Neil French got into advertising because he failed at everything else.

I have an idea did a series of quick interviews asking big names how they got into advertising - first one out with their story was Niel French.

“In my experience, anyone who’s totally useless at everything else seems to go into advertising. I have a friend who owns an agency. Would you like me to make a call?”
“Yes, Sir. Please, Sir. That’s jolly nice of you.”