Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, China, Comment, Creativity, Culture, DLin, Emotion, Empathy, Experience, Fulfillment, Love, Loyalty, Planners, Planning, Rodi, Wieden+Kennedy
Living overseas is something people often say they want to do, but don’t.
I get it, it’s a big thing, and for some people – they have obligations and responsibilities that mean there is no chance of being to embark on an adventure, even if they were able to.
But there’s others who are in a totally different situation.
Where there is nothing really holding them back but don’t because they spend their time focusing on what they’ll leave behind rather than also appreciating what they’ll gain.
One of the things you get from taking the leap – beyond the incredible experiences, lessons, values, creativity and madness – is friends.
And that’s why a few weeks ago an English/Italian, Russian/Australian and Taiwanese/American – who all met and worked together at Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai but now all live in different countries – were able to meet in London for a steak, a laugh and a glorious bitch session.
This would literally not have been able to happen if we all had individually chosen to stay in our home countries rather than embrace the unknown and the uncertainty … but we did and a lifelong friendship were formed.
I say lifelong, but as they are both now bigwigs of strategy at Apple, I bought them each one of these special edition ‘Apple Watches’ …
… so there’s a good chance I may never see or hear from either of them again.
Which is why if this story isn’t the best ad for planners to go and experience and explore working in other countries, then I literally don’t know what is.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand, Business, Communication Strategy, Confidence, Creativity, Culture, Cunning, Differentiation, Emotion, Empathy, Experience, Honesty, Insight, Management, Marketing, Planners, Planning, Point Of View, Positioning, Relationships, Relevance, Resonance, Service
When I was in Sydney at Christmas, I fell ill.
I know you may feel that is karma, but it was pretty shitty.
So after going to the doctors, I went to the local chemist and it is there I saw this …
Proud To Be Cheap.
Words you don’t hear very often.
Either because everyone is trying to come across as ‘aspirational and premium’ or they’re repositioning price to mean ‘smart and discerning’.
And yet, not only did those 4 words stand out from everything else, they made me smile.
It owned its truth.
It said exactly what it was.
It was, quite literally, proud to be cheap.
There is something incredibly refreshing about that.
But more than that, there is something incredibly valuable about that.
Not just because – as I mentioned earlier – it stands out.
Nor is it because it allows them to minimize their investment in store experience.
[Though, the service I got was brilliant, and not just because I was expecting shite]
And not even because by saying it, they rob the competition from trying to diss them for it.
The reason I think it’s valuable is because it immediately feels more inclusive and approachable than so many of the ego brands out there and so attracts a certain sort of customer rather than trying to constantly chase or seduce them.
It’s a bit like Dolly Parton [yes, I’m going there].
She is very self depreciating …
When she said, “It takes a lot of money to be this cheap”, she was proudly owning who she was and accepting her tastes were not what society likes.
OK, so she was talking about her cheapens from the sense she has a lot of money whereas this chemist is talking about themselves from the perspective they don’t cost a lot of money … but owning their truth has immediately separated themselves from the sea of competition.
Years ago I wrote about an approach to strategy that I had which I called unplanning.
I’ve talked about this a lot – from James Blunt to Eminem – but really this about authenticity.
Knowing who you are.
Being true to who you are.
Living by the values that shaped who you are.
And accepting that in a World where brands are often shaped more by what the competition force you to do than what you want to do, by being yourself you will be different.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Authenticity, Communication Strategy, Confidence, Content, Context, Creative Brief, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Empathy, Entertainment, Imagination, Innocence, Innovation, Management, Marketing, Perspective, Planners, Planning, Relevance, Resonance
I saw this quote by David Thoreau recently …
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
I have to say I love it because in some ways, it’s the best definition of creativity – and, to a certain extent, strategy – I’ve seen in ages.
Of course our job is to help clients achieve their goals.
Help them succeed in ways that are better than they imagined.
But too much of what we are doing is solving problems laterally rather than literally.
Or worse, simply executing what the client wants.
For me, the best creativity makes people think, feel, question … and to do that, you need people who see the World differently so that they can see what everyone else is just looking at.
Revealing possibility rather than reproducing what everyone already knows.
