Commiting Brandicide.

Imagine this scenario: After ten years of marketing an orange soda drink, say one that has become one of the most famous brands in the world, the patent runs out and another, almost exactly the same, orange soda drink is launched by a rival manufacturer at 25p cheaper a can. The company that manufactures it... Continue Reading →

A couple of weeks ago Adweek ran an article that began thus: The mighty Empire has fallen … thanks to some yogurt. Deutsch/LA's 2011 Super Bowl spot "The Force" for Volkswagen, which enjoyed an astonishing 41-month reign as the most shared ad of all time, has finally been dethroned—by Activia and the World Food Programme's... Continue Reading →

The other Great War

In this week of remembrance and solemn thanks for the heroes of the Great War, who died on the fields of Flanders exactly a hundred years ago, I thought I might touch on a vastly inappropriate parallel: the unimportant war that we fight as creatives every day. (If this blog dies in research, sod it...it's... Continue Reading →

It’s not an ad, it’s a sales rep.

At the gleaming offices of PHARMACOMGLOM on the outskirts of Slough, it was set to be an exciting start to the week. The final candidate for the vacancy in the sales representative department was waiting in reception. He wasn't reading up on the company in the strategically positioned brochures like all the others had, he... Continue Reading →

Tony Soprano and the golden age of pharma

Transferring to the pharma division of Adland, leaving behind a moderately successful career in the wacky world of consumer creative (not fired too many times, a couple of awards, made it to CD, and some nice shoots and some excellent lunches) was definitely something I felt ready for, when the job offer came. But I... Continue Reading →

Why we need more primadonnas.

The term 'primadonna' is usually intended to be the ultimate crushing insult for a creative. Worse than being a talentless creative is being a petulant, precious one. It implies a fluffyness, a puffy sleeved temperament and an irrational obsession for all the icing on the cake not the sponge and it's intended to cut right... Continue Reading →

The 3 worst ways to judge creative

From outside the Pharma tent, you could be forgiven for thinking it all just looks like stock-shots and poor typography created by people not talented enough to make it in the big wide consumer world. OK, controversial start. But you and I both know that contrary to perception there is talent in them there hills.... Continue Reading →

The Cannes Canyon.

  In view of the upcoming inaugural Cannes Health festivities, when we healthcare creatives finally get to party like our slightly better looking, richer, yet infinitely shallower consumer cousins, I thought I would start penning some thoughts about the general state of the industry from my point of view as a recent convert from the... Continue Reading →

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