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: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Brand Suicide, Colenso, Colleagues, Context, Culture, Dad, Distinction, Dysgraphia, Effectiveness, Emotion, Empathy, Equality, Fatherhood, Football, Jill, Leadership, London, Loyalty, Management, Marketing, My Fatherhood, Nottingham Forest, Otis, Parents, Perspective, Police, Relevance, Resonance, Respect
I hope I’m a decent leader.
While I know there will be some people I’ve worked with, who definitely won’t hold that view … I hope the majority do.
Because – believe it or not – I try hard to be.
Sure, I make some mistakes.
And I can definitely be a pain in the ass.
But I am committed and invested in being the best boss I can be.
I consider myself fortunate because over the years, I’ve had incredible ‘teachers’.
From my parents to mentors to some old bosses … and of course, a few who were so shite, they taught me what not to do, haha.
And while there are many things I believe, adopt and hold dear, one of the most important is: always back your team in public and resolve disputes in private.
It sounds obvious … and it is … but it’s not always followed.
I’ve heard some shocking examples on Corporate Gaslighting … stuff that doesn’t just sound vicious, but the act of megalomaniacs.
But in terms of backing the team, there were few better than football manager legends, Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Yes, I accept they may have had some usual ways of doing this – and demonstrating this – but players knew that unless something exceptionally terrible had happened, their managers would always back them should they face public or managerial scrutiny.
Of course, there was a cost for this …
A cost that was simple but exhaustive.
And it was that the gift of being backed was reciprocated with dedication, focus and effort.
And that – to me – is key.
It’s OK to make mistakes.
It’s alright to sometimes mess things up.
But it can’t be because you were lazy or distracted.
I’ve said it many times, but I believe my job is to ensure that when someone in my team leaves, as they all will at some point, they go because they have a better job than they ever could have imagined.
Chosen for who they are, not just what they do.
Known for what they’ve created, not how well they’re known.
Chased for what they’ve changed, not what they maintained.
OK, there are some exceptions to that – mainly personal reasons, like love or a chance to chase something they’ve always wanted – but I believe I have a responsibility to them to help develop their natural talent, find and release their distinct strategic voice and move things out the way so they can create the most interesting shit of their lives.
It’s why my absolute worst scenario is someone leaving for a sideways move.
Oh my god, I would honestly feel I’d failed them.
And that’s why I place so much importance in backing them and showing my belief in them.
That doesn’t mean it’s blind faith.
We have very honest conversations a lot.
From gentle chats to bi-annual check-in/reviews … but they’re in private and focused on being through the lens of me wanting them to win.
Whether I achieve this is something only they can say. I hope most would agree with it [even those when we’ve parted ways] but if not, then I can assure them I’m working harder to be better.
The reason I say all this is because I saw something recently that I thought was a perfect example of backing the team.
It’s from the British Police.
Now they are getting a lot of stick at the moment. A lot totally deserved.
But this time it’s not them trying to justify an indefensible act … it’s something that resonated with me, because of Otis’ dysgraphia.
It was this.
The British Police – or maybe it’s all Police these days – have a bad reputation.
It’s manifested in mistrust and a lack of people wanting to sign up.
And while I fully appreciate they have a tough job and want to get better [as we saw with West Midland’s Police hiring my mate, Kay, to be their ‘artist in residence’ to better understand and connect to youth culture] … it’s acts like this that are more likely to help the public see the human side of the force as well as the compassionate side.
Anyone who runs a team knows it can be a painful job.
Some days it can feel more like being a cat-litter tray.
But when they know you’ll back them, they’ll back you with their talent, focus and commitment.
Well done Carlisle Police … we need more backing of people with neuro-diversity. Because the more we back those who are different, the more they will show the difference they can make.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Awards, China, Creativity, Culture, Equality
This is an open letter to Little Black Book, The Drum, Campaign Brief, Campaign, Adweek, Cannes, Warc … basically every industry publication or award show around the world.
Please …
Pretty please …
… can you stop awarding English speaking agencies – especially those only with offices in English speaking nations, only producing work in English – titles like ‘Best APAC agency’.
I get they may have won more awards than any other agency in the region.
I get they may have topped more categories than any other agency in the region.
I get they may have been recognised more than any other agency in the region.
BUT at best, they’re the best ENGLISH SPEAKING agency in APAC.
That clarification is important …
Because apart from it being factually correct, it stops devaluing and demeaning the companies, agencies and people who don’t speak English as their native language.
Which in terms of the APAC region, is the vast majority.
Years ago, an agency who had been named APAC Agency of the Year, put something out that said something like:
“If you’re a company in Japan who are ambitious, then the APAC Agency of the Year would love to help you fulfil your goals”.
Now I get recognition is important.
I also get being named APAC Agency of the Year is utterly epic.
But … but …
Hell, it wasn’t even written in Japanese … which suggests they didn’t think it mattered if you don’t speak the language, don’t know the culture, don’t have an office in that country, don’t have any Japanese employees, don’t work in Japanese … you can teach them a thing or two about great work.
