Magic Magid is a British-Somali who has served as the Lord Mayor of Sheffield since May ’18.
Yes, the Lord Mayor.
Given he was born in 1989, his appointment has attracted a lot of media attention – not just because of his young age and cultural background – but because he is also the first Green Party councillor to hold the role.
But that’s not why I’m writing about him, I’m writing about him because of the way he connects to culture.
Where most politicians tend to say whatever they think their audience want to hear – and then, once elected, use fear and put-downs to control their audience’s actions – he not only says what he believes [and attracts people on those shared beliefs] but he also shows great belief in the capabilities and possibilities of his constituents.
Have a look at this …
How is that for a set of philosophical beliefs?
Pointed.
Topical.
Cultural.
Humorous.
Positive.
Is it any surprise he has made youth give a damn about politics?
While the opposition are fixated on scoring points against each other, Magic Magid communicates a way of living and behaving that pulls the community together.
A set of standards and rules you can live by.
A set of standards and rules you would be proud of following and representing.
Now of course his actions have to represent his words but just in terms of fresh energy, it sets a direction by which most things can either be filtered through or measured against.
Now look at adland.
What are our beliefs?
What are we saying that is making people want to believe?
Making people want to be a part of us?
Sure there are some agencies that still have them … still live by them … but the thing I find sad is all agencies started with a set of distinct beliefs that differentiated them from the crowd and yet now, the vast majority of the industry tends to behave in the same, blunt and ambigious way.
We say the same things.
We read the same books.
We aspire to the same goals.
Christ, we’ve become more corporate than the clients who used to hire us to stop them being corporate.
The World is changing.
I love that we live in times where the minority – or underdog – can no longer simply be ignored.
Where how you do things is becoming as important as what you do.
And yet despite claiming to know how to move culture better than anyone else, adland continues to stick rigidly with what it knows even though publicly, they’re desperately trying to associate with the latest new, new thing.
Where are the leaders?
The mavericks?
The pioneers?
Oh I know, in the file labelled ‘too much trouble’.
Let’s hope we learn before it’s too late.