edhayne

[edhayne]

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

There’s an election around the corner in the UK, US, and France, which means politicians are telling more porkies than usual. Obvs.

Smarter people than me have written pieces on the psychology of lying in its various guises, but one area that I found particularly interesting is the belief that it might stem from the way we are brought up. I have three children and without hesitation, I’ve convinced them that Father Christmas exists, I do my timesheets every day, and that they must show appreciation for terrible, re-gifted birthday presents. This is a problem because as Psychologist Robert Feldman, author of The Liar in Your Life, points out, “We give our kids very mixed messages. What they ultimately learn is that even though honesty is the best policy, it's also at times fine and preferable to lie about things.”

So, what’s all this got to do with my day job? Well, the Advertising Association recently published a report which stated that for the first time in a decade, advertising is “no longer the least-trusted industry”. Hardly cause for an open top bus parade (fittingly, the preferred media touchpoint of the deceitful), but positive news for those who believe that McCann’s “truth well told” mantra is something we should all get behind.

However, before we get too carried away, there are still some big issues that aren’t showing any signs of going away that I want to explore further.

The first is the politics of agency life. The stories I’ve heard about the regularity of history being quickly re-written by power-hungry, insecure individuals when their bosses aren’t happy with a piece of work, is startling. Integrity goes out of the window and the blame game begins. It’s an age-old problem in all walks of life, but it saddens me that as I’ve got older it’s become more obvious. I love working in advertising because of the teamwork that goes into creating great work. The serial liars who brown nose their way up the food chain therefore remain a scourge on our industry and need ratting out.

Secondly, I want to shine a light on some well-known brands that specialise in a specific type of bullsh*t that can often go undetected. A group with vivid imaginations, fake passports and a complete disregard for authenticity. Still not sure what I’m on about?

Meet the provenance porky tellers.

To be clear, I’m not talking about your Russian Meerkats or anything obviously fictional like that. I can also forgive brands like Aesop, Haagen-Dazs and Hotel Chocolat who’ve gone for an exotic name to aid brand perception but haven’t outright lied about their backstory. And I’m acutely aware that many products are no longer produced in the country where the brand was born.

My issue therefore isn’t with those who embellish the truth. It’s with those shameless bastards who tell outright lies about their origin.

Before going to town on them, unlike the agency brown-nosers, I actually have some respect for these mass market fibbers. Credit where credit is due, they’ve mastered the art of (fictional) storytelling and if their sales figures are anything to go by, their elaborate lies have paid off in the short-term.

However, they do also make me feel uneasy. Mark Twain told us to “never let the truth get in the way of a good story”, but if we’re to clean up our act as an industry, and distance ourselves from the sleazy world of politics, building brands on a web of provenance-based lies isn’t a great look.

At this point, it’s very tempting to reel off a list of names that would fail lie detector tests when quizzed about their birthplace. The likes of Hollister and Frankie & Benny’s are two examples, but given we’ll naively be guzzling pints of the stuff during the Euros, I want to highlight a more topical provenance porky teller.

A brand created in 2020 that’s less authentic than Del Boy’s “Peckham Spring Water”, but with a name I could imagine him casually dropping into conversation.

“Madrí Excepcional, Rodney, Madrí Excepcional.”

In case you didn’t know, Madrí Excepcional is “Madrid’s modern-style European cerveza”. Its logo is a man dressed in a traditional chulapo, its advertising is Spanish to its core and its tagline is ‘el alma de Madrid’, meaning the soul of Madrid. It’s an enticing proposition and I’ve been seduced by it on more than one occasion.

So, imagine my shock when an older kid told me that just like Father Christmas, it’s all a load of made-up bollocks.

The story goes that Madrí is a unique collaboration with La Sagra, a brewery Molson Coors bought in 2017, to create “an authentic Spanish lager”. Dreamy. But there’s a reason Spaniards look confused when you ask them about this beer. It turns out that Madrí has only ever been brewed by Molson Coors at several sites in the UK, including Tadcaster in Yorkshire. A lovely place I’m sure, but not Europe’s sunniest capital city. Furthermore, even if you believe the La Sagra partnership is genuine, it’s a brewery in Toledo, which is 70 miles from Madrid and the beer is not even listed as one of their own products. The rumour that Madrí is simply Coors Light with extra hop extract added to it, might explain their reticence and rival beer Mahou’s claim to be the “Real Taste of Madrid”.

Maybe all these lies don’t matter, and I should be grateful that I can enjoy an £8 pint of Tadcaster’s finest brew in London. Clearly, there are much bigger things in life to worry about and it’s worth mentioning that Madrí is now one of the UK’s biggest selling beers, so Molson Coors shareholders couldn’t be happier. However, the big unanswered question is whether their deception will stand the test of time? Trust can only be achieved when you employ the truth, so for the sake of our industry’s reputation, I hope they end up suffering the same fate as the Conservatives at the upcoming election. Unfortunately, that’s taken 14 years to achieve, so don’t hold your breath.

[edhayne]

The One with the Smart Design System

It’s been 20 years since the lights went off in Monica’s apartment and Friends came to an end. The concept, the talent and chemistry of the cast, not to mention the brilliant script writing, have attracted a legion of new fans to a show that the top TV networks still fight over.

However, as tempting as it is to write about Rachel’s haircuts or the comedic genius of the late, great Matthew Perry, I want to focus on an aspect of the show that gets less attention but is highly relevant to our industry. DISTINCTIVE ASSETS.

Now before you accuse me of being a tragic Byron Sharp tribute act, my musings are more concerned with how we can look beyond our day job for some practical inspiration, rather than trying to impersonate the legendary Professor (Sharp, not Geller).

But why Friends you might ask? Well, what better place to go looking for inspiration than a show famed for developing and deploying assets that didn’t just operate as separate entities, but as members of a carefully considered design system. Spoiler alert, do this and your brand is far more likely to grow.

Of course, there are many elements to explore, but in the interests of brevity, I’ve selected what I believe to be the most influential.

