Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Ambition, Aspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand, Brand Suicide, Career, Communication Strategy, Craft, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Delusion, Distinction, Egovertising, Influencers, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Perspective, Planners, Planners Making A Complete Tit Of Themselves And Bless, Planning, Point Of View, Popularity, Process, Provocative, Relevance, Reputation, Resonance, Respect, Standards, Strategy, Success
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented advertising people in the whole business. Not in terms of popularity. Not in terms of ‘thought leadership’. But in terms of making the work. Consistently.
Not luck.
Not one-offs.
Not dependent on a particular client.
They’ve made work that has changed minds, categories and possibilities through their vision, talent and creativity.
And while they are all individuals, with their own perspectives and viewpoints – there is one thing that is pretty consistent across all of them.
They’re good people who are immensely talented rather than people who aspire to work in advertising. Or more specifically, live what they think is ‘the advertising lifestyle’.
And what the fuck do I mean by that?
Well, there’s many ways I could explain it but instead, let me show you something that a mate of mine sent me recently.
Now, before I go on, I should point out I don’t know this person and I don’t know if they’re just executing a brilliant pisstake of how some in the industry act. And if it is, then bravo – they’ve nailed the Andrew Tate of advertising schtick that some on Linkedin like to spout, perfectly.
However, if it’s not – and I worry, it may not be – then this kind of shit sums up everything wrong with our industry. All about attitude and fame than actually making stuff that is famous.
Now I appreciate this person may be young and felt this is how they were supposed to act – especially as those ’24 hours with …’ features tend to be a total exercise in ego and bravado. And it’s for that reason, I chose to remove all reference to who wrote it because let’s be honest, we’re all entitled to make huge mistakes.
However, as I have recently come across a bunch of people in the industry who I suspect would write something exactly like this – and be proud as fuck for it – I think this is the point where I remind everyone in the industry that the people we should be looking up to are not those with the name … the title … the pay packet … the popularity … but the ones who have actually made the fucking work.
Not by proxy.
Not by association.
But with their fingerprints.
And if that’s too much to ask, then let’s at least celebrate people like Sangsoo Chong, who wrote the best ’24 hours with …’ I’ve ever read. Not because it takes the piss … not because it’s glamorous and glitzy but because it’s the most brutally raw and honest description of how a lot of this business really works.
Sadly, what you are about to read, doesn’t capture any of that.
Hell, it doesn’t even capture anything to do with great ideas.
But then it shouldn’t really surprise me when too much of the industry seems to value ‘hot takes’ more than making cool work.
… guide dogs.
… white sticks.
… braille books.
… speech to text.
… permanent passenger seat.
… more looking like a shit pirate
… life of darkness.
At least for now … because while things aren’t completely sorted – there were a lot more ‘complications’ than anyone expected, and we still have to wait some weeks before we can see what the reality of the situation is – in terms of the actual procedure, my operation was a success.
As I said, it is still very early days.
And sure, I will be on medication for the rest of my life.
Plus there were some very, very scary moments along the way.
Including needing two emergency operations after the first op.
A full Grey’s Anatomy, ‘life in the balance’ season-end drama moment.
And yes, I will have to go in for regular check-ups for a fucking age.
Plus they still don’t know what caused it so it could all go to shit any day.
But in terms of dealing with the ‘burning oil rig’ pressure, it fucking worked … and I will be eternally grateful to the doctor, nurses, specialists and surgeons who made that possible.
As I said, right now my vision isn’t great, I can just see shapes and colours and I find typing really hard [you have no idea how big the letters on my screen have to be for me to be able to see, let alone type anything] … but given I had no vision before, it’s brilliant.
I’ll even be allowed to drive again! [Thanks to my other eye, not this one. Yet]
So with that and that fact some of the Metallica gang came to me when they were here last week – the end of the year is looking a fuck-of-a-lot brighter than it has for quite a while. Especially the last 6 weeks or so which were an absolute fucking perfect storm shitshow. Not just for the eye, but for seemingly every bit of karma I was due for the past 55 years – hahaha.
So I really want to say a big thank you to everyone who reached out, checked in and sent love.
Given I have been in isolation – both in terms of calls, emails and social media … it was nice to come back to love.
But most of all, I need to thank my surgeons and medical science … because contrary to what certain government administrations like to suggest, they’re amazing and it’s incredible and I don’t just owe my ability to still see the World around me, to it, I also owe my life.
And yet despite that, it still won’t improve my blog writing skills.
