Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, America, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Confidence, Context, Craft, Creativity, Culture, Environment, Perspective, Prejudice, Resonance, Social Divide
Television gets a bad wrap these days.
Out of date.
Out of touch.
No longer good.
But the reality is, we’re kind-of in a golden age of television.
There’s an immense amount of shows out there that are amazing … from documentaries like Netflix’s Schumacher to series like Succession through to mainstream TV channel shows like 24 Hours In Police Custody … even though the first time I watched the show, it was about a drug cartel who had been operating in the village we had just moved to in England.
What made it more amusing is that one of the criminals was called Robert, another was called Campbell and they drove a blue Audi … so when Rob Campbell – ie: me – arrived in Hundson with his family in a Blue Audi, the neighbours looked at me suspiciously.
Or should I say ‘more suspiciously’ than normal.
Now of course there have been a bunch of amazing shows over the years … amazing for their writing, acting and craft. Some went under the radar like Glenn Close’s Damages … some had instant critical acclaim, like The West Wing, The Newsroom and Mad Men.
But some … well, there’s a few that gain instant cult following but over time, get more and more recognised for what they did and how they did it.
The show, The Wire is one of those.
First broadcast in 2002, it’s a show that started small and then just grew in terms of the stories, context and issues it swallowed into its storylines.
It never felt fake, even if you came from a place that was a million lifetimes away from Baltimore, where the stories were based. There’s many reasons for it.
The writing is amazing.
The casting is perfect.
The acting is simply superb.
The craft and attention to detail is insane.
And they wholeheartedly embrace the ugly, inconvenient truths about racism, wealth and systemic racism that most shows – even today – do all they can to ignore or dilute.
And then there’s one more thing.
It has no musical score.
None.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have music. It does. But it is an integral part of what is going on at that moment in that scene rather than some incidental, indirect orchestration designed to inform the viewer how they should feel.
Similar to the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan – all you hear is what you would hear if you were actually in the place they are.
Nothing fake.
Nothing contrived.
All 100% raw and real.
What this does is create a very different experience watching the show.
There’s this conflict between feeling more directly into what you’re seeing while also giving you a sense of uncomfortableness. A nervous edge.
Things are not wrapped up in tidy bows.
Episodes don’t follow classic Hollywood tropes.
Details that can appear to mean nothing suddenly reveal their relevance weeks later.
And it’s for this reason I love the way Charlie Brooker – writer of Black Mirror and ex-TV reviewer for the Guardian – talks about the show in terms of ‘rewarding your attention’. It’s such a perfect articulation.
The Wire demanded you paid attention.
Demanded it.
Not in an academic explanation sort of way, but in terms of committing to it.
Watching everything going on.
Not just in the foreground, but the details all around the environment.
The streets.
The language being used.
The slight nods and movement.
The music being played by others.
The characters in the background..
Details someone from those streets needs to know to survive those streets …which is why viewers who paid real attention, were rewarded with something much bigger than what was just said on the screen.
It was a show that left you feeling you have gone through something.
Not watched, but truly experienced.
Experiences that stick with you. Change you. Question, consider, work-out, hypothosise and – to some degree – feel scared and pressured by.
While there is a lot of shit on the screen these days, TV isn’t dead.
In fact, in some ways, it’s never been more alive.
It’s just the best shows don’t want to give it to you on a plate, it challenges you to see if you’re worthy of watching it … of getting it.
And in our spoon-fed, superficial world, thank fuck for that.
In other news …
It’s a national holiday here on Monday so there’ll be no post on that day. Not because I like you, but because you’re not worth the effort to write one. Hahaha. Have a great weekend.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Chris Jaques, Comment, Confidence, Context, Creativity, Culture, Diversity, Education, Effectiveness, Emotion, Empathy, Environment, Experience, Fulfillment, Insight, Legend, Loyalty, Management, Perspective, Planning, Point Of View, Relevance, Resonance, Respect, Standards, Teamwork, Wieden+Kennedy
A while back I wrote about how some companies offer incentives and bonuses to their staff to try and boost morale when the reality is all the employees actually want is the company to act in ways they can be proud of and believe in.
Values.
Standards.
Behaviours.
Ambitions.
The most depressing part of this is that in many cases, the companies know this but just think it’s easier to try and ‘buy staff off’, than to change how they act.
But if you think that’s bad, there’s some who are even worse.
The ones who believe their staff will be inspired and impressed by any gesture the companies shows towards them … even if it is an act that shows how little they really think of them.
Acts like this …
Or this …
Seriously, what on earth were they thinking???
Even if they were giving away a bunch of bananas rather than a single one, it would still be bad … but a postage paid envelope, that reiterates this is a ONE TIME act of generosity.
