Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Communication Strategy, Craft, Creative Development, Creativity, Marketing, Marketing Practice, Planners, Planners Making A Complete Tit Of Themselves And Bless, Planning, Process, Relationships, Relevance, Reputation, Research, Resonance, Rick Rubin, Rigor, RulesOfRubin, Standards, Strategy
When I spoke at the conference in Berlin, I talked about rigor.
The main reason for doing that was because while our discipline talks a lot about rigor, more often than not – it seems the emphasis is far more on the adoption of marketing science principals rather than putting in the time and effort to really get under the skin of our clients situation and the context and understanding of the audiences they need to embrace.
The obsession with ‘sprints’ is part of the problem …
Because it seems clients care more about having fast answers than they do right answers.
Oh, I know they claim to give us all the information we need to move forward, but – as Dan Lyons pointed out in his brilliant book, ‘Disrupted’ – too many companies don’t know ‘who they are, who they’re for and what they do’, so the result of that is we are encouraged to make work that appeals to who they wish they were, rather than who they are.
Hence the need for rigor.
To be given the time and space to understand what the hell is going on.
Now of course, I appreciate time is money … and what we do can cost a lot of it … but while you can definitely take too long to do things, you can also not take long enough, which is why briefs need to be more about what we need to change than what we want to say.
And while there’s more data out there than you could ever use, the reality is nothing – and I mean nothing – has the impact of spending time with the people who are deeply entrenched in the category/product/brand that you’ve talking about.
They’re the ones who know what’s going on.
They’re the ones who see the challenges and problems.
They’re the ones who evolve what and where things can go.
And while they may well be at the far edge of where the category is, more often than not – they’re also the people who bring the masses along with them.
Or said another way, they’re the ones who can help you listen and understand like a fan. An educated fan.
Because the more you do that, the more you are exposed to the textures and nuances that reveal the truth, power and possibilities of what you are dealing with. Truth, power and possibilities that – in the obsession with speed – often get overlooked or devalued in favor of quick wins and convenient answers.
It’s basically how Rick Rubin has always approaches his job …
Understanding the artist’s truth and pushing/elevating it, rather than simply having a singular format that he adopts regardless of who he is working with or the situation they are currently in.
And before you dismiss this, there’s 2 important things to remember:
1. What he is doing is basically strategy.
2. What he has achieved – by any criteria you want to measure him by – is beyond almost anything any strategist in our industry has.
Now it is important I point out that I don’t have a problem with marketing science …
It has a place in the strategic process and has lessons/considerations that are valuable and important.
My problem with it is far more about how it is presented, specifically by the people who have a vested interest in promoting their ‘methodology’ … because they suggest it is the only way to liberate a brand’s potential when that is not the case and – generally – it is designed to not go wrong, rather than to elevate how far you can go.
Which is why we need to stop confusing ‘marketing science’ as strategic rigor when it’s more strategic 101. Valuable, but foundational.
It’s also why, I have a sign in the Colenso ‘strat’ department that reminds everyone that true strategic rigor requires us to be …
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Colleagues, Trust, Truth
I’m back. Again.
And while I’d love to talk about my time in NY, I can’t for a whole lot of reasons … one of them being that I don’t want to incite my family, friends and colleagues into giving me even more shit than they already are, for the poncy and pampered experience I’ve just had.
Again.
For what it’s worth, I did do a lot of work. Not just during the day, but also in the middle of the night … when everyone in NZ was at work and having meetings.
Does that earn me any sympathy?
No, thought not … fuckers.
Anyway, it was an amazing time and experience. I love NYC, especially in the summer – made even better that I got to see Andy, George and a whole host of other old cynic members while I was there. A lovely reminder of how chemistry trumps process to create magic work, possibilities and friendship.
At least for me – hahaha.
OK, enough sentimentality, let’s get on with things shall we …
There’s a lot written about trust – and so there should be, because it’s important.
But what I find interesting is that it is often expressed as ‘knowing the person will deliver what is expected of them’.
And while that is most definitely part of it, for me – it’s not really that.
Let’s be honest, that’s kind-of the minimum requirement you would – and should – expect when working with someone else.
No, for me, trust is far more about attitude, not just execution.
That you feel they care as much as you.
That they are committing to the goal, not just are interested in it.
That they are living up to the standards, expectations and effort you know they’re capable of doing.
That they will challenge and question …
Not to subjectively undermine, but to objectively make sure you’re being the best you can be.
