Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Cars, Chaos, Complicity, Culture, Equality
So recently someone sent me this:
In front of you are 2 cars.
Two ‘family’ cars.
One from around 1987 – a Ford Escort, albeit the XR3i, ‘boy racer’ version. One from 2024 – a Tesla Model Y.
I appreciate a lot has changed in the intervening 37 years … but of all the features, technology and emission differences, surely their physical size is one of the most extreme changes.
It’s happening everywhere, for example, here’s average US ‘ute’ size …
Or if you want to be completely messed with, here’s an average ‘ute’ next to – admittedly – a smaller car.
Now I know there will be a lot of reasons for it.
From technical and safety innovations through to comfort, status and just plain consumer tastes – let alone humanities capacity to become fat bastards as we crave more and more pampered convenience – however seeing them side-by-side is pretty bloody confronting.
But the impact of this is more than just scale …
The roads we drive on are not made to deal with the vast increases in weight.
In fact, they were not designed for cars, full-stop.
And while over time, the automobile succeeded in hijacking the tarmac … a major contributing factor to its ability to do that was cars were far smaller and lighter back then – not to mention a lot less of them – so basic infrastructure didn’t really need to change.
Zoom forward today – and with everything from climate change to population increases – the cars we have are not fit for the roads we drive on and the cost to maintain this or change this is almost beyond anyones pocket.
Now you may think this is going to become an anti-car/pro-environmental post.
You’re wrong.
I’d be a fucking hypocrite given I drive an SUV – though Otis is making sure that won’t be the case much longer.
No, what this post is about is thinking things through.
Considering implications to actions.
Not blindly running at what offers immediate benefits … but a consideration of what it may change or create.
Oh, we may all think we do that, but we don’t really do that. More often than not, short-term wins or instant gratification conquers all.
We’re seeing it with AI.
I’m not against AI. I believe it can do great things. But the people who are pushing it aren’t the people I trust to do it.
Tech bro billionaires who are not used to saying no … or dealing with consequences of their actions … are not the people we should be relying on to evolve this technology.
Not simply because of the damage it could cause, but the implications of what it could change.
In Apple’s iOS 18, the calculator can do mathematical equations in realtime and give you answers IN YOUR OWN HANDWRITING.
Oh it’s cool, no doubt about that … but why will kids want to learn maths anymore?
Hell, why will schools even teach it?
And while it would be nice to buy into the argument of ‘it will enhance the learning journey’ … humans have an incredible capacity to ‘outsource’ their responsibility and engagement to alternatives that they think can do it easier, quicker or more conveniently.
From GPS through to VAR in football … we are forever looking for the shortcut.
A way to remove ‘challenge’ from our life … or – more cynically – have someone/something we can blame when things go wrong.
Look, I get this is MASSIVELY hypocritical coming from me … a fucking gadget loving, wifi-craving, tech groupie … but I am shocked at how many decisions are made with a short-sighted focus.
Over the years I’ve seen some incredibly daft things be approved simply because it satisfied ego or offered a quick win to buy the time to get out unscathed.
And just to be clear, this has not come from the ‘irresponsible class’ … which is the label often given to those in the creative industry … but those who are supposed to be the sensible ones.
CEO’s.
Bankers.
Accountants.
Jesus … even Governments.
In fact, in my experience – while creative people are always looking forwards – they always want to make things that last. That will stand the test of time. Far more than many of the ‘protection and insurance’ discipline/industries that have somehow gained the label of being ‘the responsible ones’ in the boardroom.
Thinking through implications does not mean you are adding obstacles or stopping possibilities, it means you are building something sustainable.
An idea that can benefit all, not just the few.
And while I accept in this day and age, that sort of thing sounds like a bunch of hippy bollocks … the attitude of ‘prosper now and leave any shit to the next generation’ is not working. Even more so when we try and position independent thinking as the enemy of progress.
Somewhere along the line we need to think beyond the next quarter.
We need to go beyond ‘what the short-term data’ is telling us.
We need to value more than ‘how much money it can make us’.
We need to consider more than ‘what this enables’.
And ask ourselves two additional questions …
The first is:
“What could be the implications of this decision on the next generation”
And the second – which is from my friend Paul Stechshulte:
“What if we’re wrong?”
Filed under: America, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Brand Suicide, Cars, Corporate Evil, Design, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Technology, Twitter
Tesla.
When they launched, they were a glimpse into the future of mobility.
A way to combine technology to drive sustainability while keeping all the excitement of performance. Something that had previously been seen as impossible to create.
But they did and with it … it positioned Elon Musk as a modern day genius.
Edison x Einstein x Jobs. Maybe.
He added to his legacy when he launched a self-landing rocket.
The first time I saw that, it was – similar to sitting in a Tesla for the first time – like living in a sci-fi movie, such was it’s impressive impact.
But now?
Not so much.
Elon – through his actions, behaviours and attitude – has demonstrated that either he was trolling us or his immense success has resulted in him believing he is better than the rest of us.
The purchase of Twitter.
Accusing innocent people of pedophilia.
His treatment and attitude towards members of his family.
Claiming ‘freedom of speech’ except when it revolves around him.
There’s been so, so many moments of him revealing his ugliness.
That doesn’t mean he’s not very smart – he obviously is – but sadly where once we hoped it was to help lift everyone up, it’s apparent his focus is about lifting himself up. It all feels like he is seeking revenge for all the girls at school that turned him down and all the boys that wouldn’t let him play in their game of soccer.
We can’t say we weren’t warned.