But it will allow me to keep writing my rubbish and I couldn’t be happier.
While I’ve had it much better than most, 2025 has been a pretty challenging year … this is a nice way to head into the end of it. All I need now is to win this years Fuck Off And Pie – which is next week – and it may even end up in credit.
Oh who am I kidding.
See you tomorrow. Literally and metaphorically.
Filed under: Clients, Colenso, Colleagues, Doctor, Emotion, Eye, Family, Health, Metallica, Nurses
So this is going to be the last post for a while.
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure when they will start again – hopefully in a couple of weeks, as I have a bunch of shit to write to close the year out with.
However the reality is this is the first time since I started this blog, where there’s no pre-written posts whatsoever.
Zilch. Nada. Nothing.
Now I appreciate this must be the perfect Friday news for you, but for me it’s less positive because its driven by the fact I have my eye operation on the 12th and what happens after that, dictates a lot about how a lot of things in my life then turn out.
I’ve written a bunch about the issues and implications of the eye condition I have had to deal with this year and while I appreciate this post makes it all sound very dramatic, for me it is.
The good news is there’s some hope. Not masses, but some.
The other good news is whatever happens, at least we’ll know where we stand pretty quickly so I can start planning – or hopefully celebrating – within a day or two after the op. Well. I say that, but there’s 4 critical time periods of which one is seven bloody months away thanks to the optic nerve working in slow-mo, or something.
But the reality is I’m pretty nervous about it for a whole host of reasons.
One is because a lot is riding on it …
Two is you don’t get the chance to know when a week could change your life very often, and I do … which just adds to the anxiety I already am feeling.
And finally, the last time I was in a situation like this – that resulted in me writing a post like this – the result was my life turned to shit. At least for a bit.
Now the situation between then and now is very different, but it still has me feeling really unsettled however one thing that has really helped is the support I’ve received from all of my doctors and nurses, family, friends, team, colleagues, clients and – bizarrely – strangers on different platforms of social media.
I say ‘bizarrely’ because my experience of a lot of social media platforms these days is it’s full of horrible, judgemental, egotistical rude pricks … and yet, when I have talked about my situation, I’ve been met with nothing but compassion and kindness and I can tell you, not only did that shock me, it also has made a real difference to me.
That said, it has also revealed some people who haven’t been all I thought they were or would be.
Most have had their heart in the right place, they just lack awareness of when to shut-the-fuck-up, hahaha … but some.
Well, put it this way … it’s the equivalent of discovering someone you went to school with is a raging racist and after the shock, you just realise they’re a pretty ugly human fullstop.
But that’s the minority because – as I said – most have been amazing.
The thing is – and I get this may come as a surprise to some, given I’ve shared all manner of personal stuff on this blog over the past 2 decades – the reality is I never tend to share stuff like this, I tend to keep it to myself … at least until it’s all well and done. However this time was different – probably because the impact of it made it impossible to hide – so I’ve had the very unusual experience of not just feeling most people wanting to help, but liking it too.
Jesus, what does this say about me, hahaha.
On top of all this, I have is the Metallica boys coming to this part of the world for the first time in a very, very long time and I am supposed to be doing some stuff for that.
While no one is expecting me to do it – given the eye situation – I really want to.
My involvement with their tour work has always been basically zero – I’m simply their cat-litter tray for their other projects – however given the last time I saw them was in LA, back in September 2023, and all the times they’ve played where I’ve lived, I’ve found myself overseas … this is a chance for me to be part of something extra special given the time they’ve been away from NZ and the situation with my sight.
That said, they have played a role in my health that I can’t go into but will be eternally grateful for … so whatever happens, I am eternally grateful they are in my life and I will even make sure Lars has his fave tea when he comes round to check on me.
Maybe, Haha.
What this all adds up to is that I am going to be quiet for at least 2 weeks and we’ll see what happens after that.
It could be longer, it all depends on the op … but I am going to isolate myself from the world in that time.
Anyway, I really want to end this miserable bastard of a post on a bit of a positive, so to do that I’m going to leave you 2 things …
First, here’s a picture of me in a suit.
No, that’s not AI, it’s real.
I’m in a suit. A suit I bought. That cost me a bloody fortune.
Given I didn’t even wear a suit for my wedding or my parents funerals, this is a VERY big deal.
But if you thought that was the funniest part, wait a second … it gets better.
Because rather than this being undeniable proof the condition of my eye has made me lose my mind … the reality is I bought the suit for a very special dinner I was supposed to have with a very special person in London back in October. Except – as I wrote here – they only went and bloody moved it to 2026 didn’t they!!!
