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December 1, 2015
Once upon a time in Adland, Christmas Advertising only showed red-faced, jolly old people, many of whom were called Santa. If they had white hair, it was in the form of a dubious wig, which was attached to a dodgy white beard, which was all self-consciously part of a silly costume. We were all in on the gag. And we all played along. Not much thinking required. This year –...
Read MoreJune 3, 2015
FIFA’s website says that its goal is: “the constant improvement of football”. On the site, there’s a fair bit of self-congratulatory copy about making the game more global, and about helping young, disadvantaged people to play in an environment without prejudice. There is less copy about helping old, highly privileged people to line their pockets while bringing these other good things about. But maybe the copywriter didn’t get briefed on that part....
Read MoreMay 11, 2015
It turns out that politics is not unlike creative direction. Great Creative Directors are great, not just for the work that they do, but also for the work that they don’t let out of the door. They have a sixth sense about work that won’t fly. As Malcolm Gladwell might have put it: they only have to blink at a bad idea, and they can see that it is bad....
Read MoreMarch 31, 2015
Following the Jeremy Clarkson Saga, I did think of writing a little blog about him. In this imaginary blog, I was going to dare to consider that maybe, just maybe, his departure was not a Major Tragedy. The draft was funnier than that, of course. But, as I read it over, and showed it to some passing and amused chums, I remembered that Trolls do exist, and thought better of...
Read MoreFebruary 17, 2015
So, back in January, I mentioned that there is no need to worry if – by mid-February – you’ve already broken your New Year Resolution. The reason? Because on Thursday 19th February, it will be New Year all over again – thanks to the Chinese. So, there is no need to be a slave to Western Guilt – or, indeed, to the Western Calendar. You can start your New Year...
Read MoreJanuary 2, 2015
It’s that time of year again. As the clock struck midnight, and we yawned goodbye to 2014, the pressure began. What New Year’s Resolutions to make? And will we manage to keep them? If you’re still stuck for ideas, last year, the Daily Mirror published a Top 50 to choose from. One that might be a bit of a stretch for some of us comes in at number 13: “Get...
Read MoreNovember 26, 2014
Very interesting listening to the first of the Reith Lectures from Dr Atul Gawande yesterday. Dr Gawande is nothing if not brave. He is taking on some serious vested interests with his view that operating theatre data should be made fully available in the interests of improving medical performance. He likens what he’d like to see to the Black Box Recorder in an aircraft cockpit. If Dr Gawande had his...
Read MoreOctober 13, 2014
I am meeting more and more people who used to be Social Media fans who are now trying to wean themselves into less digital interaction, seeking more head-space they can call their own. I gather that more and more people are trying to have Digital Free Weekends, or at least iPhone-free dinners. (One friend tells me that they went to a business lunch recently, and everyone had to put their...
Read MoreSeptember 12, 2014
The news of an arson attack by a teenager on a Dogs Home in Manchester is shocking. And nobody would criticise the motives of the person or people who set up a JustGiving Page as a response. I have a JustGiving Page. I used it to raise money for Cancer Research when I rode the Ride London 100. But, it’s only recently that I have fully clocked that JustGiving is...
Read MoreJuly 10, 2014
Before the World Cup, if you googled the phrase “Brazil as a brand” you’d find all sorts of upbeat stuff. Clever marketing folk were positioning Brazil as “the marketer’s dream”, citing a culture buzzing with the sound of the Samba, and the roar of a crowd enjoying the jogo bonito. As one commentator from Think With Google writes: “When the rest of the world’s perception of your country is one of outgoing and sun-soaked...
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