Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Communication Strategy, Context, Creative Development, Creativity, Customer Service, Distinction, Effectiveness, Experience, Management, Marketing, Retail, Virgin Atlantic
Originally, I was going to post a video of a scene from Louis CK’s old TV show.
But then I chose not to.
Not because he was rightfully cancelled for his behaviour – but because the subject matter is too heavy for this early in the week.
But I probably will post it later in the week because it’s a brilliant piece of work.
Not in terms of ‘comedy’, but truth.
Not played for laughs, but for emotional connection … ensuring you feel the pain of what is being said either because it relates to situations you have experienced or actively avoided.
I won’t say any more … both to ensure I don’t ruin the post if I end up doing it plus the fact, I’ve got to actually find it.
Not to mention the fact I am convinced I may have posted about it before but for the life of me, can’t find it … haha.
So instead, have a look at this …
That’s the window of a cake shop near where I live.
As you can see, it was a sunny afternoon – despite being Autumn – so the blind is down.
And that’s where I saw the words, “we’re open, it’s just sunny”.
Those words were printed ON THE BLIND which means a few things.
1. They understand how perception can influence the retail environment.
2. They pay attention to the details across all aspects of their business.
3. They invest in how their business presents itself to their audience.
4. By printing it on the blind – so the writing disappears when it’s up – they are showing that they have an attitude of ‘if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right’.
Now I appreciate it seems like it’s a small thing.
But I noticed it.
While driving in my car.
On a busy road.
On a Sunday.
But I tell you something else. I must have driven past a ton of shops on that road and not one of the others made any impression on me. Certainly not enough for me to photograph it then go in and buy something from it.
And here’s the thing … the reason I noticed it is because frankly, you don’t see much of this these days.
Instead, we’re drowning in functionality efficiency.
Removing anything other than what is deemed ‘achieves the specific and immediate need’.
The optimisation of operational interaction. Or in UX language, ‘the systematic removal of any possible friction point in the purchase process’.
But there’s a problem with that thinking, because that approach makes you literally the same as everyone else.
The blandification of who you are. The commodotisation of what you do.
But GoodFor – the name of the shop – chose not to do that.
They understood that done right, ‘friction is valuable’, which is why they decided to deal with this problem in a way that enhanced the brand reputation and experience for their customers. In essence, rather than removing friction … they made a statement out of it.
What some would deem ‘unnecessary and costly’, they saw as an investment in their individuality and personality.
Now I appreciate it’s a small thing, but many of the biggest impact stuff is small.
Think Virgin Atlantic’s salt and pepper shakers or even the classic Argos pen … stuff most would not give a second thought to, and yet reveal more about what the brand values than $10 million quids worth of TV advertising.
In this world of ‘optimise everything’ marketing, it blows my mind how few companies appreciate the big impact of small gestures … because to a society who is finely attuned to marketing bullshit, nothing tells them who you really are than doing stuff most companies wouldn’t even think about.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Corona Virus, Emotion, Family, Holiday, Home, Hope, Jill, London, Love, Loyalty, Luck, Martin Weigel, Mercedes, Nottingham, Nottingham Forest, Otis, Paul, Paula, Rosie, Shelly, Virgin Atlantic
So I was supposed to be back today, but the gods had other plans.
I got covid.
After avoiding it for 2 years.
After moving to the other side of the planet in the middle of the pandemic.
They decided now was the optimum time to give it to me.
And maybe they were right.
Because this trip has – so far – been filled with nothing but miracles and love.
I got to see the wonderful Martin and Mercedes get married in Portugal, surrounded by old friends who I’d not seen in an age.
Including the brilliant Clare Pickens who I love enormously.
Not to mention Nusara and her husband … who I discovered actually exists.
Now it’s fare to say all weddings are special, but this was magnificent.
There’s many reasons for that – from the people, the venue, the moment – but it was something more than that. As I said on the speech I was asked to give at the last minute, we needed this. All of us. Not just Martin and Mercedes … but every person who was – and continues to be – affected by the devastation of COVID. Which means every person in the World because whether it has been small or big challenges, we’ve all had to deal with them.
And from there, I then got to see my beloved Nottingham Forest pull off the miracle.
From bottom of the league with the worst start in 108 years to playing at Wembley after 30 years and getting promoted to the Premiership after 23 years away.
And to be able to do that with my beloved Paul – who I’d not seen for almost 2 years – by my side, was just even more special.
I don’t mind telling you I cried when I saw him.
When he got out his car and gave me one of his massive hugs hello, I clung on and cried. God I’ve missed him.
Don’t get me wrong, I love NZ, but it is the first place I’ve ever lived that genuinely feels ‘far from everything’ … so with that and all that has gone on in the past 2 years – not to mention the fact this is the longest I’ve not seen him in my entire life – I realised how much I’ve missed and needed him around in my life.
