Filed under: Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Consultants, Contribution, Creative Development, Creativity, Dance, Devious Strategy
After the relatively heavy post of yesterday, let’s go on a tangent that I am pretty certain even a protractor wouldn’t be able to measure.
This is a post about dance.
That’s 6 words I am pretty sure you never thought you’d read on here.
But the reality is, I am pretty besotted with dance, just like I am pretty besotted with anything when the person doing it is not only good at it, but is committed to being their best at it, in the moment they are doing it.
That’s more than just talent, that’s a commitment to your own representation and recently I saw the incredible Farrah Ozuuna Wilson, perform a masterclass in giving your all.
It was this.
Now it is pretty obvious Farrah Ozuuna Wilson is – among other things – a professional dancer, but my god, I must have watched this clip of her a hundred times.
I love it.
I love the moment she ‘switches’ from casual to fully committed.
She’s all in, take-no-prisoners, fierce as absolute fuck.
It’s beautiful, frightening, inspiring and exhausting all at the same time.
And yet you come away from it in awe …
Not just at her obvious talent, nor to the obvious hours, months and years she has put into being brilliant at her art … but to her dedication to ensuring when she performs, she will leave nothing to be second guessed or misinterpreted.
You may not like it.
You may not understand it.
But you sure-as-shit are going to know everything she did was her choice and decision.
And yet, you are in absolute no doubt she is enjoying herself.
Both in terms of the control she has over her entire body and the power she can create, generate and express with every part of it.
This is an athlete performing at the peak of their powers.
Unstoppable.
Unquestionable.
Playing to win, never to just get by.
Michael Jordan was the same.
A relentless desire to be great at all costs.
Never phoning it in. Never accepting good enough. Never just being interested.
And while that didn’t guarantee he’d always win, it did guarantee he was always committed to the core. And demanded that of those who were around him – because as amazing as he was, he still knew he needed them to raise their game to stand a chance of getting the result his standards and ambition needed.
And that’s why I love how Farrah dances, because we are witnessing seeing someone who respects their art and themselves enough to always go all in on all they do.
So if a bald, white, 54 year old – who has no dancing talent or experience – can see it, you can be sure people can tell the difference between a brand who means what they say or is spouting ‘purpose bollocks’ in the mistaken belief people can’t tell the difference or worse, their marketing team don’t know the difference.
The reality is truth is more than just what you say.
It’s also more than just what you do … even if it is following the rules someone else has said needs to be adhered to.
It is – as in most things in life – always about how you do it and that is never impacted by place, time or occasion.
There’s a lot we can learn from Farrah, and it’s transcends her incredible ability in dance.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, China, Chinese Culture, Creativity, Culture, Devious Strategy, Effectiveness, Imagination, Innovation, Perspective, Planning
I’ve written about something I call ‘devious strategy’ for a long time.
In essence, it’s the art of giving people what they want but in a way where they give you exactly what you need from them.
While I’ve covered a bunch of examples in the past – from how Daniel Radcliffe stopped the paparazzi photographing him each night after his theatre performance through to how singer Grace Slick, got Chick-fil-A to pay the LGBTQ+ community to lobby against themselves – the reality is the ultimate Champions of this strategic approach are without doubt, the Chinese Government.
Their ingenuity knows no bounds.
Sure, some of the reasons for this is not great … but let’s be honest, how they ensure people ask for receipts in restaurants so they can ensure they can get the correct amount of tax due to them, is sheer genius.
But I recently learned of a variant of this approach that is less about ‘achieving a favorable solution’ and more about ‘making the problem more difficult for people to ignore’ … and funnily enough, it also comes from the evil genius brains of government.
This time, from local government in Glasgow, Scotland.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls … allow me to introduce you to Leverage Pettiness Strategy™, and before anyone tells me that’s bullshit, just remember our industry once gave an ‘effectiveness’ award to a supermarket chain for sales growth DURING COVID.
