I love the fact that Corona beer sales have gone up during the pandemic. I'm not sure there has been anything better to prove that much of what we do is about getting a brand front of mind – and it's really efficient to get there by aligning with what's happening in real life.  In…

I was told a good story about what happened when British planners first went to work in the US. I hope it's true. Apparently, loads of TV ads suddenly had dogs in them, because the cunning expats knew it was a great way to smuggle creative through research. Show Americans creative with dogs in it…

There is immense pressure for people to be 'more' these days. The vogue for side hustles, self-improvement, wellbeing as a project. You saw it in subtle ways we felt we have to use the last lockdown productively. It's bloody exhausting.  You know what I did? I used lots and lots of little hacks and stuff…

Before I was old enough to do swim races, I was dragged along most weekends to watch my older sisters do it. Whole Saturdays sat by a pool, sometimes Sunday's too.  I became professional at packing a bag to keep myself occupied. Books, Star Wars comics, pad and pencils for endless drawings. I was a…

I may have mentioned I've had quite a year.  If I knew you well enough and I were to tell you the full story, the focus would be three moments. Ordinary moments or even objects that reveal far more because of their context.  The moment myself and my two children, on our first holiday as…

Let remind you, if you're a strategy type, you're job is to liberate the skills of everyone else. The worst thing anyone client say in feedback is 'we really like the strategy, but the work didn't live up to it'.  Yet it happens a lot. Of course, you are tempted to bask in the glory…

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given for the job was so simple. No one needs you in the room. So surrender your ego and be generous.  This was in a time when 'the people in the room' were  account handlers and creatives, not much more. They could get on quite…

I had a boss once who didn't do much of value. He read quoted whatever book he read.  It was easier to feel good about being part of the latest fashionable (but unproven) may of thinking, than actually doing good stuff. It was easier to feed the ego than craft good work.  It was easy…

I get a sports massage sometimes. I cycle a lot, my legs end up in bits. When someone gets their hands on my legs and makes it hurt, my legs feel so much better after. Yet I have no idea why. They used to think it helped blood flow. That's at best questionable based on…

There are only two questions. Is it on brief? Is it any good? So make sure there actually was a bloody brief and everyone knows what it was The first job of a planner type is to feedback if its on brief, how and why The second is to help discuss how it can be…