Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Colenso, Comment, Emotion, Empathy, Internet, IT, Security
One of the things I love about Colenso is our multitude of owners tend to leave us alone.
Literally, alone.
And when I say multitude, I mean it, because we have more than a Cannes Grand Prix credit.
Now part of this is because we’re in NZ and they have more pressing things to deal with, part of this is because we only have one global ‘shared’ client and our work with them is arguably the best in the network [hello 2024 Cannes Grand Prix without thousands of names on the credit list] and part of this is because we’re very, very good to them – in terms of global creative reputation and business – so they’re smart enough to let us get on with things on our own terms and own devices.
That is, except for IT.
Where IT is concerned, we are bombarded with stuff.
Security stuff specifically.
A week hardly passes by without some sort of ‘training’ to adhere to.
I get it, it’s very important and we don’t take it for granted … which is why the situation that happened to me a few weeks ago just felt so weird.
So I was in NYC when I got a phone call from someone I had never spoken to before.
Or heard of.
They said they were a security partner of one of our ‘owners’ and – as one of my team had lost their password – I had to give them permission to send it again.
Now I knew this was true as the colleague in question had told me it was going to happen, so I said yes … except they then told me that wasn’t enough and they would email me a link where – having entered my credentials – I’d have access to a password that I could then send to my team mate so they could get back into the system.
To which I laughed and said no, that wasn’t going to happen.
And they asked why, to which I laughed some more before pointing out this was the exact ‘phishing’ scenario I had been bombarded with security videos about.
For 3+ years.
Now to be fair, they did acknowledge it did sound dodgy, but they reassured me it was just how their system worked and all was OK.
But as nice as the guy sounded – and he did, so I was careful not to be too rude – I told him that I was sorry, but this just was not going to happen.
So, then they tried to subtly guilt trip me into doing it by saying my colleague couldn’t work without my help.
To which I replied, “I’m their boss, so if anyone can tell them to be OK with not working, it’s me”.
I did ask what alternatives there were to solve this situation and at first they said there wasn’t any, then said I could tell them to contact my boss to get approval.
Maybe they thought that would scare me into agreeing to their request, but I went, “Oh that’s good, go for it and please send her my love”.
It was at this point they gave up and wished me a nice day.
Except while that individual had given up, the ‘company’ they worked for hadn’t and they started sending me messages.
They went through the same script and I went through the same responses.
And while this may all sound like I was being an asshole, it’s not as assholey as a system that needs you to break the very rules they’re there to supposedly protect.
A rule that is very limited in its scope and application.
I appreciate the company in question was trying to help. I appreciate this was a very specific situation – made more difficult by me being in another country. And I accept the company in question is one of the best in their specific field of operation.
However, not only do they need to change their protocol to ensure that – in certain circumstances – they don’t ask their clients employees to do the very opposite of what they are told to follow each and every day … they probably also need to teach their ‘customer service technicians’ how to talk with humans. Especially non-IT security expert humans.
Because not only is ‘practice what you preach’ the most basic of basic brand reputation rules, the best way to get people to do what you want, is to understand how they think and behave.
More evidence that you can be smart, but also be a bit daft – of which nothing proves this more than the interface of Microsoft Teams, but that’s a post for another day, but here’s a hint.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Audacious, Authenticity, Bands, Brands, Business, Comment, Confidence, Context, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Differentiation, Distinction, Emotion, Empathy, Imagination, Individuality, Innovation, Leadership, Loyalty, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Mediocrity, Metallica, Music, Provocative, Relationships, Reputation, Resonance, Respect, Talent
Recently I watched a documentary on a band.
A household name. Not just in America, but around the World.
It was pretty good … but the most interesting part of it was the interview with the manager.
Specifically how he described what he was there to do:
He said: “My job is to do one or two things that change your life. Not ‘good moves’ but change your life”.
And while they turned out to be arguably more focused on their own fortune than the artists they represent, it cannot be denied they achieved exactly what they said for the band in question … helping turn them into the biggest band in the world for a period of time. An accolade they have managed to forge into a long-lasting career that sees them continue to be at the top end of their industry.
Now of course, there’s a lot of things that go into achieving success like that.
Songs.
Talent.
Drive.
Concerts.
Fans.
Distribution.
Copyright ownership.
But a good manager has a huge influence and role to play in all of this … which got me thinking.
What if clients saw their agency partners as people whose role was to do the same as this manager?
To help them fundamentally change the trajectory of where their business is rather than continually communicating – and reinforcing – where they are.
Dramatic change, not incremental.
OK, there’s some clients who actually do that – and a lot more who think they are, but are doing the opposite – but the reality is for all the talk of ambition and change, so much of it what is done is about keeping things exactly where they are.
