Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Brand Suicide, England, Reputation
Reputation.
In many ways, it’s all we have.
How we are seen … what we’re associated with … what we are known for.
I get it, it can be scary which is why so many brands probably embrace the beige centre … thinking it’s a safe place, without realising that also informs their reputation.
Mind you, I don’t know if that’s more or less bonkers than those people/brands who either don’t think reputation matters, or believe it can be changed with some PR and flashing of the cash.
Like Elon Musk.
Donald Trump.
Or the British Conservative Party.
Talking of Brits …
England is a nation with a proud – and despicable – history.
And yet there are so many people – and institutions – who only see the good.
OK, so some of that is because if they acknowledge the bad, they may have to acknowledge their role in some of it … but this blind and blinkered support for a nation that [1] has done some terrible shit in its time and [2] is in a horrific current state, is insane.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m no England hater.
In fact, I feel more English than any other nationality despite being half Italian and living all around the World.
But that doesn’t mean I think it’s perfect. That I can dismiss any wrong doing as an act for the greater good. Or from a time where that ‘stuff’ was acceptable.
No … England, like many countries, has done a lot of fucked-up stuff and acknowledging that doesn’t mean you’re a traitor, it means you want the nation to make amends for past deeds so that it can move forwards in ways that will let you – and future generations – be proud for the decisions it makes.
But there are many who refuse to think this way.
Who believe they are better than everyone else.
Who need to believe they are better than anyone else.
But sometimes, something comes along that destroys delusional bubbles so completely … it redefines and changes everything.
Who you are.
How you see yourself.
How others see you and will see you. Forever.
What’s amazing is that often the thing that causes all this can – on first impression – feel small.
Almost incidental or accidental.
But timing and context turns it into a nuclear bomb.
Like that picture at the top of this post.
The shitty cheese sandwich that revealed the ugly truth of Fyre festival …
That eviscerated the [fabricated] reputations of the organisers, forever.
I say this because I recently saw another thing like that cheese sandwich.
It’s not actually a picture … more a few words … but what they say has the same effect.
A truth bomb that doesn’t just change the way you will see the target forever … but changes the narrative around the target forever.
An explosion that destroys all the blinkered thinking and unites all the victims of it.
This is it …
How amazing is that?
It’s so, so, so, so good.
Forget your Effies, your Pulitzers, your Nobel’s … this is a clap out loud moment of reframing magnificence.
Because underpinning those 14 words, is a truth so sharp, it can slice your breath away.
And while it’s cutting to the extreme, the reality is it’s true.
So true in fact, that if Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg had a baby, even that bastard love-child would not be able to live in delusion.
What makes it all even better for me is that the person who typed these words has the name ‘Lord Ringo’. As if they’re a member of the families or establishments that helped England become the ‘Independence Day’ superstore for the World.
Amazing.
The common narrative is reputations are hard to build but easy to destroy.
That’s true … but the real issue is when you do shit but pretend you haven’t.
You may think you can front it out.
You may think you can PR your way out of it.
You may even think people will ultimately forget.
But if 14 words can kill the reputation of a country that has spent hundreds of years trying to manage how it’s seen, you’re definitely going to be caught out.
Filed under: Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Australia, Childhood, Dad
So a month or so ago, I was invited to speak at State of Social in Perth.
Perth is an interesting place, because as much as it is part of Australia, it doesn’t feel it.
I don’t mean that from an architectural perspective … a cultural perspective or a retail perspective … more it’s overall attitude and vibe.
Part of that is because it’s literally thousands of miles away from the East Coast. Part of that is the condescending way the East Coast often looks – and acts – towards WA with its mining economy. And part of that is the insecurity the city feels towards who they are and maybe who they think they should be.
In many ways, it reminded me of issues raised in Dream Small. Where young New Zealanders told us they felt there was no space, place or credibility for them to have a chance to take the nation to somewhere new. Held back by others [read: old white men] privilege, systems, narratives and fragility.
I should point out no one was saying they hated their country – which is much better than say, the UK – it was more a feeling their dreams and ambitions were viewed as a bit childish and they should be grateful for what others had done for them and before them.
A prison of others achievements and expectations, so to speak.
No wonder the overarching feeling was one of being tolerated rather than welcomed.
Again, this is not unique to NZ … it’s in many countries and cities … Perth, being one of them.
When I was there, I met so many talented creative people and agencies who felt big local companies dismissed the experience and views of the local industry in favour of agencies on the East Coast … for no other reason than they are based in Perth.
