Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Communication Strategy, Cunning, EvilGenius
So over the past few years, my good friend – Jacob – has been sending me a set of notebooks he’s made that he scarily calls, ‘The Campbell Collection’.
While they are meant – I assume – to scare people away, they have actually had the opposite effect and encouraged people to start a conversation with me.
What’s even more interesting is that while they probably [as much as I hate to admit it] do reflect how I feel about certain people or meetings, they have allowed me to talk about my ‘issues’ with people in a way that is not combative … almost constructive.
Which all goes to show people are weird and Jacob has failed in his twisted way to honour me.
[For honour, read: ridicule]
Apparently you can now buy them on Amazon, so get your own piece of the Campbell Collection, safe in the knowledge you are taking the piss out of me and not one cent of the cost goes to me. Damnit.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, EvilGenius, Metallica
As you know, I have a side gig where I basically get paid to be shouted at by members of a famous heavy metal band.
Well, strictly speaking, it’s one member … along with their management team, Q-Prime.
In all seriousness, they have been nothing but supportive, even when they absolutely detest what I’ve done for them but recently I received a text that may just be the best text I’ll ever get.
Even better than the one I got from Richard Summers at Wieden, who I had sent to visit China’s 6 fastest growing cities, who messaged me to say it was so cold, he had to steal toilet paper from the youth hostels – I had insisted he stay at – to keep himself warm.
Here it is.
Just helping you to keep it real boys.
Ahem.
Happy leap year weekend everyone … to make it sweeter, know there’s no blog posts until Wednesday as I have to nip off to the US.
America’s loss is your gain.
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.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Confidence, Creativity, Culture, Cunning, Devious Strategy, EvilGenius, Love, Management, Perspective, Professionalism, Resonance
Redundancy is horrible.
It happens but that doesn’t stop it being horrible.
You feel discarded, worthless, devalued.
Even if you know it is absolutely none of those things and you’re just a victim of circumstance you can’t escape the feeling you have been singled out.
It’s even worse when companies approach it as “business, not personal”.
I appreciate that there are countless legalities that you have to jump through but while it might be business for the company, it is always personal for the individual being let go.
That doesn’t mean you want to receive any sense of contrived compassion but you do want to feel respected as an individual.
I remember being let go once and then told that because they knew my visa would mean I’d have to leave the country in 28 days – they would happily delay telling the authorities for a month [to allow me more time to find a new job] but – and it’s quite a big but – if I sacrificed the residency payment I was legally obliged to have been given.
Pricks!
[Though it gave me the resolve to start cynic so it wasn’t all bad – but absolutely no thanks to them]
Anyway, the reason I am writing all this is because I read a story of someone in NZ who was being made redundant who dealt with the situation in a unique way.
Not only did they ensure they owned the situation but they also ensured it was the company letting them go who felt the awkward ones.
It all started when the individual was told they were being let go and informed they could bring someone to the meeting for support.
Who did they bring?
A partner?
A parent?
A colleague?
A lawyer?
Nope … a clown.
A bloody clown.
You can read the story of my newfound hero here … even though when I first heard the story I thought it was the agency who brought in the clown to try and make the mood lighter.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Cunning, Devious Strategy, EvilGenius, Innovation, Marketing Fail, Purpose, Toilet
It’s Friday 13th, so what better day to write about the scary subject of ‘brand purpose’.
OK, so unlike Mr Weigel, I believe brand purpose does have a real value.
That said, like Martin, I don’t believe purpose can be manufactured – or changed on a whim – and I certainly don’t believe it can do what governments can’t.
A while back I wrote a post about where purpose is going mad and used an umbrella shop as an example of when it all goes to shit.
Well, talking of shit, I recently was in Denmark.
When I was at the airport, I needed the loo – so in I went and then saw this …
Look at that …
No, not the loo, but the purpose.
Together We Change.
TOGETHER WE BLOODY CHANGE!?
Change what?
I think it has something to do with saving water but … what the fuck?
It’s a urinal.
A public urinal.
Why are they trying to sound like they’re making an Oscar speech.
Let’s not forget, this is a device that has been made to catch wee-wee [don’t say this blog isn’t kid friendly] … it’s an important device but not one worthy of a purpose like that.
And what’s the ‘Together’ part of that statement?
Are they organising men to have a filter placed in their penises [don’t say this blog doesn’t use correct biological terms] to ensure the water they emit is cleaned at source?
All this was going through my mind until I looked around the bathroom I was standing in and saw the state of the floor.
Piss. Everywhere.
EVERYWHERE.
Which immediately made me realise I’d been too harsh on the toilet company and their grandiose purpose because what I think they meant when they said ‘Together we change’ was …
“Hey men, stop pissing on the floor”
… though they would have more luck if they used the genius fly on the urinal trick, rather than another pointless purpose that people laugh at rather than are inspired by.
Purpose has a place in brands.
Purpose can be very powerful for brands.
But the moment you think it can be anything you want it to be and you act like it’s not for commercially beneficial reasons, then the only people you’re kidding is yourself.