Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, America, Attitude & Aptitude, Birkenstocks, China, Crap Products In History, Culture, Customer Service, Experience, Food, Marketing Fail, Singapore
You might just be getting over the shock of yesterdays post, where I showed the world I was wearing shoes.
Real shoes.
Proper, proper shoes.
Well hold on to your hats because it’s going to get worse.
As many of you know, I have had a long, long, long, long, long time love affair with Taiwanese restaurant, Din Tai Fung.
I have been there so many times.
Literally hundreds.
The food is amazing.
The service is amazing.
The whole thing is amazing.
It’s the first restaurant I took my son to.
It’s the first restaurant we went to when we moved to LA.
It’s the first restaurant I looked forward to going to when we moved to the UK.
Now, to be honest, the food wasn’t quite the same in LA compared to China/Asia.
Don’t get me wrong, it was nice … but some of the ‘classics’ had been adapted to American tastes.
A bit sweeter.
A little less spicy.
But I could deal with it because apart from the free soda refills, it’s Din Tai Fung and that’s all that matters.
OR SO I THOUGHT.
You see when we moved to London, the restaurant had not yet opened.
In the 3 months between moving here and the doors opening, I had told everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – how this was going to change their life.
Well, we went … and I was right, it did change my life.
FOR THE WORSE.
I know … this is possibly even more shocking than the Birkenstock situation.
You see, while they had food that was on all their menus around the World, it was a poor imitation of it.
Worse, the sizes were smaller … it was less well cooked … it was served by people who were severely lacking in the kind, seamless service I had come to expect and a shedload more expensive.
As you can see from the receipt, a meal for my wife, 4 year old son and me was over £100.
ONE HUNDRED POUNDS.
No booze … no excessive amounts of ordering … and yet it cost about twice as much as my biggest ever order in China and trust me, that was a huuuuuuuuge order.
Now I get London is more expensive than China.
I get people in London may not have a frame of reference for what Din Tai Fung should be.
But it utterly destroyed me.
I went in their with such high hopes and came out disappointed and dismayed.
OK, so they have just opened and may still be having teething problems … but sadly, I doubt that is the real reason. As in the fashion with many companies trying to duplicate the success of one thing, they tend to focus on the ‘big things’ to copy and completely miss – or ignore – the small.
The details that make the big things sing.
While I’ll give them one more chance, the reality is I fully expect I won’t be back until I am back in Asia and while that might not sound a big thing, the fact they have lost such a massively loyal customer should be of concern to them.
Sadly I doubt they’d even care.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Birkenstocks, Comment
… then have a look at this.
They’re not just my feet in that photo.
But my shoes.
AND THEY’RE NOT BIRKENSTOCKS!
I know … I bloody know.
Don’t worry though, I’ve not suddenly come to my senses regarding footwear relevant … the fact is [1] it’s bloody cold in London – though I appreciate that never stopped me in the past [2] they were free – as are the multitude of lovely NIKE’s I’m also now in possession of and [3] apparently wearing birkies for 25+ years none-stop is not great for your back so I’ve been ordered to wear proper shoes for a bit.
Please note the words ‘a bit’ because once the sun comes out [which I appreciate in London, is not often] I’ll be back to insulting the eyes and tastes of England’s most populous city.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Communication Strategy, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Experience, Happiness, Imagination, Innovation
My son.
My cat.
A semi-tidy/messy bedroom.
Colour. Toys. Posters and Paintings.
Books to Dolls houses to Magnetic Blocks.
This photo makes me so very, very happy.
Not just because of Otis and Rosie – though obviously that is great – but as childhood photos go, I can’t help but feel this is how it should be.
Now, of course, this ‘look’ – excluding my son and cat – is often the sort of thing you also find inside ad agencies.
I remember an old boss telling me that when he took his kids to the office, they asked where the other kids were, because they thought it was just like their bedrooms.
And while it is easy to write this design approach as superficial or childish – I genuinely believe it can make a difference.
Being surrounded by an environment that celebrates and provokes creativity can only be a good thing, especially if you are paid to think creatively – however, like raising a child, it only works if that extends to what you expect from the people within it.
Frankly, if you create a creative environment you have to let them be creative.
You can’t do that and then create systems and processes that push people to conform to rules.
Creative culture can absolutely be aided by the environment you surround people with, but the reality is it’s ultimately driven by having a culture of freedom and encouragement, which is why it seems to me the nice environments of many agencies are more about the illusion of creativity rather than the celebration, inspiration and ignition of it.
Kinda like what I told Campaign magazine a few years ago …
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Culture, Daddyhood, Diversity, Education, Emotion, Empathy, England, Family, Fatherhood, Happiness, Innocence, Insight, Jill, My Fatherhood, Otis, Parents, Prejudice, Resonance, Standards
I have written a lot about how we are bringing up Otis.
What we want for him, what we want him to value.
I have also written about the education we want for him.
A none-religious, state school that celebrates creativity as much as the more traditional academic pursuits.
Sadly I know there are many people out there who think we are mad for the choices we make, but as I have also written, my advice to them is to look after their own kids upbringing and leave ours to us.
That said, following these ideals is not easy.
Apart from the simple issue of access, the reality is most schools and kids companies focus on structure, stereotypes and grades because that is what most parents – and Governments – seem to value most of all, so for us to go outside of that takes effort and commitment.
None of this means we don’t want Otis to have a quality education – of course we do – it’s just that when it comes to what we think ‘education’ means, we see it going beyond the importance of reading, writing and maths.
We want his school to help him develop a love of learning.
Give him the ability to practice critical thinking.
An openness and comfort to express himself openly and creatively.
But there’s something more – something we feel very strongly about – which in part is one of the reasons we’re against religious and private schools.
You see we want him to learn that stereotypes limit, control and create prejudice.
That just because you’re a different gender or come from a different heritage or have a different sexual preference doesn’t mean you can’t aspire to – or achieve the same level as – anyone else.
And while it’s a small thing in the big scheme of things, it is the reason why I love that Otis’ school had a black Santa visit them last Christmas.
Of course Otis didn’t care, comment or even probably notice … but for the other little kids who come from different backgrounds, they saw a face that could give them comfort, confidence and courage about who they are, where they come from and what they can achieve and who wouldn’t want a school that teaches kids – all kids – that.
Education is so much more than just grades and while this is not all of the schools responsibility, it is part of their responsibility.
