole creative process that’s involved in marketing was something that I have always enjoyed. Coming up with an idea or discovering an idea, and developing that idea to produce an end result. That’s what it is.
So do you have any plans for any future books? Would you stick with children’s literature?
I would stick with children’s. I’ve learned a lot from this process. Of course, with Dexter having arrived at school, there is the opportunity – I’ve already started writing a sequel, because there [could be] a book for every year of school. Eventually, obviously, he graduates from St. Nicolas, and he gets back home. And I won’t tell you what happens when he gets home!
I’ve drafted out the next six years of his schooling. There are adventures in every year of school, but whether I do that depends upon how successful is is in commercial terms.
This initial book really began as a philanthropic exercise, and then I enjoyed the creative process. It was a whole lot of fun for me to do that. I mean, because of my belief in the importance of children’s literature and storytelling to children’s education, I donated nearly two and a half thousand copies of the book to Victorian primary schools and Victorian public libraries. That was that’s really what it was all about.
It was just my small contribution to the vast and wonderful world of children’s literture. I’ve got distribution in Victoria, which is where I’m based, and it’s now available on Booktopia nationally, it’s available on Amazon, internationally and in Australia. So whether I do any more depends upon how commercially successful this is. .
Where did your passion for children’s literature start?
Well, you know, in a strange kind of way, it came back from when I was a very young child, with my sister, and our babysitter .
[She] used to come over in an evening and then my parents would go out to meet with their friends, and she would read us fairy stories. I read a whole lot more while I was in Zurich, because there’s a whole different range of fairytales that exist in Europe compared to here. And then I’ve subsequently got a whole library full of these fairytales. It’s just amazing, and also, I just found it interesting.
It’s a whole genre that people make careers out of in terms of analysing and working out the subtle meaning of Little Red Riding Hood, for example. It’s been done in a whole different number of ways. It’s just an area I find interesting.
Is there anything else that you would like to add about your work?
I can only stress not just the technical skill of reading, but the power of stories and literature, first and foremost to stir up the imagination. Because in this digital world we now live in, there’s still a great need for imagination, in being able to solve problems, whether they be problems in the industry you’re working in, or your own personal life – you got to have imagination. Children’s stories, if you start with those at a very early age, can stir the imagination.
They can be a wonderful tool to have as you go through your life, to solve issues, because there are just issues that come up in your personal life and your working life that takes imagination to solve. I think that’s one big thing that reading at a very early age, and particularly fairy tales, can get your mind leaning towards.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Latest News
TV Ratings 29/4/24: Farmer Wants A Wife And Lego Masters Lock Horns In Overnight’s Battle
Who won the battle of the big guns - Lego or Farmer Wants A Wife? One thing's for sure, it wasn't Great Train Journeys.
Nielsen Data Reveals Brands Spending Big To Attract Aussie Tourists
Nielsen Ad Intel data has revealed that the travel and tourism industry spent more than $153 million on advertising in Australia in Q1, 2024 – an increase of 8 per cent from the previous quarter, with TripADeal the biggest spender, followed by Virgin Australia, then the Flight Centre-owned Ignite Travel. As many Australians return from […]
IAS Awarded New Responsible AI Certification From Trustarc
Integral Ad Science tossing up over the mahogany or teak frame after being awarded TRUSTe Responsible AI Certification.
AWARD Calls For Hall Of Fame Nominations
B&T's noms for AWARD Hall of Famer includes Louis The Fly, Chums' talking Scottie dog & Mumbrella's coke dealer.
Havas Red Wins PagerDuty PR Account
Havas Red wins PagerDuty's PR. And judging by B&T having to Google PagerDuty, it could probably do with some help.
ACA Poised To Release Results Of 2023 Create Space Census
The Advertising Council unveils date for its census results. Hey, why not coincide it with an office lamington drive?
Why Fear Is Essential To Fernando Machado’s Creativity
If there's anyone B&T loves to chat to, it's fabled marketer Fernando Machado. Although the 5am time difference sucks.
Superdry Drafts AFL’s Patrick Lipinski For New Campaign
B&T fast regretting that poncho we just bought, as it appears the puffer jacket returns as winter's hottest trend.
Elon Musk vs eSafety: Legal Experts Warn That ‘Rogue Operators’ Like X Are Unlikely To Win Federal Court Battle
If this legal stoush boils down to who can afford the better lawyers, B&T's backing Mr Musk every single time.
Amy Poehler Presents First Look At Inside Out 2 At Vivid Sydney 2024
Vivid isn't about freezing your arse off while looking at lights on a wall, as you'll learn with this Amy Poehler news.
Mutinex Launches DataOS Improving Data Warehousing & Quality For MMM Marketers
Work in marketing? Does your data warehousing resemble a teenager's bedroom? Here's a Marie Kondo-approved read.