See, told you it got better. Or for me, worse.
OK, so that’s step one of my ‘mood lightening’ agenda.
Step two is something altogether different …
It’s a clip of one of the most wonderful performances I’ve watched in a very long time.
It features Stephen Wilson Jnr. singing the Ben E King classic, ‘Stand By Me’.
There’s so much to love about it, but performance aside, I have to say I love how the host looks increasingly bewildered as the song unfolds … as if he cannot fathom how this incredible majesty of sound is unfolding right in front of his eyes.
It’s a reminder that while anyone can sing a song, only a few can truly own a song – and they don’t do that through technical ability, but emotion.
Talking of emotion, I just want to say thank you all again. You’re ace and I hope I get to ‘see’ you all soon … literally and metaphorically.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Complicity, Confidence, Conformity, Corporate Evil, Humanity, Love, Management
They say you get wiser when you’re older.
I’m not so sure of that.
You just get more efficient at doing the bits you know, over and over again.
The other stuff? Well that hides, waiting to make a grand entrance. To knock you off your feet or grapple you to the floor.
Sometimes you’re aware of what that thing is through the years spent trying to hide or run from it. But some can be a total surprise …triggered by an event or situation you didn’t even know was an event or situation. And then, seemingly without warning, you find yourself suddenly caught between the glaring headlights of others derision and judgement and the bright spotlight of your own despair and mortification.
We are all fucked up in our own little ways.
The failing is not in our inability to be perfect; it’s the energy we waste pretending we all are.
Someone I met recently admitted to me they were “fucked up” … and said it in a tone that suggested they truly feared the consequences of sharing their secret.
And while they didn’t go into detail regarding the burden they carry, I know some of its impact has been the complete rejection of things that made them feel good and alive. I know, it sounds counter-productive … it IS counter-productive … but when you face this level of pressure, the mind works in mysterious ways and you convince yourself you’re doing the right thing even though you are burning much of what could be good, down to the ground..
There are so many people who are in this situation.
Trying to pretend they’re OK while not dealing with the trauma they probably experienced at some point in their childhood and/or are experiencing right now in their adulthood. Often through – and because of – work.
The amount of young people I met in China recently who are literally exhausted is terrifying.
Sure there are a number of contextual elements that have contributed to it.
The first generation experiencing a slowed-down China economy.
The over-reliance on social media for both identity, community and belonging.
The lack of jobs but with the same high filial expectations.
They are all real reasons and the result is this generation of young, talented kids don’t know how to cope, mainly because they never were taught how to cope – both because they were brought up by parents who never had to deal with things like this as they were economically fortunate – either personally or because of the times – plus they weren’t exposed to technology that made the pressure to achieve even greater. Add to that a schooling system that is far more functionally orientated than emotional and you get this horrible, perfect storm.
Anyway, back to this person I met – who is not from China, but reflects the same mindset.
Since I met them, I’ve discovered just how deeply the impact of their situation has been on them and the people around them – and it has devastated me to be honest. They are a brilliant, talented individual who needs help but feels having that would invite failure into their life. Why? Because platforms like Linkedin tell them – thanks to all the bullshit ‘opinion leader’ pieces – careers and reputations are built on seamless, intellectual perfection, which is obviously bollocks but to young people out there, that is all they know.
Which is each and every one of us is complicit in the situations so many young professionals experience. Which is why if I could relive the moment I met then once again, I would reply with a much more articulate answer.
“We all are”.
I hope they read this post. I hope they reach out. Or I hope they let me reach them.
Look after our young … they’re going to run our future and if we want a good one, we need to give them good habits, good skills and a good understanding of emotion not just function.
Given today is Guy Fawkes day in the UK, this post seems appropriate.
Even though it’s not about the UK.
Or someone trying to blow up the houses of Parliament.
It’s about America and the President of the United States – a man who seems intent on blowing up democracy.
Isn’t it funny how it’s always the people who bang on about ‘freedom of speech’ or ‘the land of the free’ who end up being the ones who operate in the opposite way.
What’s happening over there right now is truly terrifying.
Cancelling freedom of the press, comedians, or anyone who has a counter point of view to what is going on over there. And in a classic example of mob mentality, the people who support MAGA or the Republican party are so lost in their bloodlust they can’t even see what they are advocating.
A while back I watched the A24 movie, Civil War.
I really enjoyed it.
Shame I didn’t realise what I was actually watching was a documentary.