And doesn’t care about.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Authenticity, Chaos, Comment, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Empathy, Innovation
Well I’m back.
The good news is it’s already the last day of the first full week back at work.
How good is that?
Well it’s probably too good, so let’s end it on a low.
I mean high.
I mean … oh who cares …
One of the things I’ve loved about British comedy is their ability to be utterly poignant.
I’ve written about this before but recently I was reminded of a scene in the last season of Blackadder that really got to me.
It’s from Blackadder Goes Forth … the series about WW1 … and it’s the final scene of the final show, as they are about to climb over the safety of their bunker to face certain death.
It’s not exactly the sort of scene you would expect in a comedy, and it’s not played for laughs, instead it captures the honor and bravery of the men and women who gave their lives for others wellbeing.
But as the scene ends, it crossfades to something else … something that both captures the tragedy of war, the futility of war and the sadness of war. It’s quite an amazing scene – especially given it’s quiet simplicity – and yet it works, which is even more remarkable given it was never in the script.
Originally the final scene was going to show the cast being gunned down and end – as previous seasons had – with their deaths, but a combination of factors meant the footage they took was so bad that it was almost unusable.
Without much time before the show had to be aired, they came up with an idea that didn’t require a rewrite or even new footage and yet it became one of the most famous and powerful conclusions to any show in British history.
As I have said before, sometimes the most powerful moments of creativity are born from adversity but when you know what you want to communicate, the reward can be something quite magical. Different … but maybe even more magical.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Authenticity, Brilliant Marketing Ideas In History, Comment, Confidence, Craft, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Cunning, Emotion, Empathy, EvilGenius, Experience, Fulfillment, Honesty, Imagination, Marcus, Talent
For all the shit I get on this blog, it has served me well.
I’ve learned things.
I’ve been put right on things.
I’ve learned my view on things can drastically change over the years.
But one thing I treasure most of all – even more than the daily abuse I cop – is how this blog has brought new people into my life.
One of those is Marcus Brown.
I’ve known Marcus for over 10 years.
It all started when he stupidly wrote a comment on this blog.
And while I’ve only ever met him once – last year – we have talked a lot via email and video.
I think he would agree that we have both experienced some personal highs and lows over the years we have known each other – because life works like that – but through it all Marcus has kept me entertained and on my toes with his infectious, brilliant, madness.
I don’t mean that in a mean way.
In fact, it’s the highest compliment I can give.
Hell, I can’t think of many people who could inspire me to make a crowd of ad students say hello to Sacrum, a character he created or contribute to iPod singing … another idea he brought to life.
Marcus is one of those people, everyone roots for.
He’s creative, dynamic, full of character and compassion … which is why I was so consistently disappointed an industry that talks about valuing creativity consistently overlooked or devalued his talent.
Without going into too much detail, I know this affected Marcus as well.
He had so much he had to offer … so much he wanted to do … but time and time again, his creativity was challenged or questioned. Not from the perspective of wanting to understand things more clearly, but from devaluing what he had to offer.
Which is why the last few years have been so rewarding.
For him … and for me, watching him.
Because Marcus has found his voice … his purpose … his calling.
He proudly calls himself a Performance Artist … because that’s what he is.
Don’t take my word for it, even Forbes – the business magazine – says so.
But not all is quite as it seems.
You see while Marcus is indeed a Performance Artist, he’s also an author.
You see he has written a book called ‘A Wicked Pack of Cards’.
And it’s brilliant.
I’m not saying this because I’m kinda in it [He stupidly asked me to write a review, which is the pic at the top of this post] but because it makes you think, imagine, feel and question.
It’s one of those books that you think about well after you’ve finished it …
I loved it and I fully encourage people to experience it for themselves.
You can buy it here.
Which brings me back to this blog …
You see, by continuously writing my rubbish, I’ve been able to meet and follow people I would otherwise never have known.
In Marcus’ case, I’ve been able to see how life has changed for a talented, kind, generous man. Where once his life was full of challenges, now it is bursting with happiness … from the love of his life to the time of his life … and I can think of few people who deserve it more.
Watching him create, invent, stretch his boundaries and being prolific in his expression is both inspiring and exciting which is why I can’t wait to see what his mind gets up to next.