His ex-wife’s interview in Marie Claire back in 2010 was a major red flag … which we collectively ignored because back then, he was still making headlines for good things more than satisfying his immense ego.
But now, his true character is fully on display and nothing sums this up more than the design of his cyber-truck … also known as the ‘middle-aged, white republican male, steroids-on-4-wheels-mobile’
Recently I read a designers review [@no_commercial_value] of the Cyber Truck aesthetic and it was the most perfect description of the philosophy and attitude of it’s creator … and the people who seem to love it the most.
It was this …
Paramilitary Cosplay is the most perfect description I think I’ve ever heard.
And the other definitions aren’t bad either.
It reminds me of the time Cynic did some research for Hummer and heard from interviews how the ‘feature’ many owners aspired to have was a ‘gun turret’ … I kid you not.
I also remember one person complaining about glove boxes you could close, because that was ‘pandering to the weak’.
I suppose none of this should come as a surprise because apparently when the iconic movie ‘Die Hard’ was first shown to test audiences featuring American men, many saw John McClane/Bruce Willis as ‘a coward’ as they interpreted his actions as ‘running away from trouble and that’s not what America does’.
Kind of explains a lot doesn’t it … including the rise of Trump and – getting back on subject – Musk.
Yes, I know Musk is South African, but his behaviour is pure Americana. Or should I say, 80’s Americana, as depicted in movies featuring Stallone, Schwarzenegger and van Damme.
Which all feels like the ‘theme’ behind the Cyber Truck.
A futuristic vision of a totalitarian regime. Where the rich are powerful and intimidating [and white] and the poor are disposable and weak.
Paramilitary Chic … as it were.
No doubt we can expect to see Putin, Trump and every other right-wing leader wearing 80’s style, Hugo Boss suits with massive shoulder pads soon … looking like some cartoon general with a metaphorical chest full of [fake or self-anointed] medals.
In many ways, they are a perfect example of a powerful brand … where society either loves them or hates them, but rarely apathetic towards them.
This revelation initially petrified me because this is kind-of what our industry is here to do.
I was going to point out that we should be careful what we aspire to.
But then I looked at what we’re producing all over the world – and what clients think is edgy – and realised there’s absolutely no danger of any of this happening, which might be a tragic indictment of the state of our industry but a relief that we’re not adding to a world of egomaniac, dictator-fantasist fuckwits.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Cars, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Imagination, New Zealand
I am not a DIY person.
Once, when I was at school, I literally sawed through my finger in a woodwork class and just last week, I stabbed my hand with a serrated knife while trying to cut through some plastic.
With this in mind, it’s fairly obvious that I don’t give a fuck about anything associated with DIY.
Well, I say that, but there have a couple of occasions where I’ve given a damn.
One was the first time I used a drill which – arguably for the first time – made me feel ‘a man’. The downside was I got so into using it, I put so many screws into the fuzzball table I was trying to fix, that the removal men couldn’t take it apart when we kept moving country.
The other was – bizarrely – a ladder, which we bought in the UK.
It was nothing special but like experiencing a smart TV after years of using an old school piece of shit, I thought I had entered a parallel universe given its ability to fold down to a fraction of its size. I know … I know …
But maybe that’s why I was so captivated when I saw this …
Yes, it’s a ladder – a very short ladder – built onto the back of a car.
And while NZ is a rugged land, there is absolutely no requirement whatsoever to ever get on your car roof when you live in Auckland. And yet I love it. It adds a dimension of ‘explorer’ that transcends even the biggest and most modern of SUV’s.
Of course, if that ladder was on its own, you’d think it was the most pointless, shit thing ever. But add it to the back of a car and suddenly you’re Indiana bloody Jones, climbing up on it for any old reason.
Which serves as a reminder that ideas are driven as much by context as need and the more we embrace that, the more we allow imagination to work it’s magic than purely logic.
Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Brand Suicide, Cars, Communication Strategy, Crap Products In History, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Distinction
It’s been well documented how car design – thanks to a focus on efficiency and production optimisation – is becoming more and more similar.
So to increase differentiation, more and more manufacturers are adding little touches both inside and outside the car.
Paintwork.
Wheel design.
Technology options.
But recently I saw something that took my breath away.
For all the wrong reasons.
This.
Build Your Dreams????
What. The. Fuck!!!
I am at a loss.
Why would anyone have this on their car?
Who would choose to put this on their car?
It’s the sort of shit you expect to see from some imposter on Linkedin, not on the back of a car.
I have no idea if this was added by the manufacturer or the owner … but given they didn’t thank me when I let them in, all this car did was build my road rage.
Their used to be an old joke that went:
Q: What’s more embarrassing that being seen in the back of a sheep?
A: Being seen in the back of a Skoda.
Well, even if Skoda had not improved, that joke would be out of date because we now all know the answer would be … being seen driving a car with the words ‘BUILD YOUR DREAMS’ emblazoned on the back.
Over-reaction?
Well I did tell you on Friday that the older I get, the more I understand the film, Falling Down.
_________________________________________________________________
Update:
Apparently the car in question is made by Chinese [electric] car company, BYD.
I should have known.
Good cars. Terrible slogan.
I know I said yesterday that my post has probably ruined your week from the start of the week.
Well, just in case it didn’t, this one certainly will.
You know that saying men with big cars are making up for something they’re lacking in the trouser department?
Well, what does it mean when you drive a small car but choose to have this as your registration number???
What the hell???
I must admit, I am utterly confused.
I would just love to know WHY they chose that.
And while I’m at it, I’d also like to say an Audi Q5 is NOT a big car.
Ahem.