A few weeks ago I found myself in Adelaide.
I didn’t expect to be there, but I was there.
It had been over 20 years since I had last visited, but in that time, its ‘unique’ reputation had remained intact.
A city of churches.
A city of serial killers.
A city that had a timezone 20 years behind society.
OK, so the ’20 years behind’ is unfair … but that’s not from me, it’s what the rest of Australia used to say when I lived there and I’ve not heard anyone change their tune since.
In fact a Qantas steward once got fired for saying this when their plane landed there:
“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Adelaide. Please put your watches back 20 years”
Now you’d imagine Adelaide citizens would be up in arms with this sort of shit but they’re not.
The reason I was always told was because it means people stay away and they can enjoy their piece of paradise in peace.
And maybe that is exactly the reason.
But there may be another motivation … and that is the people of Adelaide are more ‘unique’ than anyone thought and just don’t want to draw attention to themselves.
What am I going on about?
This …
That photograph is from a bathroom inside the Adelaide airport.
I’ve spent a lot of my life in airports.
I’ve spent a lot of my life in toilets.
And I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.
Which brings me to my opinion on Adelaide and it’s cultural reputation outside of the city.
Because when you need a sign next to a urinal that states, DO NOT DRINK, that’s weird.
But when you need a sign next to a urinal that states DO NOT DRINK because it’s RECYCLED WATER – which suggests it would be perfectly acceptable to be drinking directly from a toilet if it wasn’t … that’s Adelaide weird.
No wonder I like this city.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, China, Comment, Communication Strategy, Confidence, Corporate Evil, Culture, Wieden+Kennedy
I know what you’re thinking, that post above is a joke.
Has to be, doesn’t it?
Probably posted by a comedian who did it to set up the premise of their act which is about how ridiculous it is some men who think they have the right to control, blame or judge women for their own tragic, delusional and illusional bullshit.
Except – as you guessed it – it isn’t.
It’s true. It’s bloody true.
And while I could use this post to highlight the bullshit of religion – and America’s religious right – I’m not going to.
Not because I’ve suddenly become mature, but because Owen has done it all on his own.
Instead, I am going to talk about the other thing he is demonstrating … something many people, religious or not, are doing … and that is confusing opinion for intelligence.
A long time ago, I wrote a post about a line that featured in the movie about Margaret Thatcher featuring Meryl Streep.
It was this …
“Everyone prefers to feel these days instead of think. Why is no one thinking anymore?”
Now I – as anyone who knows me, knows – am a big believer in ‘feelings’ and yet even I agreed with the point she was making in that statement.
And I think that’s kind of similar to the point about some people mistaking opinion for intelligence.
This belief that just because you think it means everyone should feel the same.
Acting like an all-seeing guru.
The Yoda’s, Yoda.
My god … the lack of self-awareness is incredible. But it’s not simply because these people live and interact in a very tiny bubble – surrounded like minded sheep – it’s also because they refuse to be open to the lives, contexts and considerations of others.
God, there were so many of these people in China.
Predominantly white, Western men … who would immediately think and act like ‘they knew best’, regardless that they’d never been to China or – if they had – had only interacted in Western contexts.
Oh the shit they’d spout …
The blinkered ignorance they’d spew.
From talking about twitter in a nation that didn’t have it … to saying Asian women would not buy expensive lingerie because they only buy things that show status to society to telling Chinese business people how to sell their products in China, despite it being their very first time in the country … you name it, I heard it.
I used to call it ‘the generosity of stupidity’.
And while it is easy to laugh at them – and people like Owen, with his misogynistic, sexist bullshit – the scary thing is they attract audiences and we’re to blame.
You see we think it’s so obvious they’re ridiculous that we don’t need to call them out on it. But the problem is, this feeds their belief they’re right and before you know it, they come out with tweets that suggest a women wearing leggings is an act of sexual temptation.
Worse, an act of sexual temptation that is entirely the woman’s fault, regardless of the fact they’re just wearing some leggings because they’re comfy or stylish or it doesn’t matter what the fuck the reason is.
Which is why I think we should all follow the advice of Peter Mensch.