Which is why listening is as much of a measure of their commitment as action.
And that’s why I think there’s a major difference between trusting a ‘supplier’ and trusting a ‘colleague’.
Because trusting a supplier comes down to a binary evaluation: they either delivered what was expected or not.
But trusting a colleague is much more nuanced …
Because it’s not just what ends up being created … but how it was done.
The problem is – in my mind – too few appreciate this difference, so the quality of the development is often dismissed in favor of the delivery of an outcome. And even then, the quality of outcome often doesn’t hold as much importance as the timing of it.
Which is why if you are lucky enough to find someone who you really work brilliantly with – be it colleague or client – embrace it, nurture it and treasure it.
Because they don’t just make the work more enjoyable …
And don’t just elevate your abilities, standards and taste …
They make sure everything you do feels exciting and worth doing, and in this quick-win, sprint-obsessed world we live in, there’s nothing more rewarding than that.
It’s important to note this is not simply about getting on with people, or having a laugh …
Oh no, this is much more focused than that, which is probably why it doesn’t happen nearly as much as we think.
Or hope.
It’s why I resonated with a phrase I heard someone say recently:
Love lots. Trust few. Always paddle your own canoe.
Which is why I am so grateful to PB, GB, AB, JC, RM, AW, MS and SP, for all they’ve done for me by going on journeys with me.
Of course there’s others – and I consider myself very lucky for that – but these are the ones who have proved it every time, and I just hope they feel they can say the same about me. Guess one day we’ll find out … ha.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Ambition, Aspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Communication Strategy, Consultants, Creativity, Culture, Distinction, Emotion, Innovation, Insight, Planners, Planners Making A Complete Tit Of Themselves And Bless, Planning, Provocative, Reputation, Resonance, Respect, Strategy
Insights aren’t very fashionable these days.
Seen as outdated and derivative or increasingly reduced to nothing more than a basic observation of human behaviour, increasingly favored by creative teams who think it justifies whatever execution they are about to detail … despite the fact it often is not true, or addresses a totally different issue than the one that needs the focus of their attention and talent.
Put simply, what passes for an insight these days is a lot of ‘what’ when it needs to be a lot more about ‘why’.
No wonder insights are so out of favor … however while I agree they are hard to find and should not be limited to just one area of focus, I think they are still the most powerful way to make stuff people find powerful.
Of course, what you do with them is what matters most.
Having an execution that just dramatizes the insight is rarely good work – albeit better than creative that just executes the brief – but a great insight opens up possibilities, rather than closes them off.
Recently I saw this and immediately connected to it …
Now I appreciate this is more ‘what’ than ‘why’ …
I also get it’s more universal than personal …
But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pierce a deeply held truth most people will feel.
I know I do …
Sending Sarah Holtham my first ever Valentines day card [aged 6]. Going down the ‘big slide’ at Greenhorn Drive park. Lying at the very end of a row of my mates as someone jumps over us on their BMX bike via a badly constructed ‘ramp’ that consists of some flimsy piece of wood and bricks we found lying around the new build housing estate. Going for my first band audition. Driving to Scotland in a convoy then driving all the way back. Going to North Korea. Trying different foods. Moving overseas to be close to a girl I’d met in the UK.
So much of my life – the big stuff and the small – is down to one of my mates giving me a countdown to courage.
And while those days are far more my history than my present, their impact remains.
So while I appreciate age means you’re more aware of what could go wrong … the reality is most of the things you did because of a friends encouragement turned out to be OK. Great even. And even if they went wrong, it wasn’t the end of the world and you have it as both a lesson for what to do next time and a story to remember a life well lived.
Because for all the people selling their ‘for profit’ systems and processes on how to do things ‘right’ … the reality is most of them are designed to kill the possibility and excitement of our curiosity, discovery and inventiveness. Or said another way, they leave you where you already are rather than take you to where you could be … which is why I’m still a disciple of the insight, because they open the door to what could be next rather than nailing it closed under the guise of ‘protecting you from things that could go wrong’.
We need more friends giving us a ‘countdown to courage’ rather than guru’s telling us to be sensible with where we are. Not because I am a commercially irresponsible, but because we’re all in danger of going to the same place that everyone else is going. Which means the winners will be the ones who are the biggest, rather than the ones who want to do things in better ways.
And like in life, the things that define us came from those who pushed and challenged us.
Not because they wanted us to fail, but because they wanted us to live, experience and grow.