So to have that and then watch our beloved Forest get back into the promise land together was – well, just unbelievably special.
Now if you remember the post I wrote when I was setting off on this adventure, you will note I have not mentioned seeing Paula and her baby yet and that’s because of the COVID gods. But they’re still being nice to me …
Because not only has COVID not been too bad for me – especially compared to what some people have suffered – it meant I had to move my flights as NZ travel rules meant they wouldn’t let me catch my plane. And even this set back has a silver lining.
Because of the demand on airlines – and the time it takes for RAT tests to show a negative reading – the earliest flight I could get was next Tuesday. So not only will I have the time to see her before I go, but I also get to see Paul again when we go to the Queen concert we booked back in 2019 that they had to cancel because of COVID.
Seeing Queen with my best friend and his wonderful wife Shelly is like the ultimate gift to end this incredible visit to Europe.
But there’s more …
You see the Queen concert is on the day the UK celebrates the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
I mean the royal one, not the musical one.
The reason this is significant is way back in 1977, my Mum and Dad brought me to London to watch the crowds celebrate her Silver Jubilee. I remember it well, despite being so long ago. So to be back in London – albeit by pure coincidence – on a day where England yet again is celebrating a landmark moment in the Queen’s reign takes me back to that day with my parents and that is a feeling I will really treasure.
What this all means is not only has this trip been more wonderful than I ever imagined, it’s ended up giving me more miracles and love than I ever expected. Miracles and love that I needed more than I ever imagined.
So while I can’t wait to get back to my family – and my team – I can honestly say this has been a couple of weeks that are one of the most important and memorable weeks of my life and for that, I thank everyone who made it possible … from Martin and Mercedes, Paul, Nottingham Forest, Colenso, Q-Prime, NIKE, Paula, Queen, Lee Hill and Virgin Atlantic and my brilliant supportive wife and son right through to, bizarrely, covid.
I don’t know how you did it Mum and Dad, but thank you.
So till next week.
R
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Apathy, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand Suicide, Comment, Consultants, Content, Context, Creativity, Culture, Differentiation, Distinction, Egovertising, Emotion, Empathy, Honesty, Innovation, Insight, Loyalty, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Membership, Perspective, Planners, Planning, Point Of View, Positioning, Relevance, Research, Resonance, Virgin Atlantic
When Phil Spector died, I went down a rabbit hole of his life.
On that journey, I spent some time looking into the life of Lana Clarkson, the woman he murdered.
Which led me to this …
Find the perfect Lana Clarkson death photos!!!???
Seriously, what the fuck?!
I know they don’t mean to be so disrespectful.
I know it’s a standard Getty Image response to any image search – except I was looking for Lana Clarkson, not Lana Clarkson death photos – but this is what happens when you automate a process to maximise your profit potential.
And while I get Lana’s photos were topical given the death of Spector so many media outlets may be looking for them … it doesn’t make them look good. And god knows how it would make Lana’s family feel, if they saw it.
For all the talk about brand experience, it’s amazing how much bullshit is said.
Do I think experience is important? Absolutely.
Do I think experience is done well? Not that often.
For me, there is one overarching problem.
Brands would rather be OK at a lot of things than stellar at a couple.
Before people have a meltdown, let me just say this.
I am not questioning the value of experience.
Believe it or not, it is not a new concept … it has been practiced by great brands and strategists for decades.
However experience loses its impact when the goal is to be OK at everything rather than amazing at some things.
Oh I know what people are going to say …
“But every interaction should be an experience of the values of the brand”.
Yeah … maybe.
It’s great in theory but doesn’t seem to be realistic in practice.
I mean, how many brands really have achieved that?
Let me rephrase that.
How many brands that have a clear, desirable position in culture have really achieved that?
I would say it is a handful at most.
Now compare that to the brands who have focused on doing some things in a way that is exceptional and memorable?
I’ve written about the Virgin Atlantic Lounge before.
Imagine if Branson had said, “Create an experience that is commensurate with the values of the brand for the business class customer” versus, “Create a lounge people will want to miss their plane to stay in”.
Do you think they would have got to the same place?
Do you think the former would have helped drive the brands economic and repetitional success as well as the latter?
Don’t get me wrong, Virgin Atlantic have a lot to do to improve their experience.
Their booking and loyalty schemes are a fucking mess for a start. But while I appreciate I am biased, I would gladly sacrifice that for the lounge experience that makes me look forward to every trip.
An experience that is distinctively memorable, not just corporately comfortable.
The reality is there are more highly profitable, highly desirable brands who offer an inconsistent brand experience than those who offer a consistent one.