Element 1 – Costume Design

Just like their familiar catch phrases, when it came to the costume design, it was important that each character stood out on their own, but also complemented each other. So, designer Debra McGuire assigned each character a colour palette in season one. For the girls, Rachel typically wore greens and blues, Monica stuck to black, white, grey, and burgundy, and Phoebe got brighter colours and floral palettes.

As for the guys, Chandler's clothes were often vintage and racing stripe shirts, Joey's signature style was "defined by texture," and Ross, because he was a professor, "dressed appropriately," according to McGuire.

Element 2 – The Set

It’s no coincidence that Monica’s apartment and Central Perk live so vividly in our minds. Both provided the perfect canvas for the visual identities of each character to become established, whilst also giving the show itself a distinctive aesthetic. My old CSO at Ogilvy, Kev Chesters always stressed that a brand ‘owning’ something like a colour was “laughable, hubristic, utterly delusional & over-ambitious”. He argued that the best course of action was “to just claim it, and then once you spend enough time telling and showing the world that you are the one who is associated with it, then anyone else can’t be.”

As luck would have it, this is exactly what Production Designer John Shaffner did with the colour purple. As well as enhancing each character’s wardrobe, his rationale for Monica’s apartment wall colour was simple: "When you switched to 'Friends,' you saw that it is purple, and you stayed tuned." Furthermore, it helped other design flourishes to become distinctive assets, most notably the iconic golden frame that hangs on the apartment door.

The orange sofa in the coffee house is another example of using colour effectively. Found in the basement of Warner Bros studios, it literally serves as an emotive piece of brand furniture and is proof that you don’t need to unceremoniously dump as many brand signifiers as you can find, to secure attribution. In fact, the lesson here is the exact opposite. Namely, if you want an asset to become distinctive, give it room to breathe and think about its relationship with the environment it exists in.

Element 3 – Easter Eggs

Like any brand at the top of their game, Friends is a brilliant example of refreshing and building memory structures. Importantly, this was never at the expense of having some fun and driving visual intrigue amongst their audience. Take for example, the Magna Doodle on Joey’s apartment door. Fans became obsessed with the drawings and messages that changed subtly in every episode, and even started looking for hidden meanings.

Similarly, only the most eagle-eyed fans will have noticed that the colourful dots in the F.R.I.E.N.D.S logo have a hidden meaning. In case you didn’t know, each dot represents the main characters in the show. There are six dots for six friends and if you pay attention at the beginning of the opening theme, you will notice that each character holds an umbrella that corresponds to the colour of the dots. The likes of Aldi (think Cuthbert the Caterpillar getting arrested in their Christmas ad a couple of years ago), are expert practitioners of this approach, and it’s something I’d love to see more of in our industry.

Are little details like this why Friends is watched by millions across the world? Of course not, but they add personality to the design system and enhance the viewing experience for those who want to engage with the show on a deeper level.

A quick word count check has revealed that this article is in danger of turning into 18 pages (front and back), if I’m not careful. So, now’s probably a good time to sign off.

If nothing else, I hope it’s underlined the fact that there’s more to building a design system than painting every object in the brand’s primary colour or slapping the logo on screen throughout a telly ad. Recognising that each asset is only as strong as the other elements of that system, is essential in understanding how brands grow. Evidently, the team behind the world’s most famous sitcom got the memo.

[edhayne]

2024 : The Year Of Sport. What Can We Expect From The Ad Industry?

Some thoughts from me and others.

[edhayne]

Placing Some Gen Alpha Bets

Creative Salon kindly published some thoughts of mine.

[edhayne]

Tackling England Rugby’s Brand Challenge

It’s been well documented that a short-term obsession with making a quick buck is the enemy of building a truly great brand. With the Six Nations once again on the horizon, nowhere is this more evident in sport than the brand management of the England Men’s Rugby team.

Rugby Union in England is battling all kinds of issues on and of the field, including concerns around the life changing impact of head injuries, professional clubs going bust and the remarkable decision to punish serial club ‘winners’ Saracens for salary cap breaches with a fine and relegation, whilst allowing them to keep their illegally won trophies.

These issues have inevitably had a huge impact on the reputation and performance of the national side. However, in the interests of brevity, I want to focus on three other areas where England rugby has gone wrong in building a truly effective sports brand.

Let’s start with an easy one. Guess where England Men are playing all their home fixtures this season? Yup, once again our boys will strut their stuff at the upper middle-class concrete mecca that is Twickenham stadium. For over £100 a ticket, ‘fans’ can glug overpriced beer to their hearts content. It pays handsomely in the short-term for the Rugby Football Union (the national governing body for rugby union in England) because they own the stadium, but it’s hardly the actions of a business committed to promoting the game beyond its southeast heartland and public-school boy loyalists. Indeed, if you’re a believer in penetration over frequency, Twickenham on game day is the stuff of Professor Bryon Sharp nightmares.

Conversely over in France, the men’s team are playing fixtures in Marseille, Lille and Lyon, with the French rugby union using preparation of the Stade de France for the 2024 Olympics as an opportunity to play games away from Paris. Tickets are selling like Marie-Antoinette hot cakes, excitement for the tournament is building across the country and the matchday atmosphere will be far livelier. Meanwhile, in England, the great football cathedrals in the north will remain rugby free zones, which can only be to the detriment of the national side’s brand health and therefore longer-term commercial interests.

The latter point is perhaps why the quality of rugby related advertising has dwindled. In fact, I think you’d have to go back as far as 2015 when England hosted the World Cup to find something memorable. For that tournament, we were blessed with Samsung’s School of Rugby, a campaign that showed genuine audience empathy and understanding of the brand’s novice role in the game.

O2 also used to do some lovely creative work around the game and Guinness normally have something interesting to say. However, too many brands are now falling into the trap of badging vs. enhancing the spectacle, with 'Official Partners' plastering their logo all over Twickenham, but doing little else.

Whilst bigger production and media budgets might not be forthcoming, sponsors are missing a trick by not doing distinctive work around a tournament that’s the envy of the Southern Hemisphere rugby powerhouses. Furthermore, if you look at the creative output from the RFU’s perspective, they should be demanding more from their partners to grow the profile of the national side. A nice cheque in the post isn’t enough. An iconic Rooney ‘Messiah’ poster or Carlsberg ‘Old Lions’ equivalent should be the level of creative ambition.

