Hola. Salut. Haai. Aloha. Hallo. Konnichiwa. ‘sup. Here’s a triumvirate of good news nuggets freshly mined from the gilded tunnels that permeate the bedrock under WMW Towers: we’ve picked up some international awards over the past few weeks. You like to know these things, right? Here’s the list. You like lists, right? Employee Engagement, IABC EMEA Regional Awards… [ MORE… ]
As you can see, I’m not immune to the occasional hilarious pun myself. But not when it’s so carelessly deposited in such a cat litter tray of Crayzee Advertising Copy as this. And especially not when it’s devoid of meaning (since ‘day’ traditionally encompasses both morning and afternoon anyway). Let’s face it, life’s way too short to have… [ MORE… ]
I’m always puzzled by people’s obsession with quantity over quality when it comes to creative ideas. You don’t need ten okay ideas. You need one great one. Then you put it everywhere. I went looking for an analogy to bring this thought to life. I found it in this (possibly apocryphal) story – posted in the comments thread… [ MORE… ]
You know that poster you just composed? Lose the last line. You know that presentation you just created? Take out every second bullet point. You know that email you just wrote? Cut the word count in half. Strike that. Quarter it. You know that ad you just crafted? Delete that clever intro you’re so proud of. You know… [ MORE… ]
A friend of mine recently finished an eight-week acting job in a very time-honoured and reputable Christmas show in Norfolk. Every year, coachloads of men and women of advanced years migrate to a tiny East Anglian village which has been transformed into a winter wonderland for their entertainment. And the spirited relinquishment of their grey pounds. It’s also,… [ MORE… ]
A client once told me they’d been on an ‘agency management’ course where they’d been told a clever little trick for getting the most out of agencies. And, in hushed tones reserved for the most game changing of revelations, here it is: ‘Never accept their first ideas.’ Predictably, this struck me as idiocy. I understand the (facile) rationale… [ MORE… ]
This branching video from Tippex is a clever use of youtube. Though beware the blue language in the set-up video. To me, it’s not only a touch gratuitous but also a rather uncomfortable fit with the brand it’s promoting.
Today a member of the Client Service team wondered over with what he purported to be a new brief. “So what’s the message?” I enquired. “They just want something generic,” he replied. At this point I ambled to the nearest available corner, curled up into a foetal position and started singing ‘Row, row, row the boat’ in an… [ MORE… ]
A common theme in the world of communication is ‘simplicity’. You know, making complicated stuff simpler so it’s more easily digested. But, while simplicity is a prerequisite of effective communication, alone it’s not enough. We’re not simply (there it is again) in the business of making things more easy to digest, after all. Marcus Wareing doesn’t just fillet,… [ MORE… ]
Today a client had the brazen cheek to give feedback on an ad I was involved with. I know. I was apoplectic too. The gist of it was, “We love it but could you tone it down a bit for the audience?” It will surprise no one to hear that this happens a lot when you work at… [ MORE… ]
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