Either the people behind these ‘gifts’ are evil or utterly delusional … which is why the best leaders I’ve ever worked for have been the ones who are transparent and honest, whether for good news or bad.
There’s something really reassuring of knowing where you stand. Where there is constant dialogue with where you’re at and where things are. That even in bad times, you know what is going on, what needs to change and some suggestions how to do it … because the person telling you genuinely wants you to succeed. Not simply to make their life easier, but to help make yours bigger.
While there are a lot of benefits to management, it can’t be denied it’s a tough gig.
You’re dealing with a bunch of moving parts all at the same time.
Egos.
Colleagues.
Team development.
Individual growth.
Client satisfaction.
New business requirements.
Company reputation and profit.
And then your own, personal satisfaction and growth.
In some ways, each of these moving parts can act as a barrier to the other being successful … and that’s when a manager can get into real trouble, because pressure means they can end up choosing what ultimately makes their life easier rather than what makes everything better.
Now I am not saying I am a great manager.
While I think I am OK, I definitely have my failings.
However over the years – and with some excellent mentors and role models – I’ve definitely learnt there are some ‘rules’ that I believe can help companies ensure managers create an environment where good things happen can happen, for the work … the clients … the individuals … the team … and the company as a whole.
1. Stop promoting people simply because that’s the only way to give them a pay rise.
This is more than just about managing staff cost ratios – or keeping salary bands in line – it’s the reality that some people are just much better at doing their specific job than managing other people doing their specific jobs. Often they know this, but feel they have to accept the promotion ‘opportunity’ to get the money they want. The great irony of this approach is it ends up costing everyone more in the long term. Because the promoted person ends up stopping doing the work that made them – and the company – stand out and other talented people leave, because they are being badly managed. Until the day the company realises their mistake and lets the person go who didn’t really want the job in the first place, but did it as it was the only way to get fairly valued for their talent and experience.
2. Stop thinking being good at the job means you are naturally good at managing
Being good at a job doesn’t automatically mean you are going to be good at managing others doing it. Not only that, being good at your job doesn’t mean your approach will – or should – translate to how the entire department operates. Sadly, too many companies don’t think this way. Instead they promote without consideration to the ways of the individual or the needs of the department and company. Of course, sometimes the reason for that is because it’s a way to ‘keep’ talent from going to another company or because doing it makes things more ‘convenient’ for the company when someone has resigned. What makes that approach even worse is they then place huge expectations and judgement on people so that when things don’t go exactly as planned, they start adding additional stress and barriers. The reality is you don’t make good managers through a title, you do it by giving them training and time.
3. Every level needs training
It doesn’t have to be formal. It doesn’t have to be academic. But it does have to happen.
Not just in terms of learning the company processes and org charts … but in terms of learning how to actually manage. What to look out for … how to engage … how to encourage and motivate. Not from a book. Not from an online course. But proper training with people who have done it very well rather than people who just hold the title. There are so many great managers who never got to realise that simply because they were thrown in the deep end and then kicked out because they weren’t given the support and time to train for their new position.
However I know the things I’ve suggested won’t be common, because too many companies see personal training as an expense and judge success as getting stuff done, regardless of the cost. Which is why after all the years I’ve had doing it, I still rely on 4 huge lessons I learnt from Dan Wieden and Chris Jaques.
+ When your focus is the work, every decision becomes easier.
+ Brilliant work sorts out almost every problem,.
+ Honesty and transparency is the greatest gift you can give someone.
+ The best way to stop complicity is to create an environment of openness and debate.
Sure, none of these are as easy as giving a banana or even a paid-return envelope … but I guarantee the positive effect will last a hell of a lot longer.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Chaos, Comment, Consultants, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Design, Effectiveness, Environment, Innovation, Marketing, Perspective, Resonance
Creativity is getting a bit of a kicking these days.
Oh, people talk about it.
They wax on about how valuable it is.
But then they dictate a ‘formula’ … something they say ‘optimises’ effectiveness and efficiency … conveniently ignoring they are actually promoting the total opposite of what creativity is and how it works.
Complicity.
Somewhere along the line, we’ve decided the value of creativity is not related to output at all … just input.
Now there is truth to that, creativity definitely starts with the mind, however that never includes an endless list of superfluous and superficial mandatories followed by dictatorial demands regarding terminology, talent and ‘category codes’.
You don’t liberate the power of creativity by weighing it down with factors that – at best – can come much later in the process.
And yet it is happening more and more.
Where success is people knowing your name and your corporate colours.
It doesn’t matter if they like you or feel something about you, it’s all function attribution.
And that blows my mind because creativity is capable of incredible things.
Making people care.
Creating value and intrigue.
Driving change and differentiation.
Literally open up possibilities that make people want you rather than you having to chase them down or brainwash them into submission with millions of dollars of spend.