These famous examples featuring top class players brings me to my final point. Netflix has just released their equivalent of Drive to Survive for last season’s Six Nations. Undoubtedly a coup for the sport, but no guarantee that the all-important second season will be commissioned. The RFU certainly aren’t helping matters because England have a policy where they won’t select any players plying their trade abroad. It’s been put in place to supposedly protect the quality of the domestic league (where three clubs have gone bust in two years incidentally) and ensure players are always available for training with the national side.

However, the reality is a team that runs the risk of not being made up of the country’s best players. If the same policy existed in football, prized assets Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham would be in the international wilderness. Just imagine the national outrage and damage to the Three Lions brand.

Put simply, creating artificial rules around selection seems incredibly short-sighted. If England want to build a strong brand and broaden their reach, they need to have their most valuable assets on display.

So, there you have it. Three big but addressable problems facing a brand that’s been complacent for too long. Of course, rugby union has some other complex issues to grapple with, but when you break down the challenges I’ve outlined, we’re actually just talking about the fundamentals of building an effective brand.

Sort them out, and we might start competing on and off the pitch with our Gallic friends again.

[edhayne]

Are Brands Ready for Gen Alpha?

Some thoughts from me and others in the advertising industry.

[edhayne]

It’s Only a Comp Review (but I like it)

Keith Richards, who remarkably turns 80 this year, loved a competitor review. If you asked him about any of the Rolling Stones’ rivals, particularly a well-known band from Liverpool, his forensic analysis was far superior to those who searched his home for illegal substances. Armed with this knowledge, he was instrumental in crafting the band’s edgy image alongside Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Andrew Loog Oldham, who had previously worked with Brian Epstein and the Beatles.

Oldham actually didn’t get it right immediately. After being sacked by Epstein, he tried to beat The Fab Four at their own game by dressing the Stones in Savile Row’s sharpest attire. However, brand savvy Keith and Mick had other ideas. With Oldham’s blessing, the band decided to cultivate a very different raggedy look: never smiling in photos, never dressing the same and never getting matching haircuts. It worked.

Perhaps most telling was how they sold in the idea to their boss. “We were the instrument of Oldham’s revenge on Epstein,” Richards observed in his autobiography. Smart thinking from a band who understood the power of difference and the effectiveness of massaging the ego of a key decision maker.

Of course, a competitor review isn’t simply about searching for difference. Just ask Sir Paul McCartney. As well as antagonising the Stones as recently as 2021, by calling them “a blues covers band,” one of his most distinctive tracks was inspired by another iconic British group, The Who. The story goes that he read an interview with Pete Townshend, who claimed to have “just made the raunchiest, loudest, most ridiculous rock ‘n’ roll record you’ve ever heard.” Ever the competitor, this revelation convinced McCartney to write a song as equally wild. The result? Helter Skelter, a track so intense that it famously gave Ringo blisters on his fingers during a gruelling recording session.

So, why am I rambling on about some of our finest musicians and their interest in competitor activity? Put simply, I think it’s becoming a neglected skill in advertising. And given it’s something that clients value incredibly highly, this development makes no sense to me. Yes, we can all quote Binet & Field and give Byron Sharp the airtime he craves, but if you want action around the boardroom table (and marketing budget signed off), a timely and emotive piece of competitor analysis might be the better bet.

My main issue isn’t the volume of competitor review documents being created. It’s the quality of those being circulated. Not only do the size of the files shared give every IT department around the world a heart attack, all too often, recipients are subject to a style of commentary that makes even a job in procurement sound interesting.

We’re paid to have a point of view, so let’s have one. And why not throw in some provocations or include work from outside of the category if it’s helpful? The output should be a succinct document, including easily digestible media spend data, not flabby blandness that clogs up people’s inboxes.

Maybe it’s because more junior agency employees are tasked with sourcing the creative that their remit has expanded. Unofficially, they’ve become the agency’s Chief Competitor Officer, aided by the fact that they’re the only team member who can remember the agency’s Ad Dynamix login.

Before I’m accused of stifling the prospects of young talent, I’ve always been a huge fan of those who embrace this role, not least because it’s the perfect way to make a great early impression with senior clients. However, the quality of output needs to reflect the impact this type of work can have in the boardroom. Proper training and input from more seasoned professionals can therefore make all the difference.

Every agency is different, but there seems to be an unwritten rule that as you progress up the ranks, spending time closely studying the competition is beneath your pay grade. Tell that to Sarina Wiegman, the hugely successful manager of the Lionesses, whose expert analysis of the opposition helped England triumph at the Euros, or Netflix who famously concluded that their biggest competitor was sleep.

Speaking of which, I’m acutely aware that if you’ve got this far, there’s a danger you’ll start to nod off if I’m not careful. So, why not grab yourself a McCafé (now there’s a brand who know their competition), stick on an old Stones record and carve out some quality time with your brand’s friends and foes. You might just find that the category isn’t characterised by a convenient ‘sea of sameness’ and your proactive work that’s been gathering dust now makes complete commercial sense.

That ageing blues covers band did alright when they gave it a go.

[edhayne]

I Love Scamp

The TV adaptation of Charlie Mackesy’s bestselling illustrated book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse was the most watched BBC programme on Christmas Eve. Maybe I’m getting overly sentimental in my old age, but I thought the understated short film brought the tale of unusual friendships to life beautifully.

However, what really grabbed me was the accompanying documentary which lets us into the author’s world and his meticulous way of working. It’s a fascinating watch and reaffirmed my belief that committing pen to paper remains one of the purest forms of creative expression.

Before I’m accused of being a technophobe, I’m not advocating that we all unplug our computers and ignore the opportunities that technology enables. Even I’m not that naive, but I am suggesting that we’ve neglected an important craft that deserves a renaissance.

Still not sure what I’m on about? Let’s cut to the chase. I’m referring to the lost art of scamping.

Watching Charlie work his magic over Christmas served as a reminder of just how powerful drawing can be during the creative process. So powerful in fact that a hand drawn scamp is capable of not only enhancing an idea, but also playing a valuable role in protecting it.

