The ever mysterious, likeable and wise (he even manages to challenge the omnipotent Russell) is celebrating his 100th post.
You’ve probably got some favourite posts of your own, but apart from the debate with Russell, I’m liking the appreciation for the much maligned suits. Something planners would do well to copy I reckon.
Here’s something that will be both fascinating and very, very useful. It’s The Biggest Blog in History. Basically, they’re getting as many people as possible to record about the day they’ve just had. No dizzy sparks of wonder, just the ordinary things that happen to ordinary people. The things people really do, not what we sometimes convince ourselves happens. Bet no one mentions the word brand…
Here’s an article from the Times about it.
I love films and I think it’s important to pay to see them as often as possible, since the more you go see the films you like, the more they’ll make. A downside is being forced to sit through the ads. Not because I hate watching ads (most cinema ads seem to reward the captive audience with something worth watching, while TV ads – where you can go do something else – don’t, curious) but rather I start thinking about how they’ll work and what I would have done – sad I know.
But when I went to see ‘The Queen’ last week, not only was the film great, I got to see a new ad for Ben and Jerry’s Climate Change College. Not rewriting the advertising lexicon, but THE FACT THAT IT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE AN AD really got my attention. It was more a short documentary on young people going out to see the effects of climate change and passing on what they’ve learned. They wanted me to go to the website, which I did, and consider signing up for the next wave. Unfortunately I can’t since I’m over thirty (so Mrs Hovells can relax about me doing some grasping , at youth expedition for now) but the site and the blogs kept me reading for quite a while.
I’m not sure how I feel about Ben and Jerry’s doing this, but since they started doing the happy natural stuff long before some brand called Innocent came along, I’m sort of okay about it. How many brands could do this and appear sincere?
Anyway, I just liked the media approach and the way they involved me. I’ve talked about this to quite a few people, and not just in professional capacity. These days, any brand that can create that kind of conversation must be doing something right.
I’m not fussed for Ice cream, but looks like mine’s a Phish Food……
According to a Harris survey,a quarter of the UK population have created their own content online. 16.7% have made a website, 9.2% are bloggers. Podcasting is minor at 0.4% – and mostly male.
The number of posts today may suggest otherwise, but I have loads to do, not least that pitch. My mind’s gone blank and blogging is great way to think abot something else for a while. I’ll get back to it refreshed and realise how badly I’ve started. Ah well, at least there’ll be something to improve.
(by the way, I need a haircut don’t I? With my hairline the longer the hair,the balder you look)
I found this amusing, but I don’t agree with it.
This kind of thing is what makes the new series of Extras funny for me. There are jokes about every taboo subject you can think of, from what you can say in front of the disabled to homophobia. Even though you laugh, you know you shouldn’t. This is real genius of the show for me, it’s actually making fun of us and the difference between what we say and what we think. Brilliant.
Speaking of things you shouldn’t really laugh at, the website for the new Borat film is genius. For some it’s puerile nonsense,for others achingly funny. If you’re the latter, it’s brimming with classic clips, an excruciatingly funny reaction to the condemnation from the Kazakh government and, best of all, the link to an even funnier MySpace page. Loads to see and do, fun for the initiated, everything the new viewer needs to know before seeing the film. I like. Sacha Baron Cohen could teach quite a few of us about integrated planning n’est pas?.
It’s been quite a year for new stuff, some good, some not so great. Here’s some of 2006’s new arrivals:
Books are not better than other media, just different. And I think there’s a reason books will always have place, or at least long-form written communication. While visual media can be brilliant, and so can the quick fixes you get on the web, a problem can be missing out the nuance and complexity of longer collections of writing.
I don’t just mean that reading can be more demanding and therefore more rewarding, although that’s kind of true, it’s that they’re better for getting accross more complex detail. When you read a book, you’re not forced to follow a director’s pace, or make do with a quick snapshot that misses the real meat. You can stop and start when you want, you can linger over a certain point or even go back and read it again. This is great for fiction but even better for factual books and text books.
At the recommendation of Mr PH Colman I’m going to read Richard Dawkin’s ‘The God Delusion’. I flicked over it in Borders and I can already see it’s well written, full of complex argument and ideas. I won’t want to rush it, I’ll want to stop and pondera particular point, or grapple with an argument, maybe reading it a couple of times before moving on. It’s a bit like that when you read a textbook at school. You don’t read it once, you keep coming back again and again.
With other media you lose the depth, but you also have to fit in with the pace someone else has set for you. When it comes to really learning something new, and squeezing every drop from each sentence, it’s hard to think of a better medium than books, or for that matter, the meatier articles and essays in newspapers and some magazines.
I’m working on a utopian pitch a the moment. Clear point of difference, client that wants a famous brand. He loves communication that’s interesting enough to get passed on. One of those projects you dream of as planner. Or is it?
It’s easy to throw your opinions around on blogs and things, with wonderful theories that look great on paper. It’s another to actually do it yourself. There’s usually the comfort of the client ‘not getting it’, but what happens when you’ve got someone who just says ‘stick your neck out and be brilliant’? What happens when there’s no account person putting brakes on? We’ve got Kirsten; straight bat, will support you to the hilt.
Am I nervous? Of course. But being a bit afraid means you won’t stop trying. I’m going to be working with Stu which is a big plus. We’ll talk a lot, throw things around, fall out, argue and, in the the end enjoy every second of it. I like presenting stuff with him, he balances my faults. I tend to dance around and get over excited,while he’s got this horse whisperer thing going. Cool as a cucumber.
