Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Brand Suicide, Crap Campaigns In History, Crap Marketing Ideas From History!, Culture, Devious Strategy, Fake Attitude, Marketing, Marketing Fail
One of the things that has shocked me since coming back to England is the amount of gambling that goes on here.
Not just in terms of people actually doing it, but brands trying to get people to do it.
It’s everywhere.
Football shirts. High Streets. Apps. TV shows.
I know it shouldn’t really shock me as there has been so much written about it in the papers, but the sheer volume has blown me away.
Another thing that has blown me away – for equally bad reason – is the way the gambling companies are trying to portray themselves as good citizens.
That all their ads say, ‘When the fun stops, stop’ – or some variant of it – might sound like they care, but apart from the fact there’s countless stories of them actively encouraging people who are demonstrating the have a problem with gambling to keep going, it makes no sense.
Because the moment you realise gambling has stopped being fun, you’re pretty likely to be in the grip of addiction.
Or said another way, it’s too late.
Once upon a time, I was in that place.
I was young and the amount of money we’re talking is minute … but I was in a full-on addiction to fruit machines.
I was still a student and working part time as a pot washer, and within seconds of receiving my weekly pay packet, I’d be feeding all of it into a fruit machine.
Occasionally I would win big (£25) but most of the time I’d spend my weeks earnings within minutes – leaving me without a penny.
Now I’m lucky, I was able to stop – mainly because credit was not readily available back then, because if it was, who knows what shit I would have got myself into – but I can still remember how much I hated myself when I lost but how excited I was when I was about to begin.
And yet, despite knowing what I was doing to myself, I was unable to stop myself for months.
While I would not wish that on anyone, it was a hugely valuable lesson.
It taught me I have an addictive personality and helped me to manage what I do and don’t expose myself too.
Sure, I buy a shitload of pointless gadgets, crap t-shirts, guitars and Birkenstocks. But it’s also why I haven’t tried any alcohol since my last taste 34 years ago, why I’ve never tried any drugs and why I never tried smoking – though that one was easier, as I’ve always hated the smell.
I do believe that people have to take some responsibility for the decisions and actions they take – but addiction is something we have to accept, skirts the rules of logic.
You become helpless and need controlled.
And given the impact certain addictions can have on people is loss of health and/or loss of livelihood and family … having a note in small letters at the end of an ad that has spent 29 of the 30 seconds celebrating the excitement and glamour of gaming – and then puts all the burden of managing addiction on the victim – seems pretty shit.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Corporate Evil, Corporate Gaslighting, Management
Hello there …
Recently I spoke to a couple of people who told me about the experience they were having at work. Or should I say the bad experience they are having at work … and when I told them about Corporate Gaslighting, they looked at me as if they had literally found safety.
Unsurprisingly, this is not only because they were enduring the slow, systematic destruction of their confidence by a bad boss. but were being made to feel this was all their own fault.
While there are quite a lot of stories on the Corporate Gaslighting, it has not had many new stories come in.
I get it, it’s hard and scary.
But what I will say is this.
Not only is everything totally anonymous – and if you ever change your mind, I’ll do whatever works for you – the reality is sending in your story has 2 really tangible benefits.
The first is you feel a release in letting it out.
Part of the horror of being made to feel worthless at work is you keep it to yourself.
Of course you do, you’re made to feel you’re the failure so why would you ever want to tell anyone that.
That pressure can be hugely debilitating so letting it out not only helps you breathe again, it helps you start being in control of your situation rather than having that situation control you.
Second is your story will help others going through it.
Everyone who has written in has expressed their gratitude to read other stories like theirs.
It helps them know they’re not alone.
It’s not them.
It isn’t right.
So if you – or anyone you know – is facing this horrific situation at work with a bad boss, can you please point them to theytriedtokillmebuti.live … because even if they don’t want to submit their own story, reading others might help them feel they can get out of this, and for that alone, it’s worth it.
Thank you.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Crap Campaigns In History, Crap Marketing Ideas From History!, Planners Making A Complete Tit Of Themselves And Bless, Planning
Well that was quite a week.
Otis is doing OK.
He’s feeling much better and we’re hugely relieved.
Even though the risk of kids suffering severe health issues due to corona is very small, seeing your child not well is always hard – made 10,000 worse with the media all revelling in making it sound like the bloody plague.
That said, it means we are in quarantine for another fortnight, but them so is the whole country.
Fortunately Jill and I don’t look like we have caught anything, but then it’s a 2 week incubation so who knows.
On the positive, if I do, it will mean I’ve hit the virus jackpot – which is something to be proud about. Maybe.