Let’s start with how they can make an idea better, sometimes even serendipitously. When talking about one of his most popular sketches, captioned ‘the greatest illusion is that life should be perfect’, Charlie reveals that whilst the ink was drying, his dog walked over the drawing ‘clearly trying to make the point’. It’s an anecdote that captures the possibility that comes with hand-drawn work. Yes, Charlie got lucky, but he was using a medium that lends itself to ideas being built upon organically.

There’s also something to be said for the originality that sits at the heart of a scamp, with our thoughts given the freedom to flow onto the page. It’s why I always loved the pencils handed out at BBH. No doubt some of the world’s greatest advertising campaigns started with one of them, a blank sheet of paper and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

If being creative is about doing new original things, defaulting to image libraries when an idea is in its infancy makes little sense to me. Of course, the right kind of accompanying creative reference is invaluable, but placeholder visuals so early on can distract from the core idea and lead to subjective feedback. Why? Because you’re asking the client to takeaway rather than build upon what’s in front of them.

Naturally the agency blames the client ‘for being too literal’, but if we’re armed with this intel, why do we continue to try and sell creative that sort of looks finished, but is nothing like what we really want to make?

We’ve all been there. “What you’re about to see is not the final execution”. “Think of it like a posh scamp”.

It’s a dangerous game and whether we like it or not, creative presentations are passed around internal stakeholders who understandably aren’t always up to speed on the intricacies of a ‘posh’ scamp. Take away the agency disclaimer voice over and it’s hardly surprising that so many good ideas move onto death row without a fair trial.

It’s why I believe the protective role a ‘common’ scamp can play in the creative process is one of its biggest strengths. Ideas are fragile and need to be nurtured. Like a handwritten letter, there’s something more human and therefore persuasive about a new concept presented in its rawest form, particularly given how rare a technique it’s become.

From a strategy perspective it’s why we often include a photograph that captures the organised chaos of a client/agency workshop when presenting back. Even if the day was largely unproductive, (FYI – many ideas are bad ideas), the sea of luminous post it notes with illegible scribbles conveys a sense of shared ownership and a feeling that brief was interrogated from every angle.

Thankfully Charlie Mackesy wasn’t referring to the output from a workshop when he revealed “it blew his mind that he was sitting talking about a film which began with drawings”. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but when you look at the quality of his craft, the medium he embraced and the cultural context, there’s a reason why he’s been so successful at selling his work alongside his team.

One of the most important jobs in advertising is to shorten the odds of a client buying great ideas. Like a penalty shoot-out in football, it’s a fallacy to suggest it’s a lottery. That’s why the best agencies obsess about creating the right conditions for a successful meeting. And whilst the humble scamp might not always be the answer, it’s certainly not a bad place to start. Just ask Charlie.

[edhayne]

Music Lessons from Sunderland, Succession, and the Super Bowl

Nice to have my ramblings published by LBB

[edhayne]

Golden Oldies

On a miserable locked down Thursday in February this year, I turned 36. It’s an unremarkable landmark in normal life, but in Adland it’s a significant one. I was now officially older than the average person working in a UK agency. I then checked the IPA website and realised that I was in fact two years older than the average. It was a tough day made only marginally better by a Caterpillar birthday cake that didn’t come from M&S. Sue me.

I think 34 being the average age is a bonkers stat and along with some of my peers feeling a lot happier after leaving agency life, it did make me question if my days in the industry were numbered.

As ever, I turned to my first love, sport for some much-needed inspiration. Of course, there are painful stories of careers being ended prematurely and athletes growing disillusioned with the state of their profession.

However, it quickly became apparent that after years of retiring off people in their early to mid-30s, recently there’s been a real trend towards ‘older’ professionals continuing to set the standard.

For instance, NFL quarterback Tom Brady won his 7th Super Bowl at the age of 43.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the highest international scorer in football at 36.

Serena Williams and Roger Federer, arguably the two greatest tennis players of all time, are top 10 players, both aged 39 years old.

37-year-old Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini broke English hearts at the Euros and Zlatan Ibrahimović continues to score goals for fun, despite turning 40 in October this year.

Yes, they’ve generally been lucky to avoid serious injuries during their illustrious careers, but along with their invaluable experience, there are reasons why these athletes have remained at the top of their game.

Three in particular standout.

1. Playing to their strengths, not what convention says they should do because they’ve reached a certain age.

2. Their resourcefulness and willingness to embrace new training methods to remain fresh, relevant and at the top of their game.

3. By cross referencing their ongoing achievements, they’ve created a movement that has shifted people’s perceptions of ‘ageing’ athletes.

So, aside from delivering a better work life balance (clearly a huge problem), what would I change about advertising to ensure our industry doesn’t lose its best players when they still have so much to offer?

Encourage and reward people who keep playing:

Becoming a Creative Director isn’t for everyone. Great creative teams should be encouraged to remain great teams by being paid top dollar. I’ve never understood why brilliant Art Directors and Copywriters are advised to stop directly making things. Money comes into it, but perhaps it’s because as a CD you can lay claim to more awards, regardless of your actual involvement. Or because you don’t like others critiquing your work when you get to a certain age. But for every Alex Ferguson or Pep Guardiola there’s a Tony Adams, Thierry Henry or John Barnes. The sporting world is gradually waking up to the fact that great players don’t always make great managers, but in the advertising industry we remain obsessed with job title, rather than paying people handsomely for what they’re best at.

I think my department is quite good at avoiding this trap. The wise ‘old’ Planners tend to remain very hands on and lead by example, rather than being required to ceremoniously uninstall PowerPoint on their 40th birthday. However, we’ve still lost some brilliant thinkers along the way, either to pointless admin meetings that eat up their day or because they don’t fancy being a Head of Strategy or CSO.

Never stop the training:

Unless it’s management or leadership training, in my experience, budget is rarely set aside for seasoned professionals. I’m not sure how wise that is. Why exclude your most valuable players from learning new skills or honing their existing ones?

Tom Brady’s remarkable career is a story of natural ability combined with an incredible worth ethic and an open mind. His seven Super Bowl rings aren’t simply a product of the training camps he went on in his formative years. He’s learnt to adapt his game and credits his longevity with the practical advice he’s received from innovators, many of whom were in nappies when he won his first championship.