By that reckoning, changing the name of a road should win a Nobel Peace Prize.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Brands, Context, Corporate Evil, Creativity, Culture, Cunning, Customer Service, Devious Strategy, Effectiveness, EvilGenius, Experience, Management, Northern, Perspective, Planners, Planning, Provocative, Relationships, Relevance, Reputation, Resonance, Standards, Strategy, Stubborness, Wieden+Kennedy
Maybe it’s because I’m British …
Maybe it’s because I’m naïve …
Or maybe it’s because I’m privileged …
But I’ve always been pretty shit when it comes to ‘negotiating’.
That changed quite dramatically when Metallica’s management taught me both ‘the value of value’ and how procurement is a game … but even now, there are situations where I feel weird to push back.
Ironically, the thing that snaps me out of it is not confidence, but disgust.
Recently a company sent me a bill that was 49% more than the previous year.
My situation hadn’t changed.
I was a long-term customer of theirs.
I had not used their services any differently than any time before.
And yet they sent me the invoice without explanation or consideration.
And I was pissed. Properly fucked off.
And while I could have just walked away, I wanted to play them at their own game.
I should point out my goal was not to get a price reduction; it was more so I didn’t feel a mug just blindly accepting their shit.
I wanted to feel I’d pushed back …
That I wasn’t a pushover …
And while I suspected they wouldn’t care – or maybe even notice – what I was doing, it was important for me that I did it.
Short story is I rang them up and ‘had a chat’ before ending up with all the price increase being removed.
Every last penny.
And while you may think that means ‘I’d won’, the thing is my definition of ‘winning’ had changed … which is why once I got the reduction, I informed the company I wouldn’t be working with them anymore and why.
Petty?
Sure.
Pathetic?
Possibly.
Pointless?
Maybe.
Unprecedented by me?
Errrrm, no.
But as my old Wieden boss – the great Jason White – once told some people, I’d asked him to meet,
“Be true. Be transparent. Believe they want to do the right thing with the right intentions. But if you suspect they think they’re hustling you … make sure you’re hustling them right back”.
Which is why, if you want to know the real art of ‘strategy’ – both in terms of effectiveness and creativity – don’t follow the methodologies or tools flogged by the never-ending list of Linkedin Pundits, study cats or petty bastards.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Ambition, Aspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Audacious, Brand, Brand Suicide, Brilliant Marketing Ideas In History, Cannes, Collaboration, Comment, Confidence, Context, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Devious Strategy, Differentiation, Distinction, Emotion, Fast Food, Food, IMU, Innovation, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Packaging, Paula, Planners, Provocative, Qantas, Relationships, Relevance, Reputation, Resonance, Smell
Over the years, I’ve written a lot about collabs.
The good.
The bad.
The ridiculous.
But recently there has been one that has somehow achieved all three. AT ONCE.
That’s right, the glorious, overpowering flavor of Pickled Onion Monster Munch and Heinz mayo.
It’s the combination no one asked for … no one expected and no one imagined could work.
And it doesn’t, and yet it does.
It’s possible the unhealthiest and most unpleasant thing you could ever put in your mouth and yet – if you’re like me – and love Monster Munch, it’s something you could not possibly resist from trying.
Hell, when we moved to London back in 2018, it was literally the first ‘British’ food item I got Otis to try – literally the morning after we arrived – and the fact he liked them [at least he did, then] made me burst with so much pride, I could overlook his development of an American accent. Just. Check it out below..
But here’s the thing, similar to when the Absolut Disco Ball packaging made me buy alcohol, despite having not drunk anything since I was FIFTEEN YEARS OLD, this collab made me go to absolute lengths to get it into my hands.
You see you couldn’t buy it in NZ so I had to adopt different means.
I wrote to Heinz.
I joined their ‘fan club/DTC’ service.
I explored supermarkets in both America and Australia.
I contacted courier services about getting it and delivering it to me.
In the end, a plea on social media was answered by the incredible thoughtful Jestyn on Twitter/X … who not only got it for me, but sent it to me as well.
