Filed under: Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Colenso, Comment, Relationships, Relevance, Resonance
So today was supposed to be my first day at Colenso.
It would have been so appropriate.
But it’s not.
Instead it’s going to be next Tuesday – because there’s a long weekend in Auckland.
Which means it’s even more appropriate.
April Fools Day was a day where companies used to show they weren’t cold and clinical beasts … but organisations with a sense of humour and self awareness.
Will that happen this year?
Can that happen with all the stuff going on with COVID?
Who knows, so instead I’ll leave you with something that sounds like a joke – but isn’t.
For reasons you don’t really need to know, I spoke to a hostage negotiator recently.
Obviously I was fascinated with what they had to say but then they said something that I’ve not been able to stop thinking about.
He said,
“If you have clients that think words – and how you say them – don’t matter, bring them to me. My job is marketing too”.
He wasn’t being facetious.
He wasn’t trying to be funny.
He meant it.
And I guess when your marketing is literally a matter of life or death, you both know how important it is and really care about how important it is.
Maybe more clients and agencies need to remember this, because based on so much out there, they would be the worst hostage negotiators ever hired.
16 Comments so far
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Did he have any insights as to your ransom value?
Comment by John April 1, 2021 @ 7:45 amThey would hand him back as soon as he starts talking to them about queen and birkenstocks.
Comment by Bazza April 1, 2021 @ 8:38 amMore seriously, I’m guessing the UK government isn’t one of his clients, otherwise they wouldn’t be talking about “changing the narrative” while denying the reality.
Comment by John April 1, 2021 @ 7:51 amIf only colenso had been that smart before they offered you the job.
Comment by Bazza April 1, 2021 @ 8:35 amI don’t know how many people work at colenso but plus that many people.
Comment by DH April 1, 2021 @ 9:11 amI think you need to check your blog settings under your new URL because if you post a longer comment, the “post comment” button disappears. It is very clever to limit excessive rambling but also rather annoying. I will post the comment I want to make over a few posts. That’s my commitment to you Robert.
Comment by George April 1, 2021 @ 9:58 amApril 1 would have been perfect. Though I don’t know if it should be when companies show a human side. Did you see VW? A company that took the regulators and public for fools should be keeping very quiet.
Comment by George April 1, 2021 @ 10:00 amI do want to know why you were talking to a hostage negotiator but I love what they said. Of course it is obvious. Understanding to communicate to persuade are basic principles of marketing.
Comment by George April 1, 2021 @ 10:02 amExcept it seems to be practiced more by hostage negotiators than marketing departments and their agencies these days.
Comment by George April 1, 2021 @ 10:03 amIf only that worked for the length of posts Rob writes.
Comment by Bazza April 1, 2021 @ 10:06 amYes … god knows what’s causing it but I’m trying to find it.
Comment by Rob April 1, 2021 @ 10:17 amDigital disruptor.
Comment by John April 1, 2021 @ 10:30 amWordPress seem to have gone really big getting their revenge, haven’t they.
Comment by Pete April 1, 2021 @ 10:28 amwordpress are fucking legends.
Comment by andy@cynic April 1, 2021 @ 2:40 pmBad luck, I think I fixed it.
I say ‘think’ because I just pressed a load of buttons and somehow it seems to be working.
Comment by Rob April 1, 2021 @ 8:21 pmyou should have asked if the hostage negotiator has ever tried to save a planner. thought not. theres a million fucking good reason for that.
Comment by andy@cynic April 1, 2021 @ 2:42 pm