Stop bleating on about the past:

Some of those so called ‘legends’ who do remain in advertising have fuelled the problem. Of course, experience is of huge value to the creative process and it’s nice to reminisce every so often. However, endlessly criticising the current state of the industry and claiming we used to operate in a world where every piece of work was a masterpiece is tedious to listen to and plainly not true. It’s a classic case of the peak-end rule in action and has created unnecessary division and negativity.

The positivity and hunger that emanates out of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Serena Williams couldn’t be more contrasting. These are superstars who have won it all, but their focus is on the present and what they can achieve in the future. They’re serial winners who want to inspire others to keep playing, rather than telling everyone how great things used to be.

Ask Tom Brady which Super Bowl ring is his favourite, and his answer says it all.

"The next one."

I firmly believe that creativity doesn’t have a sell by date. In his brilliant book ‘Go Luck Yourself’, Andy Nairn points out that whilst research from the University of Toronto found that older people were less focussed than 20-somethings, the tendency of their minds to diverge, wander and draw on wider sources was precisely what made them better at creative problem solving.

So, let’s keep busting the ageist myths, empower people to keep doing the jobs they’re good at, and make the working environment as hospitable for everyone as we possibly can. Our talent pool and creative output will be significantly richer and more effective, if we do.

[edhayne]

Germans bring out the best in Brits

“We must turn from doubters to believers,” said Liverpool’s new manager as he sat in front of the cameras and lights of the world’s media in 2015.

Five years and multiple major trophies later, in an age where broken promises have sadly become the norm, everyone’s a believer in Jurgen Klopp. Should we be surprised? Well, few things in life are guaranteed, but if you’re going to make predictions about likely success stories, German and British collaborations are a good place to start.

Where did the Beatles go to hone their craft? Hamburg. Who designed their iconic Revolver album cover? Klaus Voorman. Where did David Bowie choose to live when he hit a wall creatively? Berlin. Where was Sir John Hegarty when he first spotted Audi’s now famous tagline ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’? Ingolstadt. Which supermarket is the fastest growing in the UK? Lidl. I could go on…

Evidently, something special happens when ambitious Brits and Germans get together. The two nations seem to bring out the best in each other, unlike other more celebrated international partnerships.

So, aside from working in Germany, with Germans or on German brands (Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho is proof that you should try all three), what can we extract from these incredibly successful Anglo-German collaborations to improve our creative output?

Preparation:

There are many reasons why VCCP have a phenomenal pitch conversion rate, but their thorough preparation is often cited as a key factor. Just like Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and the Beatles in Hamburg, their new business team have recognised that rehearsing relentlessly is where the difference between good and great is often made. ‘Winging it’ might occasionally pay off and everyone seems to have a ‘fly by the seat of their pants’ story to tell, but all too often it ends in disappointment.

In Germany, it’s completely unacceptable to turn up unprepared. Perhaps this explains why so many talented Brits have fulfilled their potential under German leadership. Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and Klopp’s Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, are just two examples of Englishmen thriving in an environment where meticulous preparation is non-negotiable.

Decisiveness:

You only have to compare Boris Johnson’s muddled approach to Covid-19 with Angela Merkle’s to understand the importance of taking swift and decisive action when presented with a problem.

Like any half decent advertising agency strategist, Klopp is renowned for insatiably gathering information before condensing it into the essential and most urgent details. Inside Melwood, Liverpool’s training ground, this is regarded as a key skill that helps drive one of his most notable qualities - the ability to take big decisions rapidly and getting those decisions right.

Similarly, Hamburg was where the Beatles realised that if they were going to fulfil their potential, they’d have to change their line-up. Stuart Sutcliffe’s heart wasn’t in it and Pete Best was famously replaced. Whilst Brian Epstein and George Martin were influential in these decisions, the band’s time performing on the city’s unforgiving Reeperbahn hardened Lennon and McCartney’s resolve. Their creative product was stronger because they identified a more talented operator and, once Paul accepted that he couldn’t play all instruments simultaneously, acted decisively.

Punctuality:

Klopp is the exact model of planning and efficiency he expects of others. He insists on punctuality and many players have learnt the hard way. Meanwhile, advertising industry employees spend a large portion of their already busy working weeks waiting for ‘important’ meetings to start. And then when they eventually do, the absence of a clear agenda often renders them completely pointless.

Refreshingly, most Germans don’t do fashionably late at work. Instead they’ve recognised that whilst punctuality might not be the sexiest of agency attributes, it gives people more practical working time. Perhaps that’s why four of the top ten independent agencies in the world are from Germany and the likes of Audi have been able to create such beautifully crafted advertising in the UK.

Looking first from within:

Klopp’s dream at Liverpool is to have a team full of Scousers. Culturally, he gets the importance of having people in his team who embody what the club is all about. Not that he is a romantic. If there’s a game-changer elsewhere, Liverpool will be on the prowl. 

Promoting from within is not only cost effective, but it also creates stability. If you look at Agency of the Year winners, a consistent theme is the presence of a leadership team that has ‘homegrown’ talent at its core; people who’ve risen up through the ranks and get what makes the agency tick.

Sadly, too many agencies are making decisions from a spreadsheet, which has resulted in the next generation of leaders plying their trade elsewhere or leaving the industry all together. Klopp’s read Moneyball, but true to his German roots, his Liverpool squad uses data to fine tune performance, rather than becoming a slave to it.

David Bowie, an artist loved by the Liverpool manager, famously fled LA to Berlin driven to the brink of madness by cocaine, overwork, marital strife and a paranoid obsession with the occult. Whilst I’m not suggesting that we should all do the same (only a few of us share all five of these issues after all), embracing the German way of life might just make us better at our jobs. It’s certainly worked at Liverpool FC, a team that once again is the envy of the world.

[edhayne]

Finding Our Religion — The gospel according to Hereford

[NB. This was written for Ogilvy & Mather’s ‘Get Out There’ initiative and was originally published in April, 2017]

The Church.

“The first great global brand.”