Talking of growing …
I’m in NY all next week doing some stuff that will stretch my experience, knowledge – and most probably – a bunch of other people’s patience [haha] so enjoy the silence and see you in 8 days. Make the most of it …
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Ambition, Apple, Aspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Delusion, Empathy, Finance, Generosity, Money, Privilege, Reputation, Technology
On Tuesday I wrote about how we have our priorities messed up …
If you haven’t read it, you can see it here.
The underlying point being we seem to accept the shitty behaviour of the super rich, but are hyper-critical of the humble – even though we know the former are making choices to become even richer whereas the latter are simply trying to survive.
In the post, I highlighted a valuable lesson I learned when I was starting out in my career from my then client – and now mentor – the wonderful Lee Hill.
He told me:
“There’s nothing wrong making lots of money, it’s how you do it and what you do with it that counts”.
It would be easy to think that in this Trumpian, authoritarian World, the ability to be ‘decent and rich’ is a pipe dream.
But I remember many years ago, George interviewed a bunch of wealthy people for a project we were doing at Cynic and came back saying he had discovered a group he called ‘the reluctantly rich’.
Basically, these were people who had made a lot of money but never felt they deserved it.
Maybe they inherited it, maybe they were in the right place at the right time … maybe they were just lucky … but they didn’t connect to it so did all they could to be generous to others with it.
Some to that was because it helped offset their guilt a little bit.
Some was their way to let others experience what they were going through.
But most of it was simply because they wanted to help others who hadn’t been blessed with the good fortune they’d received.
Often this was done quietly and privately because the goal was never about recieving gratitude, they just wanted to do some good with it, helped by the fact they never felt connected to the cash, so giving it away was easy … even though they were perfectly aware of what it offered and could do.
Admittedly there weren’t masses of people who felt this way, but there were more than a few.
Still are.
I say this because recently I saw a video of Steve Wozniak – Woz – the co-founder of Apple.
At a time where Musk, Bezos, Zuck and countless other ultra-wealthy tech and finance bros revel in their elitist, vulgar, arrogant lifestyles, he is a reminder of when the tech industry consisted of a few people trying stuff they hoped could help millions grow, express and explore their lives … which is a world away from where we are today, where the tech industry seems to be a few people designing products that enable them to control, contain and restrain millions for their own, fucked-up benefit.
So thank you Mr Woz, you’ve just proved you don’t have to be a prick to be rich.
It just feels that way.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Collaboration, Comment, Communication Strategy, Confidence, Context, Craft, Creativity, Culture, Effectiveness, Emotion, Empathy, Focus Groups, Interviews, Leadership, Planners, Planners Making A Complete Tit Of Themselves And Bless, Planning, Resonance, Respect
One of the things that has always bugged me about some strategists is their desire to be academically victorious in every conversation.
To not just be ‘right’, but to be the ‘rightest of right’.
And then expect wild applause for their proclamations and declarations of self-appointed brilliance.
Putting aside the problematic nature of this behaviour, the irony is it stands in the way of them being able to properly understand – and connect to – how others feel, think, believe or behave … because they’re too busy telling others what they ‘really mean or think’.
And here’s the kicker …
The reality is people often do know what they want, think or think … they just don’t know how to express it clearly.
Which is why the key is the ability to listen rather than to judge. Or explain.
And by listen, I mean listen ‘hard’ …
Not just what is said, but how it is expressed … verbally, visually, contextually.
And while I appreciate we’re in a time poor, distraction rich world … the benefit of doing this is that not only will you have a greater appreciation of how they see the world, they will often reveal opportunities that ‘intellectual logic’ may never see, let alone get to.
Maybe that’s why I love that Lucille Ball quote so much … because in a few words, she articulates the difference between clever and smart.
And where strategy is concerned, smart trumps clever.
That doesn’t mean you don’t care about facts, details, knowledge or academic accuracy, it just means you appreciate that being emotionally resonant with others can achieve more than being academically victorious.
Or as my Dad used to say:
“If you need to show how clever you are, you’re probably not”
I say all this because I saw a brief interview with the singer Billy Idol.
In it, he demonstrates the importance – and craft – of emotional resonance.
The act of understanding what others need to be able to give them the space and place to express.
Not manipulation.
Not exaggeration.
But emotional consideration.
Which is why if a true Rockstar – who has lived the equivalent of 100 lives – can do it, then us poxy strategists should be able to, too.
Watch it, you’ll be a better person for it.