More than that, brands that offer a consistent brand experience across all touch points do not automatically become a brand people want to have in their lives.
Part of this is because their version of consistent tends to be using their name or colours or slogan everywhere.
Part of this is their version of ‘brand experience’ is the absolute opposite of what the word experience is supposed to mean.
[Seriously, can you imagine the sort of parties they would have?]
And part of this is because they want to talk to everyone which means their experience appeals to no one.
Because while it might not be fashionable, great brands are built on an idea.
Something they believe, stand for, fight for.
This is very different to ‘purpose’.
Purpose – at best – is why you do something.
Belief is how you do it.
The sacrifices you make. The choices you make. The people you focus on.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean great brands shouldn’t want to ‘fill the gaps’ that reside in their experience eco-system, but it does mean it should only be done if each element can be done brilliantly and distinctively.
Anyone who has read the book ‘Why I Hate Flying’ will know the vast majority of brand values are basically the same – which means the vast majority of brand experience strategy ends up being predominantly the same.
However the brands who command the most consistently vibrant cultural interest and intrigue are the one’s who have a point of view on what they do and what they believe. They have a real understanding of who they’re talking to rather than a generalised view of them. They have values that step out of the convenient blandification that so many companies love to hide behind – where the goal is to look like you care without actually doing something that shows you care. And they absolutely know it’s better to do some things that will mean everything to someone rather than lots of things that mean little to everyone.
The obsession with 360 brand experience is as flawed as the 360 media approach from a while back.
Frankly conveying the same message everywhere felt more like brainwashing than engaging.
Experience is a very important part of the strategic and creative process.
Always has and always will be.
It can make a major difference to how people feel about a brand and interact with a brand.
But like anything strategic, sacrifice is a vital part of the process.
While in theory it is nice to think every interaction will be something special and valuable, the reality is that is almost an impossible goal.
Different audiences.
Different cultures.
Different needs.
Different times.
Different budgets.
Different technologies.
Different interactions.
So anyone who thinks experience should be executed ‘down to a level that allows for mass consistency’ rather than ‘up to a standard that allows key moments to be exceptional’ are creating another layer to get in the way of making their audience give a shit.
Or said another way, you’re adding to apathy rather than taking it away.
OK, I accept that for some categories unspectacular consistency can be valuable – hospitals for example – but the reality is in the main, audiences care less about consistent brand experience than brands and their agencies do.
That doesn’t mean you can’t make them care by doing something great – like Tesla did with their ‘dog and insane’ modes for example – but you need to understand you’re playing as much to your audience standards, as yours.
Now I appreciate I’ve gone off on one, given this post was originally about a search engine response to a murdered woman’s photograph rather than brand experience … but while they’re very different in many ways, there is one thing that is the same.
They’re all focused on satisfying an audience need … and while standardised processes can help ensure we are ‘dumbing up’ with our approaches to the challenge, when that manifests into a standardised experience, then you are dumbing down the value of who you are and who you can be.
For the record Getty, this is what Lana Clarkson looked like.
There’s no ‘perfect’ photos of her death.
But there’s plenty to signify the person she was.
Filed under: Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand, Business, Comment, Crap Campaigns In History, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Planning, Positioning, Relevance, Resonance, Virgin Atlantic
Years ago, there was an email that went around that invited people to play ‘Bullshit Bingo’, the marketing edition.
Included on the paper were words such as ‘synergy’ and ‘optimization’ and the aim of the game was to take this to your next meeting and cross off each word as someone said them.
The person who crossed off all the words first, won.
It was a tongue-in-cheek way to take the piss out of the marketing industry and it’s obsession with using words that are the absolute opposite of the words the audiences we try to have a meaningful connection with, say.
Well it appears there is a new version of this game in town … except some people haven’t realized it’s a game.
Worse, it appears they think it is a brand building bible.
Have a look at this …
I don’t know about you, but nothing says ‘brand transformation’ like bigging-up the fact you have decorated your reception area.
Don’t get me wrong, a brand should infect and influence every aspect of how you behave and express yourself but – and it’s a big but – it should be something that is truly distinctive to your brand, not just a bunch of brand mumbo-jumbo words and corporate colours that end up making you look and sound exactly like everyone else.
I wrote about this a while back when I said the best brief I ever received was from Richard Branson for his now infamous Virgin Atlantic London lounge.
I also talked this with Martin at Cannes.
The reality is too many companies aspire for best practice.
But the reality is best practice means averageness.
Fitting in not standing out.
Differentiation without distinction.
Staying in the middle rather than reaching for the edges.
I am amazed how many companies fear being different and yet claim to be.
I am even more amazed how many companies then shit themselves when someone comes along with a point of view that is genuine and authentically expressed and executed so that it attracts culture rather than tries to chase it.