Wise words as ever from Sir John Hegarty. But is this another famous old institution that has lost its way in the UK? A global heavyweight lacking relevance in a country it used to dominate?

At a glance, you would say no.

Despite being an increasingly multicultural nation, 56% of the UK population state that they are “Christian” when asked their religion in the national census. A healthy number that no doubt keeps the global bosses happy.

However, this only tells half the story. Latest figures show that 1.4% of the UK population go to Church regularly. Are these statistics surprising? Perhaps not. But they certainly raise questions that the data alone cannot answer.

We therefore decided To Get Out There and explore what it now means to be considered a “Christian” country. Canterbury and York made the shortlist of prospective locations, but we settled upon Hereford, a cathedral city that attracts more weekly worshippers than anywhere else in the UK.

From casual chats on the streets to attending a Sunday Church service in a converted cinema, we met some fascinating people and learnt valuable lessons along the way.

The silent majority:

First up, we wanted to understand why people ticked the “Christian” box in the national census. For regular worshippers, the answer was obvious, but things got more interesting when we asked those that rarely set foot in a Church.

“I’m not sure what I believe, but I celebrate Christmas.”

“I was baptised when I was younger. I’m a Christian whether I like it or not.”

“It means I’m not a Muslim.”

Should the Church care about these varied reasons, or have they done their job by convincing over half of the UK population to tick the box? To use a football analogy, the Christian faith seem to attract a lot of fair-weather supporters — ‘fans’ that rarely come through the turnstiles, don’t watch the action on TV, but have a team when pushed for their allegiance. This might suggest that they have little in common. In fact, many of the people we spoke with shared traditional Christian values.

“I want my children to be generous, humble and respectful of others.”

“Telling the truth matters. I wish politicians would remember that.”

In a divided country with increasingly binary narratives, this was particularly refreshing to hear.

However, a more candid member of the clergy, outright questioned what these ‘passive observers’ actually bring to the Church. Perhaps naively, he pointed out that they’re not a source of revenue and their primary reasons for identifying as a ‘Christian’ were hardly positive.

The elusive youth market:

The same Vicar was equally outspoken about where the Church has been going wrong. Like so many 21st century brands, an inability to attract the next generation was cited as the biggest issue. This was a view shared by Church goers, box tickers and outright rejecters.

“Why should I be told what to do?”

“I’m not sure what the role of the Christianity is in modern life.”

These attitudes partly explain why Hereford has several Churches where the average age of the congregation is well over 70. However, unlike other parts of the UK, the city has had some success going after the youth market.

Our visit to The Freedom Church gave us amazing insight into the type work that has been undertaken.

Everything from the building, a converted cinema to the VIP welcome we received, made for a surreal Sunday morning. The service felt like a well-rehearsed Ted Talk, had the raucousness of a rowdy gig and the energy of a highly charged political rally. The congregation was vocal and passionate.

“You’re SO right Pastor.”

“Ay-men to that.”

The whole operation was more attune to a Silicon Valley start-up than a 2000-year-old global institution. Pastor Gary aka ‘Pastor G’ took on the role of Steve Jobs, but we also heard from a variety of other well-groomed individuals.

Consistently the focus was on what you can do as a Christian, rather than what you can’t. Extracts from the Bible were simply used as points of reference and the service was live streamed on the internet. The Crucifix ‘logo’ was nowhere to be seen and an array of artisan coffees fuelled the merriment. Their narrative was simple:

“Our vision is to connect anyone, anywhere to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.”

“We’re inclusive of all types of Christianity.”

“We practise a religion that’s for everyday life.”

It was impressively slick and had evidently struck a chord with a more youthful congregation. A chat with a member a few hours after the service summed up the pervading attitude of regular attendees.

“The Freedom Church is like a caring father. It guides me through everyday life without talking down to me.”

With all this positivity, we were keen to explore how this Church was perceived from ‘the outside’.

Tellingly, many hadn’t even heard of it. Those that had were dismissive and even viewed it with some contempt:

“A collection of happy clappy weirdoes.”

“Americanised nonsense.”

“They’re still ramming the religious message down your throat.”

With time a precious commodity, especially over a weekend, people cited the lack of a more mainstream middle ground as the biggest problem facing the Church.

“Why can’t the Church just be normal?”

“They always end up saying something that makes me feel awkward.”

“I’d rather watch Match of the Day with my kids on a Sunday morning.”

“To appeal to everyone we need something more in the middle (something between Freedom Church and more traditional services such as Church of England).”

Familiar franchisee problems:

Given the willingness of Hereford locals to openly discuss religion and their many shared values, perhaps it’s surprising that a more mainstream offering hasn’t surfaced. The city is awash with varied Christian places of worship and there’s a noticeable lack of other religious buildings.

One local was particularly proud to have “kept other religions out,” citing Judaism and Muslims as “the enemy.” An isolated opinion of course, but still alarming to hear.

On a more positive note, communication between some Hereford Churches has grown much stronger in recent years. Members of a Protestant congregation spoke of different Church communities sharing ideas and empowering each other to adapt.

“There’s far more that unites us than divides us”.

However, infighting, even between the same Christian sect, has proved to be a big barrier to reaching out beyond regular attendees. One Catholic worshipper even outright accused The Freedom Church of:

“Bastardising the Christian faith”.

Whilst people understood that constant meddling wasn’t the answer, the complete lack of a consistent message between Churches was cited as a major obstacle to more mainstream appeal. Furthermore, the calibre and training of some of the clergy was also called into a question.

Populating popular culture:

Throughout our visit it became clear that Herefordshire residents weren’t afraid to express an opinion. People’s views varied, but the conversation often centred upon upping the Church’s cultural relevance.

“Yoga and mindfulness are more popular than ever before. Going to Church isn’t that dissimilar. They’re missing a trick.”

“Why does the Royal Family dress so formally when they go to Church? They’re setting the wrong example.”

Above all else, people agreed that all Christian faiths needed to be far more open-minded and willing to re-think their messaging to tie in more closely to modern life.

Navigating the ecclesiastical boardroom:

We left Hereford with more questions than we answered. One weekend in the city was never going to be enough, but even a fleeting visit gave us valuable insight.