Even if those people had left Perth to work at the best agencies and biggest clients in the World before coming back.
Then there were others who discounted the views of the local industry simply because they didn’t blindly subscribe to certain narratives certain people in Perth never want to let go of.
Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t.
Talk about encouraging talent to leave the state … to inadvertently position Perth as a place where you can grow up and raise families but nothing in-between.
What a short-sighted viewpoint.
What a way to devalue the cities future.
The establishment are literally choosing control over possibilities and potential.
But then that’s the every day ego and fragility so many face – especially People of Colour – which is why I’m in no doubt it one of them read this post, they’d see me as the enemy, all the while failing to realise I’m not attacking their city, but celebrating the possibilities for an even brighter future.
And there’s a special reason for that …
You see in many ways, Perth was my first introduction to Australia.
My Dad’s friend, Roger, lived there and it sounded impossibly exotic for a little boy living in Nottingham.
While we never got to see him there, on his occasional visits ‘home’, he looked like he’d come from another planet.
Tanned.
Healthy.
With an accent that went up at the end of sentences, so it always sounded like he was asking a question.
Roger died years ago so when I found myself walking around the streets of Subiaco – where he once lived – you may appreciate how it felt a little strange for me.
Like I’d been granted access to a little piece of my Dad’s history. A chance to experience a place he was connected to, even though he never was here.
And that made me feel I was close to Dad again … and that was a gift. Exploring our distant past while somehow being together in the present. United by history, memories and love.
That’s why I want Perth to thrive.
It’s important to me. And given the talent I got to meet there, there’s a real chance it can … if they are allowed to believe it and the city believes in them.
I hope they do.
Until then, thanks Roger, thanks Perth and thanks State of Social for bringing me here.
I’ll never forget what you did for me.
I’ll never stop believing in what the underdog can achieve.
As long as they believe in themselves and they’re encouraged to dream big, not dream small.
And if you’re looking for somewhere to start … start with Hypnosis and Berlin.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Creative Development, Creativity, Cunning, Film, Marketing, Music
For a lot of people, creativity is just fuck about until something interesting comes along.
And for some, that’s exactly how they approach it.
But for others, creativity is also about taking on challenges.
Three years ago I wrote how the inspiration behind The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ was because they wanted to see if they could write a compelling song that had no chorus.
[Having resisted the post, it’s quite good … and not just because of the comments. For once]
It’s similar to Brian May’s inspiration behind We Will Rock You … which was to create a song where the audience didn’t just participate, but were integral to the rhythm.
Or when SONOS created their incredible logo that was designed to show moving sound waves, despite being a static image.
But then we shouldn’t be surprised because all creativity solves some sort of problem … whether personal or commercial.
The reason I say this is because I recently heard a story behind the theme tune of Mission Impossible.
We all know how it goes, but just in case you’ve forgotten – or are an idiot – it’s this …
As movie tunes go, it’s one of the most memorable.
And while I assume memorability is an important element in movie recognition, it’s the story behind the tune that is amazing.
Because the main element of the music – 2 long notes, followed by 2 short notes – are actually the morse code for the letters M and I.
How amazing is that?
Obviously it wasn’t by chance … composer, ‘Lalo’ Schifrin saw his idea as something both creatively inspiring and challenging, which resulted in something pretty iconic.
And while I love that it celebrates the intelligence of creativity – which is something too often dismissed – I also love that this ‘easter egg’ keeps this piece of music alive in culture.
Now I appreciate some of you – if I still allowed comments – would be throwing shit at me because ‘news’ has been known for years.
But in my defence, I would like to point out 2 things.
1. This blog has never been topical and you know it.
2. At least I’m not as bad as people who don’t know but have worked on the movie for years.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Apathy, Attitude & Aptitude, Australia, Brand, Brand Suicide, Comment, Communication Strategy, Creative Brief, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Distinction, Effectiveness, Embarrassing Moments, Emotion, Empathy, Fake Attitude, Government, Insight, Internet, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Mediocrity, Nike, Planners, Point Of View
OK, I’m back.
Again.
And this time, I’m not going to be going away for …. hmmmmm, actually let’s not go there.
Let’s move on shall we?
So before I start, there’s 2 things to say.
1. Some may have seen this before, because I accidentally put the wrong publish date on it.
2. This is a week of long and – for me – serious posts. So don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The good news is that on Friday, you’ll be rewarded for it, with some news that benefits you as much as it does me.
