Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude
With us still stuck in quarantine.
And every day feeling the same as the day before … even weekends.
I thought I’d add some adventure into your weekend with this …
In this photo are 66 movie references.
The most I’ve heard anyone find is 51.
Can you beat it?
Do you care?
Either way, it’s got to be better than what you have been doing most weekends.
You’re welcome.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Authenticity, Communication Strategy, Confidence, Creativity, Culture, Cunning, Customer Service, Devious Strategy, Differentiation, Emotion, England, Experience, Food, Food For Thought, Football, HHCL, Insight, London, Relevance, Resonance
… is know your audience.
The second rule is let them know you know them.
For all the millions spent at agencies and consultancies, this food vendor at the recent Chelsea v Everton match. shows they get it more than most.
Now you may think, ‘who would shop at a place that publicly identifies them as a chubby’?
And I get it …
In these highly visual times, no one wants to associate with anything deemed socially negative.
But apart from the fact there are some people who take great pride in their unhealthiness, the reality is there’s something incredibly lovely about that name.
If you’re hungry.
If you need something to eat.
If you want something that’s going to make you full.
What better place is there than a food cart with the name Chubby’s.
Chubby’s suggests big portions. Lots of flavour [read: fat] Value for money.
But it’s more than that.
This is a food cart at a football match.
Food and football is never supposed to be fancy.
It’s supposed to be piping hot and insanely substantial …
This means even the most healthy minded individual can justify buying from there.
“It’s just this once” … they’ll say.
“It’s part of the footballing experience” they’ll claim.
And then, to make themselves feel less greedy, they’ll do what was the basis of one of my favourite ever campaigns – a bloody radio ad no less – they’ll go and order a Diet Tango to wash it all down with.
The weak and delusional fools.
[Cue evil laugh]
So while I doubt any naming consultancy would ever come up with such a choice of name for a football food establishment, I would say the owner of this cart is a better marketer than most of the agencies and consultancies put together.
And his hot dogs were a delight.
That is not a euphemism.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Culture, Football, Nottingham, Nottingham Forest, Shanghai, Sport, Wieden+Kennedy
A long time ago, I was sat in Wieden+Kennedy Portland, watching the Women’s World Cup with the NIKE team.
It was fun – we were all enjoying the match – when LTA [a legend at Wieden] said to me and the person I was sat next to, who I didn’t know …
“I’m surprised you’re sat next to each other”.
When I asked why, he said …
“Because of the teams you support”.
And that was the moment I discovered my sofa mate, Patrick, was a fucking Derby County supporter.
Worse still.
He was actually from Derby.
We both had the look of utter disgust on our faces.
Derby.
For fucks sake.
Anyway, despite his absolute shortcomings in football team, we got on and managed to show our maturity by rising above it.
I never saw Patrick again.
I was based in Shanghai and then he left Wieden.
That said, we stayed in touch via social media – especially when Forest were playing Derby – so a few weeks ago, when Patrick suggested we catch up and talk about what we think will happen in the league now COVID-19 is messing with everything, I was thrilled.
And while it had been a long time since I’d seen him and I continued to like him as a person, the fact is when you talk to a Derby County fan – even one based in the US – there are certain protocols to observe, which this photo from our zoom chat captures perfectly …
My favourite bit was how he responded to someone who asked how a conversation with a Forest and Derby fan had gone down ..,
MORTAL enemies!
But, given the testing time we’re in I’m willing to put that aside, for now.
That being said, Rob wasn’t even TRYING to make friends …
Another example of Forest getting one over the sheep.
Great chatting with you Patrick – while I doubt you’ll ever want to do it again, I hope we do.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Confidence, Culture, Emotion, Empathy, Experience, Loyalty, Management
If this situation has shown us anything, it’s who is comfortable with the uncomfortable and who is just making it up as they go along.
Populism has been, well – popular – these last few years. In the past it was [mainly] based on the act of having done something others liked.
Recently it has become about saying things others want to hear.
And while no one could foresee what we’re going through now, that new definition of populism has been seen for what it is.
Ego.
So I hope we get back to valuing those who have plans and proof behind their words, whether that’s planners or prime ministers.
Because anything is easy for the person who doesn’t have to do it, doesn’t understand how to do it or has never actually done it – from making great creativity or leading a country through crisis.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment
They say the word Monday is the shortest horror story you can get.
It can definitely feel like it at times.
Either because it signifies the end of the joy you enjoyed the days before or the start of 5 days of hell coming up.
Not always, but sometimes.
But this isn’t about that, this is about the unexpected.
Life is like a game of chance.
That’s OK, because it means it is filled with highs as well as lows – which makes things exciting and exhilerating.
But in most cases, you have an idea of what’s coming and so the real impact is whether the result is bigger or smaller than you expected.
Occasionally though, some things come from out of the blue.
Hit you like a ton of bricks.
Sadly, these almost universally are negative situations.
You feel lost.
You feel anger.
You question if you should have seen the signs.
You replay situations and conversations over and over in your mind.
It is one of the most debilitating experiences you can have in your life.
What makes it worse is that in many cases, this results in the people around you not knowing what to say … how to deal with you.
And while I get it, it ends up making the people feel worse. More alone. More isolated and helpless.
A few people I care deeply about have gone through this recently.
And while I know it was not about them, it doesn’t stop them feeling it was.
I hate it.
I absolutely loathe what they’re feeling and going through.
They’re insanely talented … good human beings.
Which is my way of saying, if anyone who reads this blog needs strategists in the UK or US – whether freelance or perm – can you let me know.
Look after the people out there, because as much as I appreciate a lot of what is going on ‘is just business’, it doesn’t excuse the fact it’s always personal.