Innocent, 21 Jump Street, and why consistency requires constant change
In 2012 they made a new movie adaptation of the TV show 21 Jump Street, where two cops (Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill) go undercover as students in a high school to bust open a drugs case. Near the beginning it has this great scene which I think is, weirdly, very strategically instructive. Basically, although […]
The creative canvas – the key to building a charismatic business
Sometimes people ask me the meaning of my company name, Basic Arts. It came from the original idea I had for the business, which in essence was to embed advertising-esque creativity and artistry into the very fabric of the company itself, rather than limiting it to external “media”. Basic = foundational, structural, the bones of […]
Appreciating scale – what to do with things you can’t control
There is a quote you may have heard which goes something like: “I am a libertarian at the federal level, Republican at the state level, Democrat at the local level, a socialist with my friends and family, and a communist with my dog”. The idea is designed to reveal the fatuousness of political labels, but when […]
Selling the nightmare: what happens to brands with weak strategy
It must be nice to be a dentist. They are an example of what we might call a “downside industry”, whereby people hire them not so much to achieve something good, as to avoid something bad. Downside industries don’t have to sell you an exciting or aspirational future; they simply have to scare you about […]
Fit in to stand out
I have been guilty, I realise, of giving brands two conflicting pieces of advice: You should stand out You should fit in You should stand out, of course, in order to lower competitive pressure, be noticed, and claim market territory. But you should also fit in, because this enables you to borrow certain well established […]
How conformity leads to conflict
Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene Romeo & Juliet __ Human beings are copying machines. This is the central idea of “mimetic theory”, which was put forward by historian René Girard to explain the motivations of human beings, the evolution of culture, and ultimately the rise of […]
Nickelback, Starbucks, and the power of in-authenticity
Everyone agrees, apparently, that it’s good for a brand to be “authentic”. So much so that it’s become one of those overused words that people are increasingly embarrassed to use: like “engagement” or “purpose” or “millennials”. We all know authenticity is good, there’s no need to go on about it. But then again… is it? […]
You are not your product
Many projects I work on begin with this rough scenario: Company launches product – sales grow – sales start to plateau – company doesn’t know what to do next The most obvious solution in this situation is to find some sort of “hack” (generally via marketing) to restart growth, but often this isn’t a realistic […]
Know your enemy
A couple of days ago I came across a great anecdote. It concerned the skirmish that broke out in the early 1750s between an Englishman called Jonas Hanway, and the hansom cab drivers of London. Hanway’s crime was being the first umbrella user in the city. Prior to that point umbrellas had only existed in […]
The problem with marketing, and how to fix it
Something is wrong with marketing. Looking back at my clients, I struggle to think of any that have a wholly positive relationship with it. For example: For those who invest heavily in marketing strategy, it often becomes a confusing and expensive burden; all convoluted brand pyramids, wheels, houses, and onions; built via excruciatingly protracted conversations […]