The Strategy Blog.
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5 things I learnt at Cannes 2022
I won a free pass to Cannes this year, VIP, access all areas. You can win one next year – just enter The Brief #2 – exercise some creativity for good, and, if you have the luck of the draw that I did, meet some friends for life and become…
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There has been little or no improvement in diversity or inclusion at work despite increased focus on this area over the past two years – new research reveals.
Despite more than £6 billion being spent on Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, the workplace is still full of inequality, prejudice, discrimination, marginalisation and harassment. More than £6bn ($7.5bn) is spent on diversity and inclusion initiatives every year. There is very little evidence, however, that this expenditure in fact leads to…
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There are 48 ways to transform creativity; here’s #6
There are 48 techniques that can transform the creativity of the work that you do. Here’s the sixth technique: What if we exaggerate? Take an idea, take a problem, take a question and exaggerate it to help you find a creative outcome. One of the most iconic pieces of advertising…
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Challenging times for brand building
A Forrester report in Campaign from late 2021 claims shockingly that only a third of USA ceos think their marketing chiefs grow business. This just doesn’t ring true to me. Every CMO I’ve met is driven by growing business, effectiveness and creativity. Is there an issue with the language of…
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Creativity does not have to be limited by zoom
“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…
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Take a breath.
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…
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How busy are you? How busy should you be?
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…
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48 ways to transform creativity #5: Think like a shaman
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…
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Welcome to the 5th age of advertising
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…
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The 4th way to transform creativity: be iconic
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…
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Style or Swagger?
“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…
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There are 48 ways to transform creativity. Here’s number 3. Use an old idea.
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…
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