Apart from being a law firm, I don’t know who Pinsent Masons are, but if they aspire for their new reception to reflect their bland brand value with words like ‘bold, connected and approachable’, I think I’ll survive living in my ignorance.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Ambition, America, Amsterdam, Asia, Attitude & Aptitude, Auckland, Australia, Bands, Billionaire, Birkenhead, Bonnie, Campaign Magazine, Canada, Career, China, Colenso, Colleagues, Comment, Context, Corporate Evil, Creativity, Culture, Dog, Dream Small, Easter, Empathy, England, Experience, Family, Fashion, Fatherhood, Hong Kong, Japan, Jill, LaLaLand, London, Management, Martin Weigel, Metallica, Michael Jordan, Miley, Mr Ji, Mum, Mum & Dad, Music, My Fatherhood, New Zealand, Nike, Otis, Paul, Paula, R/GA, Relationships, Rockstar Games, Rosie, Shanghai, Singapore, Sunshine, Sydney, The Kennedys, The Kennedys Shanghai, UK, Virgin Atlantic, WeigelCampbell, Wieden+Kennedy
I have written before that apart from my friend Paul, I owe almost everything in my life to the fact I left the UK and went on an adventure.
Without that, I would not have met my wife … would not have had my son … would not have had my pets … would not be working with rock stars … would not have had all the life experiences and adventures I’ve been fortunate to enjoy and almost certainly would not have the career I currently enjoy.
That’s pretty huge when you think about it and while there’s a whole list of people I need to thank for making it all possible, one of them is an old boss.
Who was a prick.
I had a rather complex relationship with this individual.
Because while they were pompous, petty, condescending and rude, they were also smart, knowledgable and experienced.
On top of that, they gave me a shot on a couple of projects that they probably shouldn’t have. I should point out that wasn’t because they necessarily believed in me – it was more there was no one else to do it – but I appreciated it all the same.
Anyway, when I decided to leave – to go explore opportunities in another country – they were pretty pissed off with me.
While I’d love to say it was because they didn’t want me to go, the reality was they were frustrated I was leaving after they’d agreed to give me a payrise.
That this ‘rise’ was still below market rate and they’d fucked me around for literally 2 years, seemed to have completely slipped their mind … which is maybe why on the day I left, they thought it would be ‘funny’ to write the following comment in my leaving card.
“You’ll be back. Come crawling”.
I remember watching him going around telling people what he had written, laughing hilariously at his own ‘joke’ and while I didn’t take it too much to heart – because everyone knew he was a bit of a prick – it still hurt.
Little did I know then, how those 5 little words would play such an pivotal role in how my career would turn out.
You see, when I ended up in this other country, I initially found it very difficult.
Not just because I didn’t have friends, contacts or a job … but because my Dad was very ill back in the UK.
In all honesty, the temptation to go back was huge but there were 2 reasons I stuck it out.
1. I wanted to show my gratitude to my parents for supporting and encouraging me to go, despite them going through a terribly tough time because of my Dad’s major stroke.
2. Those 5 little words.
While I’d like to think the former was the biggest motivator, I fear it may have been the latter.
That’s pretty pathetic isn’t it … especially as I could have gone back without having to go back to that old job.
But I wasn’t going to let him have the satisfaction directly or indirectly.
And so I persevered.
Pushed, prodded, walked the streets, did shitty, temporary roles … anything that kept me from gaving to go back with my tail betweeen my legs.
And it everntually worked out.
Not because of any talent I did or did not have, but because of my perseverence.
And willingness to take any bullshit salary … hahaha.
But for me, getting a break was my main objective … because while I knew I was not the smartest strategst, I knew my work ethic meant I could out-work most.
Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that is a toxic trait – but it is my trait – and back then, it was a way for me to prove my worth to agencies/clients who didn’t have to give me a chance or keep me on board.
Of course, over the years, my motivation for continuing to explore the possibilities of the World and my career have evolved.
These days it is far more about wanting to feel I’d be making my parents proud than it is me reacting to 5 little words from a toxic, little manager.
But I also have to acknowledge that without that persons toxic motivation, it is unlikely I would be in the situtation I currently enjoy.
So thank you AC … you were a strange little man, but for all the fucked up shit you did – and there was plenty – you did one thing right, even if it was wrong.
And while I doubt you even remember me – let alone care what I’ve done – it doesn’t matter.
Because I didn’t come back and didn’t come crawling and so for that, I won, so there.
It’s Easter long-weekend that then leads into a big week for me/Colenso – from us hosting Fergus and his OnStrategy podcast to me saying goodbye [for the second time] to someone who is very special to me … so have a great weekend, overeat Chocolate and Hot Cross Buns and I’ll see you Tuesday.
Till then, this is for you AC.
With thanks.