Thoughts on creativity, Pharma and whatnot
There's probably four rules for taking a poo at work and five rules for tap-dancing at funerals, for all I know. In fact any job, pastime or bodily function, can probably be broken down in to a list of key guidelines. But what of our beloved pharma advertising? Can we break down the myriad of brands, disease awareness and internal comms in to a simple list of 11 briefs? Well, I reckon it's worth a shot, dammit. You're welcome.
For those of you who've sat on the PM society jury in the past you'll recall a big drafty room at the BMA in Russell Square and two days out of the office, walking round a room peering at rounds and rounds of cardboard. This year, like many awards shows, most of the judging took... Continue Reading →
You remember those first couple of years when Health and Wellness and Pharma were finally at Cannes? Anyone who was anyone flew in and there was an air of optimism for the future. And yet, how some of us lamented the fact that we seemed divorced from the main show, how we felt like second... Continue Reading →
Do you see yourself as a creative person? Try this test. Take a brick and list three things you can do with it. Some people will say 1. Build a house 2. Build a road 3. Build a bridge. If your top three ideas were 1. Throw through a jeweller's window, 2. Squash flies 3.... Continue Reading →
I've been honoured and lucky enough to have been asked to sit on three awards juries this year. Cannes Pharma, LIAs Health and I'll be attending Clio Health in November. I was asked to be on the Globals but although honoured of course, I had to raincheck that one. I do have a day job.... Continue Reading →
In the Harry Potter books, why we 'muggles' don’t see all the weird magical stuff happening around us is explained in one simple line. ‘Muggles see what they want to see.’ A similar myopia seems to pervade consumer advertising and Healthcare advertising. Maybe I'm being sensitive. Apparently, there were actually two whole categories at Cannes... Continue Reading →
1. As a Creative client. It was a few years ago now and it was my first visit to Cannes, and I swore I would never do it that way again. I had always been the senior guy who wasn't quite senior enough to go but was senior enough to hold the fort while the... Continue Reading →
Back in May I received one of those emails you cannot ignore. "Dear Olly, we would like you to be a judge in the inaugural Health and Wellness category at the LIA (London International) awards in Las Vegas in October." Hotels and flights paid for. Hmm, let me think for a moment. To be honest,... Continue Reading →
It's been an interesting year for judging awards shows, from my perspective. Two down, one to go. Last November I joined a small band of creatives and clients in judging the PM Society awards. As you may know, these awards guarantee a winner in all categories. Some people find that against the principle of an... Continue Reading →
So the week is over, and Lions Health is a distant Rose-tinted memory. It's been a weird period with the new CEO of Publicis, Arthur Sadoun, risking pissing off his entire creative workforce by pulling out from entering Cannes 2018 or indeed any awards, in order to spend money on an internal collaboration tool called... Continue Reading →
ollycaporn's blag 