Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand, Brand Suicide, Confidence, Context, Crap Marketing Ideas From History!, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Differentiation, Distinction, Experience, Gaming, Honesty, Innovation, Insight, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Perspective, Point Of View, Relevance, Resonance, Respect, Standards, Technology
I recently read an article in the Guardian about the launch of the X-Box.
Given the brand has been part of gaming culture for the past 20 years, it’s easy to forget what an achievement this has been for Microsoft.
Let’s remember back then, the brand was far more synonymous with office computer programs than gaming … so to come from such a negative space and place to become the powerhouse it is today, is nothing short of incredible.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing.
Sure, their cause was helped by SONY seemingly forgetting everything that had made the original PlayStation launch so successful … but even with that, Microsoft were still coming from pretty much a standing start.
It’s a great article that’s well worth the read, but there was one part that really stood out to me.
This:
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there …
Where someone chooses to ignore a statement of obviousness and instead, attempts to turn it around so you look like you’re making a potentially dangerous assumption.
Don’t get me wrong, we shouldn’t blindly assume common sense is common sense, and – without doubt – there’s been a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions that have ended up being the backbone of ideas and campaigns all around the World, but this sort of behaviour is nothing but an act of petty cowardice.
However, let’s assume for a moment the person who wanted proof that people did expect DVD quality to be better than the crunched-up shit that was on screen, was right.
Let’s assume that we didn’t know that DVD brands had been communicating ‘improved image quality’ to the general public for years.
Even if all that was true, the real issue was still not being addressed.
And that is facts doesn’t mean standards.
So rather than fall into a ‘fact inflation fight’ that no one was going to come out of well – even though I get why they were triggered – they should have asked Mr Petty if the image on the screen reflected the quality of product and performance he – and the company – wanted to globally be associated with?
Quickly followed up by enquiring whether Microsoft had the technology to dramatically improve the current standard of performance?
By doing this, they not only side-step the pointless barrier being placed in front of them and refocused the conversation to values, standards and ambition.
I’ve seen this situation happen so many times.
Where political point scoring derails ambition, potential and standards.
Where the company starts focusing on the ‘minimum viable product’ rather than what could drive the brands perception.
And while these situations have also seen me lose my shit – A LOT – I always remember my Dad telling me the real way to win these sorts of arguments, which is to elevate the discussion to reputational standards not down to petty point scoring.
He was brilliant at it.
Me? I’m still working on it.
This was originally going to be another post.
Until I got a phone call early this morning.
A call that has messed my head up completely.
Before I go on, I should point out this post is not for comments.
In fact, I’d appreciate it if there weren’t any at all. I know that is how things work on here – I write, you take the piss – but the reason I’m writing this is to mark the day and to try and process things going on in my mind.
It will also be deliberately vague.
The news is so new, that it’s not my place to go into specifics, others will decide when it is appropriate for that to go out into the world. If ever.
Instead, I want to write about unfairness.
Wherever I have lived, I have seen prejudice and oppression.
Some places was more about gender … some more to do with sexuality … others about race and heritage.
And while all deeply disturbed me, no where did it hit me harder than what I saw in America.
I remember when we did America In The Raw, someone asked me what I felt the difference was between the racism the Hispanic community faced compared to African American’s.
I replied that it wasn’t a competition and everyone suffered greatly from systemic racism, but if they wanted my uneducated opinion – given I was a white, privileged man who had only lived in America for a year at that point – it was this.
The Hispanic community face some of the worst racism I had ever witnessed.
But the African American community were being deliberately oppressed.
And I still stand by that.
That people who face such obstacles and hate can continue to be generous, open and compassionate highlights even more how fucked up things are.
Especially when you read white people being bitter for the most petty of things.
A shop not being open when they want something.
The noise on the street being too loud for them to watch TV.
A Person of Colour being successful.
The last one in particular seems to be a goal many white people want to stop.
They stand in their way. They question their professionalism. They basically make them work twice as hard to get half as successful as a white person.
And it happens and it’s true and it’s utterly fucked.
To make sure I am clear on how utterly fucked it is, white people make People of Colour have to create an alternative personality to stand a chance.
To stand a chance at still being treated unfairly but for a salary. A lower salary.
How fucked are we for making people do that?
As if work wasn’t hard enough, we force people to pretend the shit they experience from us is OK so they can continue to feed their family or put a roof over their head.
