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.
The Groundhog day principle.
Harold Ramis wrote, but ultimately left out the part of the ex-girlfriend who cast the spell on Bill Murray's character, meaning that he was sentenced to re-live the same day over and over
What brands can learn from dating apps.
When I started researching this topic, I quickly landed on articles that explained why men fail at online dating. The correlation between some brands and how they behave in the marketplace was startling.
What clients should look for in pitch creative.
Creative work in pharma can't win a pitch, but it can lose one. So how should clients judge work that might never run anyway?
The redundant blog.
Sooner or later every one gets made redundant in this business. What strategies can you employ beyond going freelance?
Some opinions on opinions.
everyone has an opinion, who do you listen to?
How to get a creative job in advertising. 1980’s vs 2020’s.
Recently I was asked if I would give some advice to a friend of a young colleague on how to get into advertising, specifically as a creative. It occurred to me that I am not sure I know how anymore, so I said the best person to talk to was our junior art director, Ellie. Then I... Continue Reading →
Marathons versus sprints.
How do you feel about the gamification of creativity? You know: All night work-a-thons. Two day hack-a-thons. "Let's have a creative sprint!" "You mean doing the work in a really short space of time?" "Yeah but if we call it a 'Sprint' we can sell it as a thing!" Maybe I've just had my share... Continue Reading →
The slightly dark art of client services.
What would be the skills 'creatives' look for in account people if we had the choice? And would a client's reply to 'what makes a great account handler?' be the same as an art director's or a copywriter's? These are just some of the important questions I pretty much never ask myself unless writing a... Continue Reading →
Searching for a Braingasm.
The odd thing about ideas, you will have noticed, is that when you see a good one you almost only have to hear the title and know. I often think about the pitch to movie execs that wouldn't have had to get too much further than 'It's called The 40 year old virgin' to know... Continue Reading →