That all these possible outputs are being dismissed in favour of following a pre-determined process and output blows my mind.
Of course one of the big reasons for this is control.
Creativity asks people to let go of comfort zones.
Asks them to be open to new ways to solve old problems.
Demands them to trust someone who isn’t at all like them.
I get it, that’s scary and hard … and there’s definitely a lot of people and organisations who have been burnt by other people and organisations who claimed to offer ‘creativity’ but weren’t really that creative.
[Though it you’re going to value creativity by price point or complicity rather than the impact it has on your business … what do you expect?]
However while everyone has some form of creativity, there are some who know how to harness its power in ways that can change how millions think or feel or want to live.
Sure that may include your brand becoming synonymous with a colour.
Or a set of words.
But it will be more than that, because they will find a way where people value you for what you have added to their world.
Not simply functionally … but how they see and feel what’s around and possible.
And while there is always a risk it might not end up quite as successful as you hope, it is still better to end up with something that means everything to someone rather than nothing to everyone.
That said, when you see the possibilities of creativity – like this magical mural by Brazilian artist Fabio Gomes – then you may accept people who see the World differently to you can create ideas that are far bigger and more powerful than your World could ever imagine.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Environment, Health, Home, New Zealand
There are many good things about moving countries so much … one of them is the ability to continually keep your house clear of shit.
And given how much shit I have, that means it’s the difference between living in a house you can move around in, or being officially given a ‘harder’ label.
So every time we are moving, we sell/give/dispose of a whole heap of things … stuff that either doesn’t work for us anymore or won’t work with where we’re going. It’s quite cathartic once my wife and I have got past the arguments of what we individually are claiming is ‘not rubbish’.
Anyway, the reason I say this is as we are setting up home in NZ, we needed a table – but, as usual – we decided we wanted something quirky beautiful, so off we went traipsing around and then we discovered this.
Now, I accept being excited about a table is possibly the saddest thing I could ever admit to, but look at it …
A Czechoslovakian, Industrial Laboratory Table from 1976.
NINETEEN SEVENTY SIX!!!
The stories it could tell.
The experiments it’s been involved in.
The people who worked on it.
Though I’m choosing to ignore the dangerous chemicals it has probably had poured on it or churned out. Not to mention the ones still be hidden somewhere in its taps and pipes.
If it was a book, it would be a mystery story where the last pages of each chapter have been ripped out, leaving you to imagine where things go.
And while paying a fuckload of cash for a piece of 45 year old ‘office furniture’ may seem like the most stupid idea ever, when you remember how many robot dog, rabbits and – worse of all – balls I’ve blown perfectly good money on throughout my life, this could be one of the smartest investments I would ever make.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, China, Comment, Confidence, Craft, Creative Brief, Creative Development, Creativity, Distinction, Emotion, Empathy, Entertainment, Environment, Experience, Fulfillment, Happiness, Honesty, Imagination, Innovation, Insight, Legend, Marketing, Technology
I’ve written a lot about experience in the past.
How important it is.
How it can drive brand value and growth.
How it can create distinction and differentiation in crowded categories.
I’ve also talked about how badly so much of it is done.
That it’s more about consistency than excellence.
That it isn’t a new approach, just a new profit centre.
That many aspire to everything average than some things spectacular.
It blows my mind what some agencies and companies think is ‘an experience’.
Especially when you compare it to people who genuinely ‘get it’.
Whether it’s certain luxury brands or my client, SKP-S in Beijing.
Which is why I love the picture at the top of this page.
At the time, the person on the runway was 62 years old.
SIXTY TWO.
This was taken on the first of 3 nights of performing to 68,000 paying people.
So over 200,000 in total.
In South America.
Think about that for a second.
OK, so the person in question is Brian Johnson … lead singer of rock band AC/DC.
But let’s also remember we’re talking about a group of pensioners.
Literally.
Yes, I appreciate there are all-sorts of factors/considerations/contexts/excuses you could use to explain why they can achieve that sort of response when brands – with all their experience models and big budgets – can’t.
But the one thing AC/DC understand is if you want to keep people coming back, you need to focus on creating a seminal moment for your audience not average consistency.
It’s why I always ask ‘experience strategists’ about their life rather than just their work. I want to know what their frame of references are for experience. Because frankly – and I appreciate I’m being a massive snob here – if it doesn’t include festivals, theatre, art, music, retail, museums … then I don’t know if we’re ever going to share the same ambitions.
Because while I appreciate ‘average but consistent’ has value to some organisations, I would rather drink bleach than advocate that as a brand goal.
Not simply because I have an aversion to average.
But because when you do experience right – which means knowing who you are and who your customers are – the profits extrapolate. See, I’m not totally selfish.