Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Corona Virus, Culture, Daily Fail, Daily Mail, England, London
So this COVID-19 thing has – as I’ve written a bunch of times – brought the best and worst out of people and companies.
But one thing I’ve not really talked about is the humour it has ignited.
The best bit being some of it was not meant to be humour but it’s hilarious.
So to make your week much happier, have a look at this piece of accidental hilarity … which may be one of the best examples of self-serving [under the guise of politeness and consideration] middle-class [which today means, posh-class] England, since the editorial in today’s Daily Mail.
You’re welcome.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Confidence, Context, Culture, Emotion, Empathy, Equality, Experience, Honesty, Insight, Love, Loyalty, Management, Perspective, Relationships, Relevance, Resonance, Revenge
There have been times in my career where I’ve chosen the wrong path.
What makes this crazy is that there have been times where I knew I was but still went ahead with it.
Nothing bad.
Nothing illegal.
But, according to others, it was the wrong thing to do.
Now this is not because I have a death wish or want to cause trouble … it’s because a situation or certain circumstances occurred that just triggered something in me.
Good and bad.
And while – with hindsight – I know I could have handled ‘how’ I dealt with some of those situations differently, I absolutely don’t regret ‘why’ I did it … even if that led to some people labelling me as being ‘too emotional’.
Too emotional is a horrible phrase.
It aims to shame people for who they are and what they believe.
What is worse is that it is often expressed by people who have an inability to show any emotion towards anything, so act as if it is some sort of human flaw.
A fundamental weakness.
Let me be very clear, being able to express your emotions is a strength.
It’s healthy.
It’s positive.
It’s also a sign you give a fuck.
Whether that is about work, standards or other people.
Now I appreciate that doesn’t mean you can use it as an excuse to abuse others or act like you’re some sort of megalomaniac diva.
Nor do I think that just because something triggered your emotions, it means your perspective is automatically correct.
And then there’s the fact there will be times or situations where you need to restrain your emotions to a time – or place – where it is more appropriate to let out. Let’s face it, no one wants a surgeon to have an emotional outburst mid-operation just because someone handed them the scalpel in a sloppy way.
But expressing your emotions is important.
It should absolutely never be treated as doing something wrong.
Especially in the creative industry, where our goal is to literally make people feel something.
So if anyone ever say’s, “you’re too emotional”, don’t just take it.
It’s the sort of comment that – if allowed to fester – can chip away at your confidence.
Often uttered by senior figures in a company who want employees to think, act and behave exactly like them rather than embrace differences of opinion or brand new thinking … which is ironic, given that’s the main way companies can evolve and grow.
So if faced with that situation, ask them what they mean by their comment?
Put it back on them to explain.
Half the time you’ll find it is simply because they don’t like conflict.
Or an alternative perspective.
And that’s when you explain why the situation has made you feel the way it has.
Why you believe it shouldn’t just be brushed away.
Not because you’re an egomaniac who wants whatever they choose, but because you see possible implications that could have a terrible effect on the work or the company or the team at large.
Because even the person you’re discussing this with doesn’t feel it or see it as being important, doesn’t mean it isn’t … which at the very least should justify a conversation about it, especially if you feel so strongly about it.
But, as I said, there may be occasions where you will look back on how you reacted and feel you could have done it another way.
Note I said ‘how’ you reacted, not ‘why’ you did.
And that’s why it’s important to always learn from these incidents.
Discover what pushes your buttons.
Understand what you expect from yourself and others.
Reveal what standards you will and will not tolerate.
Not so you can deny or suppress your emotions in the future, but so if another situation arises, you can express your emotions in a way that will change the outcome you are responding to rather than just reacting to it.
And when you get to that point, that’s when you find being ‘too emotional’ is a superpower.
So while the guy in the video is being his own worst enemy for the worst of reasons, expressing your emotions never is.
Because regardless what some may claim, they are a sign of strength, never weakness.
It’s another long weekend here in the UK, I hope you have a good one and a safe one.
See you Tuesday.
Filed under: Advertising, America, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Brand Suicide, Corona Virus, Crap Marketing Ideas From History!, Daily Fail, Embarrassing Moments, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Planners, Positioning
So at the time of writing this post, we are all still in quarantine at home.