In particular, the trip revealed that there’s plenty that can be done to get more people actively involved in the Church.

So, what were the three biggest lessons?

1) You’re only as good as the experience you deliver on the front line — everyone rightly marvels at John Lewis’s creative work, but the experience at the point of sale is equally on point. Most of the people we spoke with in Hereford, including members of the clergy, felt that whilst freedom of expression was a good thing, a clear mission statement and some inspirational guidelines were equally important.

2) If you’re a global brand, fight powerfully for a UK relevant version of the brand narrative — letting the global bosses rule the roost is a huge barrier to attracting new customers.

3) Be clear about how any sub-brand launch complements the Master Brand — the Church has a brand architecture that’s become so complex, newcomers and those looking to re-engage don’t know where to start.

Evidently, the task for the Christian faith in the UK is huge and daunting, but many of the raw materials are in place. In a divided country, we found plenty of evidence to suggest that fundamental Christian values still matter to many people. Furthermore, how many other brands would love to have stunning buildings, big calendar events and array of charismatic employees in their armoury? Having 56% of the UK population on your books is handy too.

Challenge one is to make sense of these varied assets for a modern-day mass audience. Easier said than done. Challenge two is convincing those at the top to make some fundamental changes. That’s the really tricky part.

In fact, maybe it’s a brief for Sir John himself?

Listening to the people of a Hereford wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

[edhayne]

A Day Trip to Little Pyongyang

[NB. This was written for Ogilvy & Mather’s ‘Get Out There’ initiative and was originally published in March, 2018]

If you venture a mere 24 minutes from Waterloo on the train, you’ll find a south-west London suburb that looks a little different. That’s because along with a familiar swarm of commuters seeking a more affordable place to live near the capital, this place is home to 10,000 South Koreans and another 1,000 of their Northern counterparts. That’s the highest population of North Koreans outside of Asia. The place in question? New Malden, a.k.a. Little Pyongyang.

Since the Brexit vote, there has been a lot written about the resurgence of British nationalism and distrust of other ‘non-British’ cultures. The goal of our New Malden trip was to listen to the views of local North and South Koreans and hear first-hand how they were finding the Britain of today versus the country they’d experienced when they first arrived.

A less ‘welcoming’ nation? An island on a mission to self-destruct post Brexit? A global embarrassment?

Initially reserved in their responses, by the end of each conversation, we had some fascinating answers to some big questions.

Let’s start with the ‘less welcoming’ accusation…

Not according to those whom we met in New Malden. Yes, they recognised that it’s now harder to seek asylum or get a working visa, but once you’re in, armed with the right attitude, and the right language, the consensus was that life can be very rewarding.

“Everything is good here, why go back to South Korea?”

“I moved to England for my son’s education. I chose New Malden because of the culture and the food. Food matters to me. The ability to go to the supermarket and get kimchee, Korean soup was important!”

Of course, everything is relative to what you’ve been exposed to before, especially for New Malden’s North Korean residents, but it was refreshing to hear of everyday experiences that painted Britain in a far more positive light than the national press might have us believe.

We remain far from perfect hosts, but it would be short sighted to suggest that this is purely a recent development. Distressing stories of stones being thrown at people and their houses in the 1990s were recounted by some North Korean refugees and the administrative nightmare that both Korean nationalities face when they first arrive is an ongoing problem.

“Language was the hardest part. There was a translator, but not for business. It was hard in business.”

These unpleasant experiences for new arrivals aren’t going away, but it has become far too tempting to see the Britain we lived in at the turn of the century, through rose tinted glasses.

Furthermore, the people we spoke to emphasised the importance of integrating into British society to be truly accepted. They had little sympathy for those who didn’t.

“People need to learn the language.”

“Learning English was key.”

“You can’t just blame the government; we have to change too. What’s the point in being unemployed? We have to show everyone we are contributing.”

The South Koreans we spoke to also recognised that they’re not always as hospitable as they could be, with some traditional Korean national tensions remaining.

“They work for us, not the other way around.”

However, there were several references to an increasing number of shared events between Korean groups in New Malden now taking place, perhaps mirroring the thawing of relations back home.

One South Korean even went as far to suggest that:

“They [North Koreans] are our family. We have the same grandfather, same language, it’s a family.”

“I think the people from North Korea are now made to feel more welcome than ever before in New Malden.”

How big a deal is Brexit?

In today’s Brexit obsessed media landscape, the idea of our leaving the EU has become synonymous with the idea of Britain becoming a less welcoming nation. We wanted to understand just how important the implications of the Brexit vote was to the Korean migrants already living in New Malden. To our surprise, rather than becoming a hot topic of conversation, there was a feeling of general indifference. Put simply, it wasn’t a major news story to any of them. In fact, regardless of Korean nationality, most felt that the UK press was far too focused on Brexit, refugees from other countries and the supposed nuclear threat from Kim Jong-un. Almost all of them felt that there were more important issues to address, such as the plight of the North Korean people back home.

“When talking about North Korea, they never mention the people. There’s a media obsession with Syrian refugees. Why isn’t there more about the North Koreans living in extreme poverty? They still exist.”

“The people [of North Korea] need a voice, that’s so much more important than sanctions.”

The North Koreans also didn’t see Brexit as a bad thing necessarily. In fact, it was first time extreme language was used.

“The EU feels like an economic dictatorship.”

“I don’t like the idea of someone ruling for others.”

A South Korean mechanic and estate agent were equally disengaged with the Brexit debate, explaining that Europe wasn’t the reason they came to Britain and leaving the EU certainly wasn’t keeping them awake at night.

Have we become a global embarrassment?

The most enjoyable conversations throughout the day were around all the British quirks that many of us take for granted. Whilst New Malden is full of Korean businesses, the people were just as passionate about eating fish, chips and mushy peas on a Friday, whilst watching Phil Mitchell and Ian Beale comes to blows in the Queen Vic.

“My favourite Eastenders character was Abi Branning. I can’t believe they killed her off!”

So yes, maybe we are a global embarrassment, but it’s our primitive British take-away cuisine and ridiculous soap operas that are to blame, not the political issues that make front page news.