Part of this is because of the influence of ‘industry guru’s’ who have positioned themselves as business liberators when really they’re more insurance salesmen [made even more hilarious by the fact the vast majority have never created any actual creative work or built a brand of note] … and part of it is because of a narrative that’s been going around that suggests agencies care more about taking clients cash through excessive timelines and pricing.
As I’ve written before, this attitude is more bullshit than fact … shaped by a procurement process that doesn’t value quality of work – just the price of it – and a corporate attitude where the expectation is complicity not challenge.
Of course that doesn’t ignore the fact some agencies have also played their part in creating this situation by devaluing creativity, devaluing training and agreeing to whatever gets them the revenue – regardless of the consequences – which just reinforces what a mess we’re in.
It’s why I loved that managers quote so much …
The goal being to create the conditions to be ‘the exception’ by being exceptional..
Not ‘a little bit better than before.
Not ‘a little bit better than those around them’.
But to fundamentally change the context and rules of the game.
Champions, not just players.
Of course, it’s easier said than done … but I’ve had the pleasure of seeing it in action up-close-and-personal through Metallica’s management, which is why I know it can be done and I know you can increase the odds of it being able to be done.
Because in their case, what they’ve helped achieve is remarkable.
Put aside the fact they have worked with the band for almost 4 decades. Put aside they’re the most successful music management duo in music history. And think about how they’ve enabled 4 old men – who write what can best be described as ‘mass niche’ music – not just continue to live at the forefront of popular culture, but do it in a way where their creativity is deeply respected by all.
Hell, they’ve become the second most successful American group of all time.
OF. ALL. TIME.
But it’s even more than that … because they’ve also helped the band find new ways to push, explore and expand what they do with their creativity and how they can do it.
Incredible.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the band having the hunger and desire to keep pushing, but their relationship – and trust – of their managers is a key part of what enables it to be possible.
Which is why there’s a couple of things Peter Mensch – one half of their management team – said to me that has had as much impact as the quote that inspired this whole post.
1. “Our job is not to market the band, but to protect their truth”.
2. “We’re not paid to kiss their ass, we’re paid to tell them the truth”.
And maybe that’s a couple of the reasons why Metallica have been able to build a business and a brand [even though they would hate those terms] which is wildly more successful –culturally and commercially – than many brands who spend tens of millions trying to be.
Not just because music connects to people in ways brands rarely can, but because many brands don’t actually know who they are and don’t want to listen to anything that asks questions of them, they don’t want to acknowledge or accept.
So it’s little surprise an agency can change a brands life when brands so often choose to delude themselves with where they currently are … where their version of a relationship is based on how much you cost and how easy you are to deal with, than the quality of the advice and results you help them gain.
For all the systems and processes our industry has latched onto in a bid to prove our credibility and method behind our approaches … how many brands can we say have fundamentally ‘changed their life’.
One?
Ten?
One Hundred?
Certainly not as many as you would expect from the US$87 billion dollars spent on market research in 2023 delivered.
Which is why I leave this post with another music reference … another perspective that had a profound affect on me.
This time it’s from the band – albeit they were more artists than musicians – The KLF, who not only captured what I believe defines a great manager, a great agency and a great brand … but what also creates the chance for someone, anyone, to properly change their life.
“Don’t give them what they want, give them what they’ll never forget”
Filed under: Comment
So this is the last post for at least a week.
Maybe longer.
The reason for my vagueness is that it involves hospital … an operation … a person very important to me … and a horrible memory plus, of course, the rawness of losing our dear Rosie that adds a whole other dimension of concern and worry.
[I’m also being deliberately vague about who it is, because they don’t want their situation known by all and sundry]
And while I’m sure this op will go brilliantly – and is a very different situation to the one that ignites panic in me – it’s still something that causes me anxiety, both because I love the hell out of this person and any op involving a general anaesthetic is scary.
But it is – and will be – for the right reasons, so we just have to see how it goes.
Or they do, because after the op, they then have to contend with having me look after them – which is a whole different level of scary. So with that in mind, I just know there’s no post for next week and then we’ll see how it goes.
So to end this week on a high/laugh … enjoy these 2 photos of errrrm, me.
In China.
Being interviewed by the news, business and fashion media.
The first is a photo of all the journalists before they interviewed me.
I think I may have shown my lack of professionalism when I asked if I could take a picture of them as my wife would “find it hilarious”.
The second is what happened when passers-by saw the TV cameras and journalists and wanted to see what was going on.
Given I was at the opening of the latest SKP-S extravaganza, it was rammed with people.
So yes … all those people are there for me. Kinda.
You can just see me in the centre of the photo – hahaha.