I mean, can you get more Colonialist than that???
Hell, even if they meant it in terms of expanding outside of Japan – rather than inside the country – it’s still pretty arrogant.
That said, I used to see this shit all the time when I was in China.
I still remember an exec from a UK-only based agency telling a room full of Chinese business leaders “we can help them be successful”, despite that being the very first time they had been in China … or the social media ‘guru’ who told people at Unilever China why Twitter was so powerful, not realising Twitter was banned in China.
It would be hilarious if it wasn’t tragic.
I should point out Colenso has been crowned ‘best APAC agency’ in its time … and while that before I was here, I still find it wrong and would openly say it was.
Sure, they didn’t suggest they were going to colonise the whole region with their approach to creativity, but they also didn’t say they weren’t … which still suggests some sort of superiority, intentional or not.
Look, I get the titles are a byproduct of how the awards are calculated … and I get it also reflects who enters and how many times … but given the vast majority of the judges are English natives – with Western frames-of-reference – it immediately benefits those who come from similar backgrounds.
This is not a new issue for me.
I said it when I got Chaz from BBH to do a co/presentation with me/Wieden in 2012 … I said in back in 2013, when I was invited to speak at Mumbrella about Asian creativity and I said it every time I was spoke at an Asian awards where the lead language was – bizarrely – English.
Asian creativity has a terrible reputation.
I know there’s issues of scam advertising, but that’s not unique to Asia. Remember Peggy?
The reality is the Asian region has used creativity in innovative ways for thousands of years.
For fucks sake, this is where paper, printing, money, gunpowder, wheelbarrows, coffins, chopsticks, toilet paper, holistic health and TikTok originated.
Sure, the creativity produced today may not always follow Western market approaches … and their contexts of life may be very different to other countries … but that doesn’t mean it’s any less worthy, valuable, creative or interesting.
We can all learn from others.
There is so much to gain from hearing how other countries approach things.
Being the best English speaking agency in APAC is still a wonderful achievement.
But there’s enough ego in this industry without us adding to it by handing out titles that have more in common with colonialism than creativity.
Over to you industry award and magazines …
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Apathy, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand Suicide, Business, Corporate Evil, Corporate Gaslighting, Culture, Devious Strategy, Equality, Management, Marketing Fail
A few weeks ago, I saw this Linkedin x Headspace ‘survey’ …
What struck me immediately was the possible choice of answers they gave.
Not one offered any possibility that the ‘scaries’ could be caused by the company you are working for.
None.
No reference to toxic behaviour.
No reference to bad working conditions.
No reference to unrealistic expectations.
And yet, if you visit Corporate Gaslighting, you will see endless stories of people having to deal with just that … and let me tell you, no amount of prep, self-care, going out or unplugging is going to solve that.
Now I know someone is paying Linkedin for this ‘survey’, but in choosing to only offer those options, they – and Headspace – are reinforcing the belief the emphasis of blame – and responsibility – falls with the employee … and frankly, that’s the sort of attitude that causes the ‘scaries’ in the first place.
Now of course Linkedin has form for claiming ‘professional community’ while revealing they’re all about corporate complicity, but if they want to at least continue that claim, it would be great if they ensured they reflected the needs of the audience, not just the person who is paying them the most.
And people wonder why the great resignation happened … even though, as I wrote a while back, that title was chosen by people who show they don’t really understand the conditions they’ve created because ‘the great reset’ or ‘the last hope’ would be far more appropriate.
Linkedin.
Headspace.
You could play an important role in the future of work.
Not just in getting jobs, but setting standards and allowing alternative voices to be heard.
I get money is also important, but you’re better than this … surely?
That said, maybe your actions are the best demonstration of what corporate life is these days.
Chase the money.
Do whatever the highest bidder asks.
Only mingle with like-minded people so no one gets to call either out.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Confidence, Culture, Education, Emotion, Empathy, Equality, Honesty, Leadership, Legend
I hate losing.
Absolutely hate it.
But I also understand there are benefits to it.
Well, if you lost despite giving your all.
Because losing is a lesson.
It forces you to take a long hard look at yourself.
What you did.
What you didn’t.
What you can improve.
What you need to improve.
What you can take forward with you.
And while there’s the famous Vince Lombardi quote:
“Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser”
… I’ve found those who take loss on the chin aren’t necessarily doing it because they don’t care, they’re doing it because they do.
But recently I found incredible quote from Muhammad Ali.
A new way to look at the role of losing … and I love it.
What a way to own loss …
Turning the narrative from despair to character.
Changing judgement into inspiration.
And to do that when you’ve lost the ‘fight of the century’ … incredible.
But then Ali always knew the role and responsibility he held.
He may not have wanted it, but he was not going to close the door on those who needed it.
Needed him.
Needed his direction, inspiration and articulation.
Needed to know there was a chance of a better life than the one others wanted them to have.
Which is why it makes everything even more perfect that he then went on to win that fight.
Twice.
Because honour in losing was just preparation for his honour is victory.
In a World of white, toxic machismo … how we could do with Ali’s majesty right now.