Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Communication Strategy, Craft, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture
Nothing shows how cooked our industry is than the emphasis on media.
Don’t get me wrong, media is vitally important, but to think that means we can relegate what we say and how we say it is utterly insane.
Last year, our industry spent ONE TRILLION DOLLARS on behalf of our clients on media.
A TRILLION!
And what did it do for anyone other than create a mountain of cultural landfill?
Has there ever been a time where invisibility has cost so much fucking money.
But what really messes with me is how the art of copywriting and storytelling has been eroded to nothingness.
Where once, it was respected as a powerful form of emotional engagement and persuasion, now it’s all 3 word flippant headlines that say nothing, evoke nothing and come across as a Temu-version of Nike’s Just Do It.
For all the talk of AI destroying our industry, maybe we should look at how our industry leaders and clients are contributing to it given their blinkered and obsessive focus on optimization, automation and media spend.
And yet, for all that investment …
For all those brains and frameworks …
Hardly any of their work has emotionally engaged me and stuck with me like this story from some random stranger about their childhood.
Sure, I get I’m a sentimental fuck.
Sure, I appreciate I ‘found’ this story, rather than the story finding me.
But, not only does it capture and convey love, family, childhood and the significance of small acts better than any researched-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life ad campaign … it has a last line that’s a cross between a punch in the face from Mike Tyson and an emotional rug pull from the World’s best magician.
Just to reiterate … I am not saying copywriting is more important than media.
But it does attempt to say it sure as shit isn’t less important.
The industry – by that I mean EVERYONE – needs to invest and fight for the art of craftsmanship over speed … because if we don’t, all we’re doing is showing the public why they shouldn’t care about what we do and what we say.
That is if they even notice what we’ve churned out for them in the first place.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Aspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand Suicide, Clients, Colenso, Collaboration, Colleagues, Comment, Communication Strategy, Corporate Evil, Creativity, Culture, Delusion, Emotion, Empathy, Equality, Harmony, Honesty, Hope, Inclusion, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Relationships, Reputation, Resonance, Respect, Trust, Truth
Let’s be honest, when we want something we often show an ‘unnaturally good side’ of ourselves in an attempt to win someone over.
Doesn’t matter if it’s dating, business, or even getting someone to take out the bins … we are all capable of turning on our manipulation skills when it suits.
Nothing embodies this more than the agency pitch …
Where they bring out the most senior of senior leadership to the meetings …
Where they promise access to ‘the best of the best across the whole network’ …
Where they talk about developing specialised processes, systems and tools …
Where they discuss building a dedicated agency arm just for their service …
Where they say they’re open to new financial remuneration models and approaches …
And while I am in no way suggesting they’re lying about this, it rarely turns out like this.
There’s many reasons for that, of which one of them is prospective clients are also playing the same game …
Talking about the groundbreaking work they want …
Promising to provide good budgets, access and timelines …
Reinforcing how much they want a long-term partnership …
Championing the importance of debate and discussion …
Suggesting openness to new ways of working …
Again, not lying … but also not being entirely honest either.
If I’m being generous, a lot of this is because life and business is constantly changing and evolving so promised need to keep changing … however at the end of the day, the real problem isn’t that things change, it’s that we’re frightened of being transparent.
The irony of which is the greatest demonstration of respect – and arguably, the greatest way to build real trust – is being transparent.
By that I mean telling those around you, what is happening, when it’s happening.
Sure, I get there can be implications in doing that, but there’s far more if you delay speaking up …
It’s why I love Angela – Colenso’s CEO – attitude that ‘honesty trumps harmony’.
She’s right …
And while I appreciate it may not always be a comfortable conversation at the beginning … if you do it in a timely and transparent way, it always ends up being better than the alternative. That being people discovering the reality of the situation because of the disaster of the situation.
And yet so many still think that is a better way to deal with things … believing they can either overcome the situation or can hide the situation.
So why am I saying all this?