So back to the title of this post.
Scarily, it’s entirely accurate.
To be honest, I’ve been in quite a few ads in my time.
Blackcurrant Tango.
Triple J.
Even a Nike spot.
But never have I been one of ‘the stars’ … but I am now.
Take a look at this.
The best bit is this ad was seen by someone in Portugal who was as shocked to see me in it as I was when to find myself in it. Though I note they used a photo that doesn’t really show my face … which is obviously very wise indeed, but not quite as wise as it would have been to not invite me to talk with Mr Gladwell in the first place.
Which was going to be my long way of saying this is the last post for a week but Corona Virus screwed with the conference so now you will see me on Monday.
And you thought the effects of Corona couldn’t be any worse!
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Corona Virus, Family, Jill
After a week of listening to me in ‘work mode’, Jill said my job consists of me having lots of conversations where I ask one of 4 questions …
“What’s the creative opportunity?”
“Are you excited by this?”
“Where’s your energy at?”
“Why are we being so nice?”
So as much as I thought there were certain enjoyable byproducts of working from home’ due to corona … mainly that I get more sleep, I travel far less and spend much more time with the family … now I’m not so sure.
Suppose it’s revenge for the Jillysim blog I set up years ago.
God knows how she’ll review me by the end of this week.
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Update:
So last night Otis got a fever.
He has been quarantined for the last 2 weeks with a nasty cough so this fever – which falls within the 2 week incubation period of corona virus – has caused us some concern.
While kids are thankfully, much better placed for recovery, we will be keeping a close eye on him – and ourselves – so this is the last post for a few days.
See, corona virus isn’t all bad after all.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Authenticity, Brilliant Marketing Ideas In History, China, Chinese Culture, Comment, Communication Strategy, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Entertainment, Innovation, Insight, Legend, Marketing, R/GA, Unexpected Relevance
Another day, another post about my love of China.
So a few months ago I was there for the opening of a clients latest venture.
You should all check it out because it’s a luxury fashion mall THAT LOOKS LIKE MARS!
Literally.
It was specifically designed to feel like you are on a space station on another planet.
It features everything from luna modules to robot sheep to video screens that look like skylights that show you in outer space.
It is utterly mad and yet truly amazing.
A place that is like no other I’ve seen anywhere else in the World.
But then, without wanting to sound a corporate toadie, the client is like no other I’ve met anywhere in the World … even when I was living in China, which tends to have a lot of brilliantly ambitious folks than anywhere else I’ve lived.
I have to do a post about him soon because not only is his influence on the fashion world almost unparalleled – and I am comparing him to people like Anna Wintour in that statement, let alone the heads of Gucci, Prada and countless others – but in the time I’ve worked with him, he has taught me to look at strategy in a completely new way.
Given I’ve literally been working in this discipline for more years than you care to mention, that’s pretty amazing … so I am sure you would find him pretty fascinating too.
Anyway, as part of the project, I was interviewed about what we have been doing for him and how we have worked together.
I talked about how much I love China and how much of an honour it is for me and us to be able to go there and help with a once-in-a-lifetime project. This may sound like I was a total crawler, but the fact is it’s all genuine.
We have been allowed to influence and shape at the highest level – strategically and creatively – and that’s been amazing, especially when there have been times you’ve disagreed with some of the things they wanted to do.
That’s hard for companies to hear at the best of time, but when it’s the billionaire founder of an international fashion group, that’s a whole other level of sensitivity and yet he has been nothing but open to us because he knows we’re not doing it for any other reason than wanting him to win better.
And when you’re talking about creating Mars on earth, ‘winning better’ is going to be crazy fun, whatever way you look at it.
But back to the interview.
So off we head to China for the opening.
It was packed with press and celebrities.
Billionaires mingled with paupers – errrrm, me – fashionistas rubbed shoulders with fashion disasters – errrrm, me again – so imagine their surprise when the start of the official opening included this …
Yep … that’s me.
Yep … that’s my interview.
Yep … no one understood why I was there or what I was saying.
I’d love to say I was all cool, calm and collected, but I – along with my colleagues – were pissing themselves laughing.
It was madness and awesome all at the same time.
I didn’t know whether it was like a remake of the classic 1984 Apple ad. or my attempt to be the leader of a Birkenstock cult … but it was like nothing I had experienced in my life.
Which is another reason I love this project and miss China.
Because when you are working with someone who believes anything is possible – and has the drive to make it happen – the journey is equally as much fun as the destination and I feel massively fortunate to be on it.
Even if there are people all around the World asking themselves …
“Who the fuck was that old guy in the camo Nike hoodie?”