“You can’t be creative on Teams or Zoom.” “You can’t bond with people without meeting them.” “You can’t expect brilliant work from people working remotely.” I’ve heard all of this said over the last few months, and I have proof positive that it’s not true. In mid-November 2021 I signed up for a new global…

It’s all about breath. Athletes and actors both know this Participants in the superb RADA for business executive presence for women course are taught four breaths to change your state, reputedly recommended for statesmen and presidents before they speak to their nation.  (Techniques of course learnt by RADA alumni like Tom Hiddleston, Ken Branagh, Ben…

Ad people love to look busy.  Busy means needed, important and valued.  Looking busy means needed, important and valued often too. A recent Economist article referenced the brilliant Seinfeld episode where George gets a proper job, but works out that if he acts irritated he doesn’t need to do any actual work saying: “When you…

There are 48 techniques that can transform the creativity of the work that you do.  Here’s the fifth technique:  Ask yourself, beyond the brief, how does this deliver really long-term success? Shamanism is one of the oldest belief systems.  Beliefs incorporate a strong sense of family, ancestry and animism, the idea that spirits exist in…

There have been roughly 4 ages of advertising.  We have now entered the 5th age.  The Age of Relevance. In the  1st age in the 1950s, in the Age of Interruption, consumers were happy to pay attention to advertising and essentially to do what it told them to do because they actively sought the reassurance of…

There are 48 ways to transform creativity.  Here’s number 4: Make an Icon. We are surrounded by icons, we navigate our lives by their light.  In his book How brands become icons Douglas Holt says “The crux of iconicity is that the person or the thing is widely regarded as the most compelling symbol of…

“It’s all about the detail” This could be a comment about media planning, or advertising.  Strategy is fine, but its nothing without the detail. But in fact this what Bryan Ferry said to me about men’s tailoring.  Ferry, a pop star and fashion icon, first came to my attention when he was on Top of…

Recently the grand ad man Dave Trott gave a potted history of great advertising at the excellent ZeeMelt21 conference.  This is a masterclass in what was the golden age of advertising as entertainment, and effective transformation.  Any strategist who is concerned with the role that TikTok will play in their 2022 plans would do well…

  “I get 200 emails a day, and 3 quarters of them are people breathlessly telling me about their wonderful solution that will change my life. Some percentage of them are probably right but I don’t begin to have enough time to read all those emails let alone answer them… it is one of my…

When I was 6 years old I fell in love.  In fact, I found the man that I wanted to marry.  I found him on TV. Captain Scarlet was my first love.  He’s good looking, he has piercing blue eyes, he’s indestructible, you can count on him in a crisis, he saves humanity repeatedly and…

Sympathy is exhausting.  Empathy gives you energy. What is sympathy? Sympathy is feeling pity and compassion, and it’s can be exhausting. What is empathy? Empathy is actually feeling what someone else is feeling. It is not imagining how someone is feeling by putting yourself in their shoes.  It’s a nice thing to do of course.…

To be match fit your mental and emotional wellbeing is as crucial as your physical health. Recent events in the Olympics have highlighted this truth.  It shouldn’t be so surprising should it? Yet when Simone Biles – four-time Olympic gold medallist, multiple world champion and arguably the greatest gymnast of all time – withdrew from…