We should be disgusted with ourselves.
Instead we either deny its existence or throw out bland comments of how we want to try to be better.
And yet we still manage to make it worse.
Because when we meet a Person of Colour who refuses to let others define them by their skin, then the real viciousness of white behaviour comes to the fore.
We will label them unprofessional.
Disruptive.
Antagonistic.
And then, eventually, we’ll resort to the worst of white passive aggressive company behaviour – where we let the person go for ‘not being the right fit’.
This happens all the time.
All. The. Time.
I witnessed people doing it.
I witnessed people trying to do it.
This is People of Colour’s normality.
All the D&I programs in the world won’t change that because D&I is a program but we need far more than that.
We need a fundamental change.
In attitude.
In education.
In behaviour.
In laws.
Recently, a friend who faces all this shit fought their way to a chance.
A chance they deserved years ago but never stopped going after.
A chance to change their future and their families future fundamentally.
A chance to reveal the talent that’s always been there but had too many companies want to dampen.
So they’d fit in.
So they’d be complicit to management.
So they’d be grateful to those higher than them.
I cannot tell you the joy I have for what they have done.
For what they have rightfully achieved.
How must I respect them for who they are.
How much they mean to me.
How grateful I am for the love they share with me.
And the love that I have for them.
I really hope they know this.
I really hope they knew this.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand, Brilliant Marketing Ideas In History, Confidence, Context, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Diversity, Gaming, Imagination, Inclusion, Innovation, Insight, Marketing, Perspective, Relevance, Resonance, Standards, Technology
For all the talk about diversity and inclusion being spouted by companies, I don’t see much diversity and inclusion.
I still see companies mainly filled with people like me and where there is diversity, it tends to not be at the management level.
And on the rare occasion that it is, you then see the media go after these people with a zeal rarely seen towards anyone white. Or male.
Of course, diversity is more than simply heritage … though companies often use that as a convenient excuse to not hire People of Colour, ignoring that – SHOCK HORROR – People of Colour can also come from low income areas, have physical disabilities, be members of the LGBTQ+ community and/or have any other number of ‘minority’ characteristics you wish to throw at me … which is why I am so excited by a new video game that deals with diversity head on.
Forza Horizon 5 is a brilliant racing game on XBox.
The graphics are amazing.
They’ve introduced a ‘story’ mode to the game.
And the world you get to explore is almost limitless.
But … and it’s a big but … the really brilliant thing is the level of customisation they allow you to make of your character.
Look at this …
And this …
How amazing is that!
You can customise your identity and add prosthetics.
No doubt, this will cause huge offence to presenters on Fox News for succumbing to ‘wokeness’ which makes it even better … but they’re missing the point in 2 fundamental areas.
1. Being called woke means being called someone who considers the context and needs of others so they can live a similar life in terms of opportunity as you. For me that’s a compliment, not an insult.
2. The option is not to get headlines – though it does, because of its rarity – but to allow people who are minorities, feel seen and valued and celebrated for who they are, not who they aren’t. Anyone who thinks that’s a bad thing to do can basically go fuck themselves.
The gaming industry has a bunch of issues – from how it operates to the storylines of the games it makes – however they seem to be far more committed and focused on making change than so many of the companies who talk about their D&I programs on social media and in magazine articles.
People can accuse Forza Horizon of jumping on the woke bandwagon all they like.
They can shout that they’re only doing it because they don’t want to alienate potential customers.
They can say it’s a ‘one off’ and should be treated as such.
People can say what they like … it’s still more than most have done and will mean far more to the millions of people who have been ignored by companies for decades for no other reason than simply being a bit different to supposedly ‘common’ characteristics.
And I can tell you, that will mean more to them than some press release about a companies D&I program that doesn’t change a damn thing.
___________________________________________________________________________
Thank you to James Whatley for letting me steal his screen shots, even though I own the game myself. THAT’s how lazy I am. Not that you didnt know it.
Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Crap Marketing Ideas From History!, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Egovertising, Embarrassing Moments, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail
OK, so the heading on this post is decidedly fake news … but you will be ecstatic to know it is the last week of this blog for 2022.
Better yet, because NZ has quite long Christmas holidays, it will be the last post until Jan 31st – albeit with a post on Jan 16th to commemorate 23 years since my Dad passed away.