Peter is one half of Metallica’s long-term managers and when I asked him what he thought his job was, he said this:
“I’m paid to tell them the truth. They might not like it, they might not follow it, but it is my job to ensure they know the reality of the situation they are going into, based on 40+ years of experience working at the highest, most demanding, most successful standards of music management”.
Or said another way …
When you meet people like this, if you don’t deal with them, you’re complicit to them.
And while some may say that is argumentative and aggressive approach, I’ll leave you with something my Dad used to tell his young lawyers about the importance of dealing with issues head on.
“Nothing shows respect like providing a client with inconvenient truth”.
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No post tomorrow as we celebrate the wonderful Matariki … so see you Monday.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Communication Strategy
I’m back.
Sorry.
Anyway, a little while ago, a respected marketing guru – a real one, not one of the self-appointed pretenders out there – wrote a post about the situation in Ukraine.
While what they were saying was right – ie: we should resist giving brands who actively choose to still trade with Russia, our time or money – the way they said it bothered me as it gave the impression people working for these companies – regardless of situation or circumstance – should focus on getting a new job.
I pointed out not everyone has the privilege, money or time to be able to do that – many are just trying to survive, even if they are against the war – so it might be good to mention that for both context and understanding.
The individual in question saw my comment and came back at me.
In their eyes, they were saying exactly that in their comment [they weren’t] … and then questioned why I would even raise this.
So I replied saying I was happy they didn’t mean it as I read it but it was because of how it read, that I commented.
To which they came back again …
This time they used a tone that suggested I was idiotic to question them because of their highly regarded status in the industry.
OK, so that last bit is my interpretation of their tone, but at no point did they show any understanding or desire to understand my point of view. They disregarded it immediately, as if being challenged – especially someone like me – was an outrageous act of impertinence.
At this point I showed a degree of maturity, because I could have said …
… the burden of responsibility for communication is on the author not the reader.
… we all make mistakes – even professors of marketing – so they didn’t need to get so upset.
… their response was so disproportionate, it was bordering on white fragility.
But then I realised I didn’t have to, because they kind-of said it all themselves.
There is a lot of talk about white privilege – and so there should be – but today I saw privileged white privilege. By that I who believe their level of education, status or wealth deems them to be untouchable due to being perfect.
Now don’t get me wrong, this person is very clever.
They have a huge amount of knowledge and experience and have built a platform that means they are heard and followed by many.
All brilliant.
However, as clever as they are, on this occasion they weren’t very smart.
Which gives us a good lesson to remember.
As much as we may not want to, we all make mistakes … but those who refuse to entertain the possibility of that happening often discover that they become the mistake.
Filed under: Comment
[And happy birthday to Lizzie]
Filed under: Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, China, Chinese Culture, Colenso, Comment, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Effectiveness, Emotion, EvilGenius, Focus Groups, Insight, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Mischief, Perspective, Planners, Planning, Point Of View, Prejudice, Relationships, Relevance, Research, Resonance, Strategy, Wieden+Kennedy
I’ve written about this subject before, but one of the biggest issues I think is facing marketing strategy these days is the obsession with corporate logic.
The quest to create frameworks and messaging that ultimates dictates and demands order, consistency and control. Not to help clients build the brand, but to help clients feel safe and comfortable.
And while that may all sound great in theory, the reality is – as the owner of the store with the horn discovered – that it often backfires magnificently.
Because great strategy isn’t logical, its logic born from the ability to make sense of the ridiculousness of reality.
Whether that is amateur artists buying a Mona Lisa painting when they really want the frame or
And the beauty of that is it liberates the possibilities of creativity …
Whether that is an actor who lets the paparazzi see them every night to avoid being photographed by them to the Chinese Government adding a mini ‘scratch card’ on till receipts to get customers to ask for it so it forces the seller to put it through the till and the government can ensure they get their tax through to a beer that is an act of love.
I’ve been talking about the power of devious strategy for years … and while I’m not claiming it is anything extraordinary, when you compare it to what so many think passes for good – I’d choose it any day of the week.
Not just because it leads to better work, but because creative ridiculousness is becoming a far more powerful way to drive commercial effectiveness than corporate-appeasing, logic.