I haven’t been to any conferences or networking events for some time. Partly because of agency learning and development starvation but also partly because I had become tired of them becoming endless sales pitches or regurgitation of statistics or campaigns. I also detest networking events. Silicon Beach is unlike any of this. Curated by MattContinue reading "postcards from the beach"
Vertical ambition welcome here
We’re now in our 8th month since starting Team Eleven. We started with just us two, two desks and two chairs in a two-person office. In that time we’ve grown rapidly, in a way that completely exceeded all our own expectations and ambitions. We’re humbled by the clients who wanted to partner with us asContinue reading "Vertical ambition welcome here"
can american apparel recover from bankruptcy?
Article I penned in The Drum on how American Apparel can recover from bankruptcy following lurid accusations in the boardroom, porn as advertising and poor performance at the tills. Recovering from bankruptcy is the easy part. There have been plenty of resurrection stories down the years with some big names surviving because of their importance toContinue reading "can american apparel recover from bankruptcy?"
amazon’s deal with top gear trio indicative of global trend
Article in M&M Global I penned on the content streaming trends and the impact of Amazon Prime signing the former Top Gear trio Clarkson, Hammond and May. The former Top Gear presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, signing up with Amazon is a real coup. Not only does it make a firm statementContinue reading "amazon’s deal with top gear trio indicative of global trend"
i blame the gorilla
The Independent ran an article highlighting the number of ads that featured music from the 80s. The Drum asked me to write a response to it. I blamed the gorilla. You can say it’s all about fashion and trends and everything comes around again. And again. But I blame the gorilla. It’s his fault. SittingContinue reading "i blame the gorilla"
is outdoor advertising ‘visual pollution’?
I got to represent the advertising industry (I know, really) in a small BBC World Service radio show called Business Daily that went out to a small audience of 1.3m people globally on 2nd June. After a quick line at the start, I come in at c. 12 mins. Here's the synopsis: Do ubiquitous advertising likeContinue reading "is outdoor advertising ‘visual pollution’?"
the rise of the data scientist
Data is crucially important in the current marketing landscape. It informs decisions and inspires creative thinking. There has been a lot of column inches about ‘big data’ but the role of the data scientists is to actually provide ‘small data’. The data that really matters. Not analysis that leads to paralysis. The data that getsContinue reading "the rise of the data scientist"
NME change in content strategy keeps them front and centre
Some words from me in Marketing Week on NME's change in content strategy. The link requires (free) subscription. If you can't be bothered to click the synopsis is NME are going free, increasing circulation, broadening the content beyond music and extending into more digital content channels. Here's my thoughts: Nicholas Gill, planning director at integratedContinue reading "NME change in content strategy keeps them front and centre"
why we ‘like’
I adore Patrick. We used to work together. He's now in LA working for theAudience. I miss working with Patrick because he would tell you tales of the most amazing things, particularly his fascination with tattoos which you can explore in his book. And of course he was pretty decent as a Creative Director too.Continue reading "why we ‘like’"
social media is bullshit
We've all wondered this at some stage surely? Probably when we're sat in meetings and hear the word 'engagement' used so often you start imaging doing horrible things to the person using that word. Or to yourself if you're the one saying it (I have). I borrowed this book from my copywriter, Ian. The firstContinue reading "social media is bullshit"