So after this week, you get about 6 weeks of blog post freedom.
Talk about ending 2021 and starting 2022 on a high …
I know, you’re welcome.
But it’s not all good news as you still have to get through this week of blog posts PLUS they’re going to be full of sentimentality, so you’ll probably need 6 weeks to recover from them.
That said, I’m not a total beast, so I’ll gently throw you in to the big, pile of steaming vomit and because of that, today’s post is about this …
Yep, Norton – the anti-virus people – sent me an email about their new logo.
Their new logo that looks almost identical to their old logo, except …
1. Replacing N with n.
2. Using a solid ‘tick’, instead of the weird graphic one.
3. Changing the orange ring, to a yellow one.
4. All placed on a white background instead of a black one.
And while having four differences could indicate some big changes, this doesn’t.
On face value, people would probably not notice any change at all … which is maybe why Norton – I mean, Norton – sent the email out.
So we’d know, because otherwise we wouldn’t know.
Which makes you ask why do the name change in the first place … or why send an email about it to people who literally don’t give a shit.
I mean, what do they expect me to do?
Suddenly buy their entire suite of anti-virus products?
Or try and buy a t-shirt with their new logo emblazoned on the front of it?
Or possible just buy them as Christmas presents for friends and family?
I’m happy Norton are happy with their non-change, logo change.
I’m chuffed they still take some pride in their appearance after all this time.
I’m thrilled they don’t mind paying a couple of mill for minute changes.
I’m ecstatic they’re so easily pleased and must be a dream to buy presents for.
[read: $10 gift voucher from the local hardware shop].
But frankly, I buy their software to stop me getting this sort of corporate virus email, so please Norton, pull yourself together and don’t bother me with this sort of rubbish again.
Thanks.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand, China, Colenso, Comment, Confidence, Creativity, Culture, Effectiveness, Emotion, Empathy, End of Year, Fulfillment, Goodbye England, Imagination, Jill, London, Management, Marketing, Martin Weigel, Mum, Mum & Dad, My Fatherhood, New Zealand, Otis, Paul, Paula, Resonance, Respect, Rick Rubin, RulesOfRubin, Shelly
So this is it, year 15 of this blog is officially over.
YEAR 15!!!
Christ, this might be the most I’ve ever been committed to anything. What a shame this blog is basically worth nothing, hahahaha.
But we’re here.
A year that the World hoped would represent huge, positive change after the hell of 2020 … but ended up being more of the same.
For us, of course, this was a year with a huge difference – namely we now live in New Zealand.
Moving countries can be a pain in the arse at the best of times, but doing it in a pandemic adds a whole lot of stress that no one needs. However, despite that … despite saying goodbye [or should I say, au revoir] to the beautiful house we had just bought … despite not being able to physically see my beloved Paul and Shelly before we went … despite the hassle, broken furniture and time to get settled in … it’s been amazing.
There’s many reasons to that.
From the 2 week quarantine we had to do, which let us – and Rosie, the cat – get acclimatised to the obscene time difference to the kindness and generosity of the people here. To the fact we had bought our beautiful home – and cars – before we arrived, which made things so much easier. To the covid vaccinations we received. To the community we have found ourselves in. To the outdoor life – excluding the insane rain and 4 month lockdown – we have been able to enjoy.
So much.
But it would be wrong for me to not mention the role Colenso and, specifically my team, have had in it.
Everyone of these talented souls has been wonderful.
Not just to me, but Jill and Otis as well.
Plus there’s the fact my team have [generally] put up with my ‘ways’ … and we all know how painful that can be. I’ve always been incredibly fortunate with the teams I’ve been a part of and this lot are no different.
Sure, they’re mouthy bastards with no end of opinions, ideas and considerations but that’s – as you probably could guess – is exactly why I love them.
We’ve only been together 7 months but I’ve seen enough to be excited about what damage we can do in 2022 – reinforced by the fact we finished this year being named Agency Of The Year by the Effies organisation for a whole host of work that solved problems in interesting ways.
So to Lizzie, Henry, Teresa, Emma, Gi, Augustine, Amy and Liam … thank you for everything.
You’ve given me laughs, headaches, pride, lessons and things to ponder … and I couldn’t be more grateful for all of it.