To be honest, I just wanted a way to justify posting these 2 photos because while the sum up the point of this post, the reality is they just made me piss myself laughing …
Because they’re true.
Oh so true.
The pitch …
The reality …
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Apathy, Aspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Cliches, Clients, Collaboration, Communication Strategy, Complicity, Conformity, Consultants, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Distinction, Diversity, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Egovertising, Emotion, Empathy, Entertainment, Experience, Fake Attitude, Focus Groups, Food For Thought, Fulfillment, Independence, Influencers, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Marketing Practice, Marketing Science, Mediocrity, Perspective, Planners, Planning, Point Of View, Popularity, Professionalism, Provocative, Purpose, Relevance, Reputation, Research, Resonance, Respect, Strategy, Technology, Toxic Positivity, Work
I know, that’s quite the title isn’t it.
Some would even say it’s ‘clickbait’.
Well, while I readily admit it’s slightly exaggerated, hang in there …
So years ago, Jill rang me to tell me she’d discovered Otis – who was about 4 years old back then – had made a shopping list of things he wanted to order on Amazon through Alexa.
Loads of stuff.
Fortunately for us, this included a range of items even Amazon can’t source.
Stuff such as: Eyeballs … Polar Bears … “Poo Poos” … and countless other weird shit his mind decided would be fun to own.
Putting aside the fact this proved he was most definitely my son, hearing his little voice recite all the things that were on his ‘ownership bucket list’ was wonderful, which is why we have never deleted it.
Not just so we can forever relive his childhood curiosity, but because it will be brilliant to play it when he has his 21st birthday – hahaha.
I say this because I recently read another evil genius use – or should I say, abuse – of Alexa.
This.
Why the hell had I never thought of doing this before?
On the positive, it has shown how mature I have become over the years. On the negative, it has highlighted how I am a groupie for mischief because you can be sure-as-hell I will be finding ways to do this to people from here on in. No wonder the guys at Q-Prime called me ‘immune to maturity’.
And while you may shake your head and call me a ‘sad bastard’ for wanting to do this, think of it as an act of revenge against the tech-bro boys.
Because as much as Alexa may have many uses and benefits … it has also fucked humanity. Teaching us to expect instant gratification for whatever we want, whenever we want it.
No moment for pause.
No time for consideration.
No appreciation of nuance.
Where the only thing that matters – and you are judged on – is the speed of the response.
It’s probably why so many brands love influencers.
Not simply because of their audience.
Not simply because of their popularity.
But because they will say EXACTLY what they want … without challenge, opinion or rearticulation.
I don’t blame the influencer for this, because not only are they making bank out of it, why should they give a shit … for them, the relationship is purely transactional and what they’re selling is access, not authenticity.
But I tell you who should care …
Clients.
But in these days where the main topic of conversation seems to be about ‘shouting at scale’ – read: believing media is way more important than working with people who know what to say and how to say it – is it any surprise that despite spending over US$1 TRILLION dollars on advertising last year, the industry feels like one homogenous, barren contrived-as-fuck blob?
Or as a client of mine recently said, “we’re past the brand building age and now in the brand shrinking era”.
I get instant answers are convenient.
I appreciate having people push back on you can be a pain.
But we need to get back to normalizing the value of objectivity.
Because the point of it is not to frustrate, but to stop you shouting into an echo chamber and building something that people helps people become something.
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Finally – as if it being Friday wasn’t good enough – I am away again for 11 days.
ELEVEN!!!
However it’s not all good news because if you’re in Perth, Western Australia … then Paris, France … then Beijing, China … I’m going to be in your hood so watch out.
Actually, it’s even worse for the people in Perth because I’m going to be shouting swearwords at the brilliant State Of Social conference.
That’s right, the wonderful, generous, kind idiots have invited me again … which means some people just never learn from their mistakes.
So have a good weekend/week. Unless you’re in Perth, Paris or Beijing.
See you around the 3rd Sept.
