Category Archives: advertising

Mind the gap. The advertising tango.

“Music is what happens between the notes.” Claude Debussy I was watching Birdman the other night. It is a beautiful film. One of the central themes for me is the gap between the internal and external reality we all have. What you think you are and what you think you should be. Where you areContinue reading “Mind the gap. The advertising tango.”

Sir Viv Richards. A masterclass in swagger.

“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” Rumi I will never forget their faces. A small cricket ground on the outskirts of Melbourne bathed in a special kind of evening sunlight you only get when you travel this far South. Huddled together in the middle of thisContinue reading “Sir Viv Richards. A masterclass in swagger.”

This message brought to you by Kim Kardashian’s arse.

The last word in show business is business. Mae West. Kim Kardashian is worth 65 million dollars. She also gets payed 10 000 dollars per tweet from various brands around the world to say something nice in less than 140 characters about their brands. And there are many that laugh at her. They say sheContinue reading “This message brought to you by Kim Kardashian’s arse.”

Just because you are a great Blacksmith it doesn’t mean you should make cheese.

Many years ago, I was in Cannes and I was introduced to a very enthusiastic young man. He reminded me of somebody who had been sent to a shopping mall to sell books for a cult he had recently joined. I asked him what he did and he said without a hint of irony thatContinue reading “Just because you are a great Blacksmith it doesn’t mean you should make cheese.”

Muhammad Ali and the Talent Code.

“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” Muhammad Ali As a boy I was obsessed with Muhammad Ali’s fights. I watched just about every single one. Frazier, Norton and Foreman were his greatest fights. It is interesting to note that they all happened when his youthful talent had begun to wane. In hisContinue reading “Muhammad Ali and the Talent Code.”

The romance and unhappiness of advertising.

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” J.M Barrie, Peter Pan If you are not fond of romance and unsubstantiated belief you should probably stop reading now. This week I have started to notice a wave of articles on how people in advertising areContinue reading “The romance and unhappiness of advertising.”

You never come all the way back.

“For my part I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Robert Louis Stevenson When I was young I detested travel. This was probably because I moved around so much. I went to sixteen schools because my father was a hotel manager. Ok,Continue reading “You never come all the way back.”

Remembering the gift not the wrapping paper.

Cannes is a magnificent car crash of creativity. This is my tenth visit and every time that car crash gets a little bigger and a little more spectacular. I was lucky enough to be invited to judge this year. So, for the first few days I got to look at 5500 entries. That’s over 2500Continue reading “Remembering the gift not the wrapping paper.”