In fact, it was these British rituals and the open-mindedness of the British public that made New Malden feel like a place Koreans could happily call home.

“I like that we have a female in charge.”

“It was amazing to see newspaper shops and different skin colours when I arrived at the English airport.”

Great Britain?

A day in New Malden with a few Korean people will of course only reveal so much, but it certainly reminded us why we should still be proud to be living in Britain. At the risk of sounding saccharine, it’s easy to forget the incredible opportunities that are afforded to us, amongst the sea of negative headlines. The Koreans we spoke with were certainly unequivocal in their praise of our small island.

“If I could live anywhere in the world it would still be England.”

“I’ve grown to love the rain. Not every day is sunshine. The weather reflects life.”

Indeed, it was the attitude of those we spoke with that absolutely captured the best of what Britain today is all about. Both the North and South Koreans we met were proud of their roots, but equally they’d gone out their way to embrace and enhance life in New Malden. They welcomed us with open arms and with a contagiously positive attitude. If we all adopted a similar outlook, then maybe we’d realise that Britain isn’t such a bad place to live after all.

Also, did you know….

1. North Korean people actually do vote:

They dress up in their best clothing and bow in front of an image of Kim Jong-Il upon arrival. An armed guard watches from behind as they vote for the only option on the ballot paper.

2. Only North Korean men are allowed to smoke:

They were genuinely shocked to see women smoking in the UK when they first arrived.

3. There’s definitely some love for Donald:

The Koreans we spoke to were impressed by his unorthodox approach to dealing with Kim Jong-un and his empathy with the North Korean people.

[edhayne]

Be Like Scottie

It’s Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals. The atmosphere is electric inside the United Center, Chicago. The Bulls are leading 88-86, but Utah have a chance to send the series to a seventh game with five seconds left. The clock is ticking, but quick as a flash, a Chicago player intercepts the ball and knocks it ahead. Breaking up the play would have been enough to win the game, but this is a man at the top of his game who doesn’t need the last word to prove a point. Without hesitation, he goes on to set up a title-clinching slam dunk. Chaos ensues. He’s mobbed by his teammates. The courtside Nike Executives look on with delight. Their athlete has won his 5th NBA title for the Chicago Bulls.

His name: Scottie Maurice Pippen.

Like many others, I’m always looking to learn from people outside advertising, particularly those who approach their job in a way that makes me better at mine. The 6’8” Arkansas giant caught my attention in The Last Dance, a documentary on Netflix, because his primary role in the team was to allow the genius of Michael Jordan to flourish. Yes, the Bulls would probably have won the odd NBA title without Pippen, but his invaluable presence allowed the franchise to dominate a sport that isn’t meant to be dominated.

Similarly, pockets of great creative work will always exist if you have a superstar to call upon. However, if your team has ambitions to make an impact on a sustained basis, there’s a strong argument for having a Scottie Pippen in your ranks.

So, why was he such an asset to the Bulls and what can we learn from him?

1. He became the guardian of the team’s style of play:

If everyone did the same thing, life would be boring. However, a schizophrenic approach to problem solving creates confusion all round. In the early 1990s, The Bulls faced a similar issue. It was only when Pippen took decisive on-court ownership of Coach Phil Jackson’s ‘Triangle Offense’ style of play that things started to click. Individual expression was still encouraged, but he ensured that the entire roster was singing from the same highly effective hymn sheet, regardless of who they were playing.

Just like Scottie, wouldn’t it be refreshing to see agencies take greater ownership of their intellectual property and strive for more consistency in approach across clients? A distinctive agency brand depends upon it. Just ask the Saatchi brothers or Messrs Bartle, Bogle and Hegarty.

2. He made the job of the most important individual on the team, easier:

Jordan is arguably the most complete athlete of all time. Pippen was lucky to work with him. However, individual greatness doesn’t guarantee team success. Scottie therefore became the master of ‘selling’ Michael’s work, knew when to take a backseat and let Jordan do his thing, whilst also perfecting the art of a timely and measured intervention.

Similar behaviour would benefit our industry. Brilliant creative ideas are plastered all over agency walls. However, many of us have become experts in unnecessary meddling and increasingly sloppy at selling the work outside of the marketing department. If we’re to see the best ideas come to fruition, more people both agency and client side need to take on the role of Pippen.

3. He was the star of the show when required:

With MJ stealing the headlines, it’s easy to forget that Pippen was not only remarkably consistent, but also a big game player. Even with Jordan around, there were occasions when the Bulls needed him to step up and win the game. He rarely disappointed and lessened the burden on others in key matchups.

The lesson here is identifying those opportunities. Sometimes, we’re all guilty of overhyping our star player and not landing the killer punches elsewhere. More time needs to be spent working out how best to deploy individuals in meetings. And that doesn’t mean flooding the room with more people.

4. He owned up to his mistakes:

Before we get too carried away, Pippen was far from perfect. He could be petulant, notably when he refused to return from a timeout against the New York Knicks in a crucial playoff game. But, he held his hand up when mistakes were made and worked hard to get things back on track.

So, let’s stop fretting about team members screwing up. Instead, encouraging people to have a go and admitting their mistakes when things occasionally go wrong, should become the norm. If applied consistently, this shift in mindset will strengthen relationships, not damage them. Trust is a product of honesty, after all.

5. He amplified what he was good at:

Basketball players need a rounded skillset. Indeed, with only five teammates on the court, weaknesses can be ruthlessly exposed. However, Pippen knew exactly what he excelled at and used it to his advantage. That meant relishing the toughest defensive assignments and using his vision to set Jordan free in attack.

Even better, his best self perfectly complemented MJ’s. It was the ideal union and just like the most effective and celebrated partnerships in advertising, the relationship didn’t blossom by accident.

Michael Jordan ended up being MVP in that 1997 final. People drank Gatorade to ‘Be Like Mike’ and the hero-worshipping continues to this day. But obsessing about a once in a lifetime athlete can only teach us mere mortals so much. People are starting to realise that it’s far more useful to look elsewhere for inspiration. Thankfully when it comes to top athletes, you don’t have to look far. Michael’s favourite teammate, the guy who made that vital interception against Utah, is your man.