Kinda.
Maybe.
OK, so one thing that drives me nuts is when brands talk in totally different voices to different audiences.
But there’s something that gets to me more, and that’s when the brand in question has tried to position themselves as some sort of ‘brand of the people’.
Case in point, Reddit …
I really like Reddit.
I think their ‘front-page of the internet’ is a brilliant place to play.
And then I saw this …
‘Where Engagement Meets Results’.
What the fuck is that about?
Oh I know what some will say …
“They’re trying to reach business people who discount Reddit as a commercially valuable platform”.
And maybe they are. But the irony is the easiest way to discount Reddit as a commercially valuable platform is having clients on there who only can communicate in the corporate monotone of the meaningless mission statement.
How insincere is a brand who speaks to their customers one way and business another?
How crazy is it that some think business people are a different species to ‘normal’ people?
How badly will Reddit’s audience react to work from companies who only speak business?
Now some may think I’m going over-the-top … they will remind me that we all ‘change’ our tone and personality dependent on who we are talking to.
And that’s true … to an extent.
But this isn’t a tonal change, this is character.
I read that and it’s a brand I don’t recognise …
Feels more like they should be called Beigeit rather than Reddit.
The ability to adapt your voice to different audiences shouldn’t mean changing who you are.
People who play golf have a dramatically different view to sport than those who play football … but Nike still do it in a way where you know and feel it’s them. Just like CTO’s in major corporations has different requirements to those who want a laptop for home … but you never feel Apple changes who they are to communicate with them.
Brands who fundamentally change their personality in a bid to engage different audiences literally don’t know who they are. Worse, their customers may start to question that too.
Reddit are amazing.
Their audience is diverse, engaged and productive.
And while I appreciate some in business may not understand that, if you have to alter who you are, do you want them anyway?
Years ago I was doing work for Triple J … a government funded, youth radio station in Australia.
Unlike other ‘government funded’ media, Triple J was someone with real credibility, driven by championing and breaking new artists, discussing topics commercial radio wouldn’t touch with a barge pole and absolutely no advertising.
So when they came to us asking for help, we knew straight away that whatever we did had to ensure their current audience didn’t feel Triple J was selling out by advertising for more listeners.
While you may think this meant we went niche, we did the opposite.
Built off an idea we called, ‘enemy of the average’ … we went into mainstream media with messages that challenged audiences about the mediocrity they were engaging with.
Radio.
Newspapers.
Cinema.
Magazines.
Nightclubs.
Television.
Wherever mainstream audiences were, we were there too.
And while many hated our work [it was even discussed in Australian Parliament] it not only attracted the largest audience increase in Triple J’s history, it reinvigorated their existing audience because they saw the brand they love stay true to who they are, despite wanting what they didn’t have.
I get we’re in different times.
I appreciate the idea of any risk is unpalatable for so many.
But nothing is as dangerous as changing who you are to attract people who aren’t your audience.
The brand voice is more than how you talk. Or look. It’s how you look at the world … and if you’re consistent with that, then you can express yourself in a million different ways and always be yourself.
But too many brands, despite what they say, don’t want to be distinct.
They see it as having the potential to alienate an audience.
To which I say this …
While you may think being something to anyone means you can engage more people, the fact is, the most power to build the value of your brand is when you are everything to someone.
Filed under: Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, China, Chinese Culture, Comment, Content, Context, Corona Virus, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Design, Differentiation, Distinction, Effectiveness, Emotion, Entertainment, Environment, Fashion, Imagination, Individuality, Innovation, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Metallica, Perspective, Point Of View, Positioning, Resonance, Respect, Shanghai, Strategy, Technology
I appreciate the title of this post sounds dodgy.
Not to mention that photo. Let’s face it, me and fashion are hardly bedfellows.
But that photo [which is real, by the way] is to celebrate that next week I’m in China to attend the WWD World Fashion Summit.
I know … I know … it all sounds like I’m making something up so I don’t have to write any blogposts next week, but it isn’t.
I am an invited guest at one of the fashion industries most important conferences.
Of course it’s not because of how I dress, but for the work I do for one of my clients … the godfather of global street culture and the founder of the most successful, progressive and innovative luxury [contemporary and street culture] retailers on the planet: SKP and SKP-S.
I wish I could talk more specifically about the work I’ve done for him over the past 3+ years … because it has been some of the most creatively rewarding, commercially informing and artistically collaborative times of my career.