I can only imagine their disappointment matched what 20,000+ Metallica fans felt when the band once linked a post to my instagram and suddenly they all started following me … only to soon discover that rather than it getting them closer to their idols, they got subjected to copious amounts of cat, colleague and kid pics.
So 18,000 left. Very, very quickly – hahaha.
But hey, at least none of them would be as confused as the World fashion media were when, back in 2019 – at the opening of the incredible SKP-S/Gentle Monster store in Beijing – they came face-to-face with this …
And you thought it was bad being close to me through this blog!
See, you get off lightly basically.
So have a good weekend and I really, really hope I get to bore you again with my rubbish in a weeks time.
Thanks everyone. Support your Doctors and Nurses. Especially the NHS.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Awards, Cannes, Colenso, Colleagues, Comment, Confidence, Contribution, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture
This is kinda related to yesterday’s post. Kinda.
So after Cannes, Si – Colenso’s CCO and annoyingly wonderful human, albeit with a dash of mischievous evil – posted this photo.
Attached to it, he wrote the following:
We had a great year on stage at Cannes. But instead of posting a photo of the high, here’s a photo of the low.
I snuck this photo a few months ago. We were mid-production on Pedigree Adoptable, which won 4 lions this week including the Outdoor Grand Prix 🏆🏆🏆🏆
I love Duncan’s turmoil in this image. Not because I’m a psycho, but because that’s how much he cared about every detail.
The other thing I love is Hadleigh laughing in the corner. Comradery and fun in the hard times is the only way you make it through.
Frankly, among all the Cannes backslapping posts across Linkedin, it was a welcome relief.
But it was more than that. It was an important comment.
A reminder that the role of creativity – especially commercial creativity – is fucking tough.
And while you tend to forget all the pain and hassle you have gone through when you win, the reality is few get to. And even fewer get to do it with a Grand Prix, the creme de la creme of a category.
So I loved Si posted this. That he acknowledged it. Especially given we had a good Cannes – winning our 2nd Grand Prix in a row – so it would have been dead easy for him to bask in the glow of victory rather than highlight the hardship and pain of reality.
Because what’s often not discussed around awards – or the industry as a whole, for that matter – is how fucking stressful it is.
Don’t get me wrong, compared to the stress a nurse, a single parent or someone experiencing unemployment faces, there’s no comparison [unless you’re working in this industry and are a single parent or are going through unemployment] however, that doesn’t mean the stress you feel doing your job is any less real.
But while the impact of stress can be devastating – causing adverse effects to our health, our wellbeing and to our relationships – not all stress is equal.
At least in our industry.
Sure, there’s the really bad kind of it … the stuff that appears on the Corporate Gaslighting blog … but there’s another sort too, and that is very different, even if at the time, you may not recognise it.
You see, when the stress is born from the desire to satisfy your own, or shared vision/curiosity, for an idea – rather than succumbing to the pressure and isolation of others – it can, as Si points out above, be a sign of you simply giving a fuck.
As I’ve written before, it’s not cool to talk about ‘graft’ these days [which is very different to the dangers of ‘hustle culture’] … just like being ’emotional’ at work is a negative … however in our industry, graft … emotion … giving a fuck … are still the ingredients you need to stand any chance of making, doing or creating something special.
We don’t talk about that enough.
Don’t get me wrong, I never want to advocate for stress, but I do want to celebrate craft, creativity and care.
Or should I say, I want the people who act/claim they have all the answers, to respect and acknowledge it … especially as they’ve never made any actual work and haven’t got the faintest fucking idea what it takes or costs to make something proper good … be it commercially, creatively, emotionally or artistically.
And that’s why I want to end this post – and this week – by saying a huge well done to anyone and everyone who put their work out there to be judged and criticised, regardless of the result.
Few would.
Few do.
And that’s you should never feel bad about what you felt or went through.
Because even though what we do is business, the reality is, it’s always personal.
Filed under: Comment
Today is a month since Rosie passed.
And the pain remains.
We miss her.
Every little thing.
I find myself still saying, “Come on Rosie” as we walk downstairs to bed … remembering how you would jump down from whatever seat you were on and toddle after us, occasionally stopping to scratch the stairs carpet to sharpen your nails, like the cheeky Diva you were.
It seems inconceivable you’re not here.
It feels a little emptier without you.
I am dreading summer knowing I won’t see you walk up to our glass doors, waiting – or screaming – at us to open them up so you can get on your footstool on the deck and lie on it for 13 hours straight … basking in the sun, looking at the trees, watching the birds fly by and just living your best life.
I’m so glad you got to experience that here.
I’m so happy this home was your final place.
Even if it still feels too big without you.
We bloody love you Rosie.
Forever.