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Communication Strategy, Complicity, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture
Oh my god, could our industry – especially the media covering our industry – please stop giving the same few people the professional pedestal to spout their views on everything.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re smart and have interesting to say … but they’re smart and have interesting to say about SOME things, not ALL things and all we’re doing in always turning to them is create a mono-culture of thought and creativity, which is fucked when most of them have not actually made the creativity they are so quick and happy to judge and criticise.
But it gets worse …
Because in elevating their importance, we are stopping their ability to be self-critical … resulting in at least a couple of them increasingly becoming belligerent and closed-minded to anyone who challenges or succeeds in ways that counter their own view.
Of course, part of that is because some make money from selling their ‘success systems’ to all and sundry, so if someone is able to be successful following other rules, it’s a huge threat to their business model. And that’s where the problem lies, because many of these people go out of their way to crush any or all counter perspectives, resulting in an industry increasingly being format driven than creatively so.
Seriously, the exposure the industry gives these few people could rival Madonna in her ‘Sex’ era … and it’s all our own fault.
Because like shock jock DJ’s of the 80’s or the current trend of ‘celebs’ spouting more extremist views for attention … we lap up being in – or part of – the drama, stupidly believing it makes us relevant, important or informed when really its just showing the decline in value towards critical thinking and originality.
As I said, a lot of what these people say can be good … or at least worth the consideration. But my god, every week I read another article where our industry has asked them for their view, regardless if they have the credibility, experience or objectivity to do it justice.
Look, I know our industry is built on people having an opinion – whether wanted, warranted or worthy.
But – for the sake of our industry – can we please vary the voices being heard.
Let’s hear from different experts.
Let’s hear from people with different experiences.
Let’s hear from those who have achieved in different ways.
Not to ridicule the people I am talking to, but to dilute it … because the best of our industry – and of creativity – is born from the energy and smarts of debate, but increasingly so, it feels we are simply followers of the same few dictators. And given 40% of CEO’s think their company may not last the next decade and the average tenure of a S&P company has fallen from 60 years to 18 – in just a few decades – maybe the smartest thing we can do is hear from people challenging the formats that have got us into this position rather than reinforcing them.
Just a thought …
Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Brand Suicide, Comment, Communication Strategy, Context, Corporate Gaslighting, Craft, Creativity, Culture, Nottingham, Standards, Stupid
Last week was a week of pissy posts, so I thought I’d write something a little less intense.
Recently I was in Nottingham and while on one of my walks, I passed this …
“What is it?” I hear you cry.
Well, it’s a notice about the busses.
Tied with a crappy piece of string to a branch of a nearby shrub because – I assume – the people who had to put it up thought it would take too much effort, cost or complexity to attach it to the actual bus stop.
You know, so passengers could maybe actually see it.
Now I appreciate Nottingham County Council is basically bankrupt so they can’t be spending money willy-nilly … but what the fuck is the point attaching a notice to a shrub that isn’t even next to the actual bus stop???
It all smacks of someone having to hit their KPI’s …
Where the focus is being able to say you did what was asked rather than did what was needed … even though you know what you did wasn’t in the spirit of the original request.
And while you could blame that on the clarity of the brief, it’s still an exercise in deliberate ignorance.
Or arrogance.
Or idiocy.
It reminds me of the toilets I wrote about in Singapore way back in 2006.
Another example of someone ‘executing’ rather than ‘accomplishing’ …
Also known as ‘modern business practice’ … where it increasingly feels like a job well done and well crafted is viewed as an unnecessary cost, when it can just be churned out without any consideration.
Or worse, when someone does that and then tries to hide their laziness behind ambiguous language or claims of cost efficiency.
Which is why I keep going back to the words a father of an old colleague of mine once said:
“If you haven’t got the time to do it right at the start, when will you have the time?”
When will companies realise that if they treat their customers like fools, they’ll value them accordingly?
The older I get, the more I believe the only thing we have are our standards … and while not everyone will appreciate them, you can be sure they will notice them when everyone else shows they don’t have any.