I was reviewing some European ads for something or other and noted how many brands claim to be for true individuals. It seems you can’t move for genuine one-offs in this continent. At first glance, it sort of makes sense for these companies to behave like this, a cursory look at the data sees more…

I think I’ve mentioned somewhere else that when you play a song you like to someone else you hear it through their ears. It’s something to do with mirror neurons firing. It’s a useful trick for practicing presentations, knowing that work is really both right and good and generally avoiding any pitfalls. It’s one thing…

I did an internal session on creative briefing on Friday. You know –  how how to think about the various bits, top tips for writing one. Only to realise I was benefiting as much from this as anyone else. A fair chunk of the advice I was giving I don’t always follow myself. I should.…

It’s hard to pick a favourite ad, but this commercial from Nike is certainly up there. The ‘Hurt’ commercial will connect with anyone who’s ever been an athlete at any sort of level, and to be honest, anyone who’s pushed themselves to anything difficult. There is pain and sacrifice along the way. And the feeling…

A couple of people have rightly pointed out how/who to submit entries to. Just email them all for me, title the email account planning school of the web. You’ll find my email link on the sidebar of this blog. There’s no limit to the amount of slides, but this task is aimed at creatives, and…

Once upon a time, a rare species known as ‘planner in a Northern agency’ began to meet to shoot the breeze and have a couple of drinks. It grew a bit more and thankfully, some non-planning types began to turn up and it simply became a chance to have drinks with some nice people who…

I was reading Campaign Magazine’s ten commandments for graduates last week and two things stood out. Firstly, don’t try and switch to planning after two weeks- account handling will become much more than contact reports and competitor reviews. They’re right, it is more than that, but there are two things to add to this. First;…

Righto, it’s back. Looks like the faculty is Rob, Gareth and Northern. I’m doing this round, then Gareth (his last one was a doozy, look forward to it). Anyway, this task is about tone of voice. Creatives find planning types useful for two things; getting the work through the client/research and providing useful stimulus. Getting…

Now and again people offer me free stuff to trial, in the hope I’ll blog about it. I usually say no because I don’t want to be under pressure to write something, and I’d feel bad about cutting something to ribbons if it wasn’t any good. Also, I’m sort of bemused that anyone would think…

Someone was kind enough to ask my thoughts on what to say if you want your first planning job and, in the the interview, you’re asked about process, insights coming from anywhere and proprietary tools. I thought I’d share my answers (I’ve added some bits in since my initial reply). "My view on templates is…