[And extra best wishes to Lizzie who gets married during the holidays. Made extra perfect because she had to postpone it due to Covid and this way she gets to make the holiday season even more wonderful for all her family]
But while NZ has been the major change in my year, there have been some other notable moments.
In some respects, it was a year of music.
From my Rick Rubin project to getting fired by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the best passive aggressive endorsement ever seen in the history of mankind.
Given I’ll be working for The Black Keys, Muse and – weirdly – Journey in 2022, I can only hope the musical rollercoaster will keep me on my toes as much.
Talking of celebrity …
I met Noel Edmunds at a business ‘do’ in Auckland – which surprised him as much as it did me – and I got to hug Jacinda Ardern, albeit committing social faux pas when I interrupted her during a dinner she was having to say hello.
That I’m still allowed in the country is testimony to New Zealand’s humanity.
Then there was the Tokyo Olympics …
An event a year late from its original plan … met with global apathy, especially in their home country … only to win us all over and turn us back into fans.
Seeing young kids win medals in skateboarding will stay with me for a very long time.
In fact, having skateboarding in the Olympics may have just done more to get kids wanting to do sport again than any number of NIKE ad campaigns.
That’s how good it was.
Best ad of the year goes to the amazing MacMillan cancer ad.
I must have watched it a couple of hundred times now – hell, I’ve even built a presentation around it that I give clients – and I still cry when I see it.
Not because of sadness – though there’s plenty in it – but because of the human emotion it triggers.
As I wrote at the time, it has this incredible ability to take me back to the times I lost my parents but make me feel closer to them. Extraordinary.
I could go on …
I could talk about certain posts I wrote in the year, like Toxic Positivity, but let’s face it … you can’t be bothered to read it and I can’t be bothered to write about it.
So I want to say some thanks …
To everyone who reads, writes and insults me on this blog … I am eternally grateful – and surprised – you come here. Many of you have been coming here for almost as long as I’ve been writing it and I have to say I find comfort in knowing that whatever I’m facing in life, I can come here and all of it just fades away. So for that, thank you … I really appreciate it.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on how we’re doing. You didn’t have to, but you did and that means a ton.
Extra special thanks go to Paul, Shelly, Martin, Paula, Amelia, Martin B, Meg, Rach, Mike, Sam, Mr Ji, Peter and Cliff … who all made me feel like you were just around the corner, even though you were thousands of miles away.
And finally, a special thanks to Jill, Otis and Rosie.
None of this would be possible without you and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.
You make me a happier, better person than I believed was possible … and while you may rightfully think I can be a total pain-in-the-ass, I can just tell you I’d be even worsr without you.
So thank you.
For everything,
I can never fully tell you how much I love you and am grateful for you.
The way you handle all this change is extraordinary …
Nothing sums this up more than something Otis chose to do recently.
As you all know, Otis has beautiful, gorgeous, stunning long hair …
Well a few weeks ago, he suddenly announced he wanted to cut it off so it could be donated to kids with cancer.
We asked if he was sure as it was a big thing and he said, “he wants to and is determined to”.
Then he added he will continue to do this until he’s 18.
Grow his hair.
Donate his hair.
Grow his hair.
Donate his hair.
So that evening, his Mum got scissors and a hair razor out and starting cutting 35 CENTIMETERS OF HAIR.
THIRTY FIVE!
Throughout the cutting he kept saying how excited he was.
How it was changing his life.
How much ‘lighter’ his head felt.
And afterwards, the little champ looked like this …
A new sort of rock n’ roll.
I thought it was impossible to love him anymore. I was wrong.
To have the capacity to be so compassionate and considerate at 7 years of age is incredible.
Even more so when he has had so much change in his life.
Four countries in 6 years.
New homes, new schools, new friends.
Almost 18 months of lockdown.
And yet he still has it in him to think of others.
Definitely his Mum’s son.
But proudly mine too.
Hell, he even offered me a chance to remember what it was like to have hair …
… though it could also have been to take the piss out of me.
So to Otis … Jill … Rosie … everyone I know and people I don’t but somehow have still come into my life this year, I wish you a wonderful festive season.
I really, really hope 2022 is much better for everyone than the previous 2 years.
I hope we have a year where everyone can have hope for the future.
I don’t know if it’s possible with the machismo bullshit of politicians, but let’s hope so.
Thank you again for everything, have a great time … just not better than me. Please.
See you on January 31st.