And while I would not get it again … the fact is I was not only more excited about it than 99% of brands out there, but I went to greater lengths to get my hands on it than I would for 99% of brands despite the fact I knew it was overtly bad for you and I’m Mr Healthy these days so I was perfectly aware that I’d only ever taste it once.
While there are many possible lessons we could learn from the creation of this, albeit, novelty product – be if fandom, communities or unexpected relevance – the real lesson is to follow, and then protect, the excitement.
The stuff that captures the imagination.
The stuff that changes the conversation.
The stuff that keeps people on their toes.
The stuff everyone keeps referring back to, even when logic tells them not to.
Because as Paula, Martin and I explained at our Strategy Is Constipated, Imagination Is The Laxative talk at Cannes back in 2023 … the greatest strategy doesn’t start from a place of logic, it finds the point of most excitement and works back from there.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Audacious, Authenticity, Comment, Cynic, Devious Strategy, Differentiation, Distinction, Planning, Point Of View, Process, Relevance, Reputation, Resonance, Respect, Strategy
I’m back.
And – as usual – I found my heart in China.
I love that place so much. Literally love it.
It is arguably the only place in the World – and certainly the only place I’ve lived – where I feel I am able to breathe.
Obviously I mean that metaphorically [though they’ve sorted out the air, big time]… but the energy, the craziness, the extremes and the constant change bizarrely makes me feel calm, settled and at peace.
I don’t understand why – I get that’s bonkers – but it does and always has, and while I won’t ever live there again, I will find any excuse under the sun to keep going back.
For me, it’s more than a place I once had the honour and privilege of living … it feels ‘home’.
That does not mean I do like – or am not grateful – for all the other countries I’ve had the incredible opportunity to live in, but there’s something about China that I connected to on a level that is incomparable to anywhere else I’ve been. And while it is getting a bit too smooth, slick and convenient for my liking [haha] the people keep it real.
Amazing. Interesting. Dramatic. Smart-as-fuck.
I met some incredible people on this trip.
Not just old mates [who I kept bumping into on the street, which is something I’ve never done in Auckland, despite being a fraction of the population size and geography – haha] but some brilliant new people who I hope will become long-term new mates. And nothing sums this up more than the fact I was out all night.
ALL NIGHT.
TWICE!!! [Admittedly once was so I could listen to Forest play in Europe with the worst manager since Megson, Ange]
Jesus Christ, I’m 55 … I should be in bed with a Hot Chocolate by 8pm shouldn’t I?
But that’s the effect China has on me. I absofuckinglutely adore every single bit of it.
No doubt that statement will have my NZ/Australia/Singapore/HK residencies revoked, so we better move on … haha.
Not that long ago I wrote about a campaign we’ve just done for Delivereasy that reminds me of my beloved Viz ‘adult’ comic.
Well recently I got sent 2 photos of real-life businesses that seem to have adopted a similar approach …
First the most genuine ‘health and fitness’ ad in the history of health and fitness ads:
Quickly followed up by this masterpiece by a global – yet local – painter and decorator:
I love them.
Their magical and memorable.
Arguably more magical and memorable that many campaigns that have had millions and months of time spent on them.
Way back in 2007, I wrote about the power of ‘unplanned thinking‘.
Unplanned is when you go directly at the truth of a product – or audience perception – rather than play into the marketing hype machine. The point was that so many brands had stuck their head so far up their own pretentiousness arses, that rather than create aspiration with audiences, they were creating revulsion.
Unplanned killed that.
More than that, it killed it in a way that was refreshing, invigorating, distinctive and differentiated which – as a byproduct – meant it became more aspirational than an ad claiming a can of sugary fruit juice was in fact, a statement of discernment in a world of choice. Or some other bollocks.
And while I accept the examples above are one-offs, both are delivered in a way where I not just see the truth in them, I see the human in them as well – and as I’ve written a million times – the idea of interacting with real humans is far more interesting and enticing to me than engaging with yet another corporate monotone of a contrived mission statement.