The Strategy Blog.
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
What are your transformation priorities?
“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……
-
A new commercial and marketing playing field requiring new rules, experimentation and effectiveness in advertising and media
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,…
-
Tired ? Take a break from yourself
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…
-
“We could all use a little less suffering”
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…
-
48 ways to transform creativity #2
There are 48 techniques that can transform the creativity of the work that you do. Here’s one of them. The power of burning bridges. Stan Lee was the co-creator of Spiderman, the X-Men, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, Ant Man and the Wasp, Nick…
-
Adland needs to reinvent, rebrand and reimagine when it comes to inclusion
To be match fit your mental health 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…
-
Do you always know exactly what you are doing?
Know what you are doing, do what you don’t know. You have all read lots about the Euro 20 final. Let’s look at another game that has lessons for us at work. Spain versus Italy in Euro 20 was a football lesson about the importance of a balance between clarity…
-
This one weird trick will transform your career
There are 48 techniques that can transform the creativity of the work that you do. Here’s one of them. The power of diverse voices. Its not a secret that I believe that diversity drives business growth. It is also crucial to creativity, and truly creative people, whoever they are, synthesize…
For your bookshelf