That means we are all still on endless zoom calls – where the only ‘entertainment’ we get is choosing some ‘crazy’ background, which – if I’m being honest – got old within 5 minutes of it happening so is now at near death levels of annoying.
But don’t worry, I’ve found something that is even worse.
This …
Yep, it’s Banana Republic rebranding their scarves as ‘video chat accessories’.
Seriously, what the fuck!?
What next, cups being sold as ‘video chat objects d’art’?
Or maybe pens being rebranded as ‘video chat conversation markers’?
Or even posters being pushed as ‘video chat mood enhancers’?
ARGHHHHHHHH!
The worst thing is I can imagine a planner coming up with something like this.
You know the sort, the ones who sell toothpaste as ‘smile architects’ or some other bollocks.
Look, I get in these tough times, they want to exploit any opportunity to drive some revenue … but it’s just shit isn’t it?
It’s also bollocks.
Because if they were going to sell any video chat accessories, surely they would be better off selling trousers or skirts because if anyone is like me, they’ve been wearing nothing but shorts for the last 6 weeks.
Banana Republic. You slipped on your own banana skin with this one.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Business, Communication Strategy, Confidence, Creativity, Culture, Differentiation, Emotion, Experience, Fulfillment, Honesty, Human Goodness, Loyalty, Management, Marketing, Martin Weigel, Packaging, Perspective, Planning, Point Of View, Positioning, Purpose, Relevance, Resonance
So I recently heard a story that should put companies who talk about ‘brand purpose’ to shame.
I’ve written a lot about this subject, but this does it so much better.
Hell, it may even make Mr Weigel – who hates the bullshit spouted about this area of marketing – nod in agreement.
So way back in 1939, the Kansas Wheat realised women were using their sacks to make clothes for their children.
Rather than consider this a strange byproduct of their product packaging, they decided they would start putting designs on the sack fabric so they could make nicer looking clothes.
For many companies, that would be enough … considering this a great way to ‘market their purpose’, but the Kansas Wheat company went one step further.
A step that proved they genuinely cared rather than cared more about looking like they did.
You see they printed their logo on the sacks with an ink that would easily wash away … so the kids wearing the clothes wouldn’t face any stigma they’re wearing repurposed wheat sacks.
Given how much has been said and written about brand purpose, I hope this stops people spouting shit that ‘purpose’ is new or that it means you have to relinquish your commercial requirements to demonstrate it.
Because the key to it is not about the scale you claim you want to achieve, but how you do what you do every single day.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Family, Home, Jill, My Fatherhood, Otis
So I have to admit that I am loving being in quarantine with my family.
I appreciate a big part of that is that I’ve been impacted far less than many.
I fortunately continue to have a job and where we live has a small backyard for Otis to play in. I also know that with no elderly family members around, the worry and fears are limited to just our situation which is why, even though I would rather no one had suffered through this time, this period has been a revelation for me.
There’s many reasons for that. I am saving two and a half hours a day on commuting … so I’m get an hour a days more sleep. I get to be here and see Otis when he wakes up and goes to bed every night. And dinner time is now family dinner time … every single day.
All those things are wonderful based on the fact I just love being with my family.
We’ve never spent so much time together in our lives and I have to say, it’s great.
Yes, we would love to go out and see friends, but in terms of sacrifice, it has actually had some upside – though I would never want anyone to have had to pay the price they’ve had, to experience this.
The main reason this has been so impactful to me is that I was previously of the opinion being in the office every day was important.
Not ‘to be seen’ by management, but because as a boss … I felt it was important to spend time with your gang and be there when/if they need you. I still feel that, but now realise I can spend one day a week at home and it won’t do any damage … even more so when I assume many of the team will want to do the same.
That said, working from home has revealed some interesting situations.
As I wrote a while back, Otis’ naked bum dance to a very important member of the NIKE global management was an interesting one. While he has fortunately not done a repeat performance, he has revealed what he really thinks of me.
Just recently, this was our interaction while his Mum had popped out to buy some groceries …
As burns go, that’s pretty awesome … though as my colleagues gleefully told me when I told this story to them, “He’s not wrong”.
Assholes.