IMAA Celebrates Three Years Of Group Trade Credit Insurance Deal
Are you a struggling indie? Thinking of firebombing the building for the insurance money? IMAA has you covered here.
Adam Sandler Seemingly ‘Slams’ Ukraine In Pro-Kremlin Campaign
Host of A-list celebs caught slamming Ukraine's president. Thankfully it does have the Milli Vanillis about it.
New Marketing & Comms Agency For Defence & Aerospace Industry Takes Flight
As painful as this is to say, judging by current world events, the bomb & tank industries must be in rude health.
Opinion: Do Punters Want To Wear Your Brand?
This columnist asks do punters want to wear your brand? B&T'd say yes if you were Nike, no if you were Anusol.
WiredCo Builds Portfolio With Appointment To G.J. Gardner Creative Account
WiredCo 'cements' its relationship with home builder G.J. Gardner. Did you see what B&T cheekily did there?
Keep Left Reveals ‘Strategically Assembled’ Strategy Team
PR agency announces serious upgrade to its strategy offerings. Thankfully stops short of calling them Delta Force.
Initiative’s Michael Chong: What Do Mountaineering, Media & Marketing Have In Common?
Yes, B&T's running an inspiring mountaineering story. And this from people who won't come to work if the lift's broken.
CMOs To Watch: DrinkWise’s Part Time Builder, Part Time Marketer, Nathan Kent
Despite his love of DIY, B&T can't see Drinkwise's Nathan Kent in any "you can get it" VB ads anytime soon.
Mari Kauppinen Pops Up As MD Of ITA Group ANZ
Mari Kauppinen set to bring some zing, some song and some va-va-voom to her new role at ITA Group.
“It Is Getting Better But At A Glacial Speed”: PR Guns On Shaping A More Diverse Media Industry
B&T has a love-hate relationship with PRs. Love if they take us for a boozy lunch. Hate when you send releases as PDFs.
GoTransit Media Group Unveils The Power Of Regional Transit Advertising
Need reminding lots of people live outside the Surry Hills enclave? It's the regionals &, yes, they have almond milk.
Slew Of Promotions For Special Senior Creative Leadership Team
Special announces a slew of promotions in its creative team. And, no, they didn't order Uber Eats to celebrate.
Kantar: AVOD Subscribers Double In 12 Months
Study finds Aussies happy to watch ads on their streaming services. Or, are they just putting the kettle on more often?
Val Morgan Digital Exceeds All Campaign Uplift Benchmarks Via A 12-Month Brand Metrics Study
Val Morgan announces it has exceeded all its campaign benchmarks. Still can't get under an hour for the City To Surf.
Australian Retirement Trust launches monster of a campaign, by M&C Saatchi and Bohemia
Get offered a seat on the bus today? Knees creak like an old pirate's galleon? This retirement ad may be of interest.
Print Audits To Discontinue As Audited Media Association Of Australia Pivots To Support Influencer Marketing
Is it just B&T or are audits in the media industry suddenly becoming murkier than Roxy's husband's tax returns?
News Corp Australia Launches 2024 National Education Advocacy Initiative With Expanded Program
News Corp set to shine a light on the nation's schools in new series, giving illegal bikie gangs a well-earned rest.
Decoding The Consumer Maze: Urban List Report Reveals How Modern Shoppers Spiral From Discovery To Purchase
Latest report unravels a shopper's journey from the joy of discovery through to a nasty letter from a debt collector.
Cosmo Returns To Australia!
Ever get the feeling we've weirdly warped back to 1988 at the moment? Confirm it with the relaunch of Cosmo in print.
People & Culture Consultancy Human Kind Collective Launches To Plug HR Gap For Media Agencies
Does the very mention of HR have you struggling to remember last year's Christmas party? Get the sweats with this news.
‘We Want To Be A Growth Partner, Not Just A Media Buyer Or Someone That Makes Ads’ – Bohemia Boss On Agency’s Ambition
B&T's chatting with Bohemia boss Paul ‘Hutch’ Hutchison. Although we do think 'the dagger' a far superior nickname.
Initiative’s Geoff Clarke: ‘Youth Hits Targets With Enthusiasm, Experience Hits The Targets You Can’t See’
Initiative’s CCO Geoff Clarke on the value of experience in agencies. Not to mention quoting lines from Pulp Fiction.
The Iconic Teams Up With 5 Aussie Athletes For Latest Campaign
Fashion label brings in the athletes for new campaign, many of whom appear to have prepped with re-runs of Zoolander.
Seven West Media Secures New Director Of News & Current Affairs
After a tumultuous few weeks, Seven unveils director of news & current affairs. And B&T never uses tumultuous lightly.
Seven Network Expands NSW Sales Team With Two New Group Business Directors
Seven ramps up its NSW sales team. Both of whom are well versed in pronouncing Manu Feildel's croque-monsieur.