Put simply, he is one of the most audacious people I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.
Even François-Henri Pinault – the CEO of Kering – calls him one of fashions greatest pioneers.
And he is …
Hell, when I met him, one of the first things he said to me was:
“I want people to get used to living on another planet, because one day – based on how we keep treating this one – they’re going to have to do just that”.
Sure, it’s the words only a billionaire can say, but who wouldn’t be captivated by that?
But he’s not crazy …
In fact, the more time I spend with him, the more I recognise his genius.
I could write a 1000 blog posts about what I’ve learned from him …
What real entrepreneurship is.
What true conviction in your beliefs means.
What category disruption and innovation really looks like.
What you do to ensure luxury embraces the influence of street culture.
But that’s maybe for another day. What I will say is that despite being one of the most important and influential figures in fashion, he also loves his anonymity – preferring to make statements through the work he does … from pretty much every up-and-coming street culture brand you can point a stick at … to helping build the next-gen of fashion icons like Fenty and Gentle Monster through to building the most brilliantly bonkers [and most profitable luxury store on the planet] SKP and SKP-S.
[To give you an idea of how bonkers, their new offering in China, features a tapestry of gardens – designed by the architects of The High Line, in NYC – that is ¾ of a mile wide. And the reason they were able to do that is because all the infrastructure has been placed beneath ground, so it’s invisible to the naked eye until you are in the place. And if you think that’s bonkers, every location is wildly different in look and theme … but connected by a unifying story that’s more Marvel than BusinessWeek.]
But if that wasn’t enough, I get to go back to China.
The last time I was there, was Jan 3rd 2020 … just before COVID closed the World.
I think everyone knows what China means to me. It is the most special place in my life.
Yes, I know there’s a bunch of fucked up stuff that happens there, but there’s a bunch of fucked up stuff that happens everywhere … and in my 7+ years of living in Shanghai, I can honestly say I was blessed with generosity, friendship and acceptance.
It’s why I am proud Otis was born there.
It’s why I will challenge any prejudice or ignorance spoken about there.
It’s why I am so happy that I get continue to work with clients who are based there.
Of course, I know a lot will have changed in the intervening 3 years.
We used to say that the speed of China was so fast, that it was like a new generation was born every six months. And while it’s not anywhere like that now, it’s still more dynamic than most countries … which is why it makes perfect sense to hold one of the most important global fashion conferences there.
For all the ‘superficiality’ people say about fashion, I can honestly say that the more I’ve spent deep in the industry, the more inspiring I’ve found it.
The craft.
The imagination.
The focus on society, art and design.
The openness to different influences and ideas.
The desire to continually explore, imagine and challenge.
Or said another way … the stubborn commitment to allowing creativity to thrive, wherever it may take you.
Like with Metallica, this client has invited me to places I never even knew existed, let alone ever imagined I could be.
Magical people … imaginative ideas … insane possibilities …
But what’s made it even more amazing is they have asked me collaborate with these people and ideas … to find new ways to allow creativity to flourish – be it architecture, robots or writing stories that unite different worlds in different ways.
I appreciate it sounds like I’m bragging.
I guess I am.
But the reality is it’s more shock and gratitude.
I do think I am good at what I do, but to have all this – especially at my stage of career – does feel like I’ve won some sort of creative lottery.
And in some ways I have.
But the prize is not simply the work – or the cash – but the reminder …
Because the ad industry often sees creativity only through the lens of ads.
Oh sure, we’ll talk about craft and design, but it tends to always be in the context of communication.
Hell, we bang on about ‘big ideas’ when all we’re really talk about is big ‘advertising’ ideas.
There’s nothing wrong with that … advertising is creative and important.
But creativity is more than ads.
It has the power to shape and influence.
To create new meaning to old things and ignite deep emotions in the new.
It values culture and imagination far more than media channels and eco-systems … which results in the work being far more than ‘packaging’ for selling stuff, but creating the things that are worth buying.
I love the industry I work in. It has given me a life richer than I could ever have imagined. But somewhere along the line, it seems we love everything but the thing we’re supposed to love. Distracted by terminologies and techniques that – ironically – makes more things the same than different.
But fashion isn’t like that.
My client isn’t like that.
Which is why – you will understand – I’m so happy I won’t be here to write any posts for another week.
For once, your gain … is also mine.
So until the week after next, have fun. I know I will be.