NORTHERN PLANNER

Here's Frankie Roberto's talk on Lego from Interesting North. You should take a look, even if you have no interest in Lego.

He reminded me that ethusiasm and earnestness is something that doesn't get appreciated enough these days, which is a shame since it can get you a long way.

If you don't think you're great at presenting, apart from doing the work and knowing your subject inside out, what people really respond to is the person. Despite what most adland type people think, slickness, artifice and intimidating cleverness and coolness rarely win the day. What people connect with is people. Someone who is a little unpolished, but really looks like they care and have worked hard usually does really well because the audience warms to them. It's infectious, the mirror neurons fire and we feel enthused too.

That means finding a way to get enthused about your subject and making it interesting – this presentation is a great example of that. That's a wake up call to all planners, don't disparage th customer or the product, find something to admire about them, get enthusiastic and care about them, it will lead to better thinking and when you share your ideas, it will be infectious.

That goes for brands too – coolness, cleverness are all well and good, but they could learn a thing or two from popular culture, that's POPULAR culture, not Wired or Wallpaper. The X Factor, Strictly etc are all about normal people trying hard, with little side or irony, it's just enthusiasm. How many brands look like they really carea about something?

That's a reflection of a weakness in culture I reckon. The masses (which are far from homogenous I know) love Harry Potter, they love soaps and The One Show. But the cognoscenti look down on stuff like this because it's doesn't have the prerequisite irony, double meaning or quirkiness – and so do ad people. Most people don't watch Peep Show or Have I Got News For You, they don't listen to The News Quiz either.

Miranda hasn't been well received by the critics because it's old fashioned and unsophisticated. For many, I guess that's the point.