Hattable brands – what makes a business a cultural icon
Arguably there are two types of brand in this world: Those you could put on a hat, and those you couldn’t. Harley Davidson, Mountain Dew, Jack Daniels, Levis, Marlboro, Fender, Porsche; all “hattable” brands. Dell, Audi, Dove, Pepsi, Cadbury’s, FedEx; all great brands, yes, but not “hattable”. To be the sort of brand who an […]
The Toilet Paper Rule
We want to be the Apple of dishwasher tablets. We want to be the Nike of accountancy software. We want to be the Tesla of bathroom grout. We want to be the Supreme of clingfilm. We want to be the Netflix of medical waste disposal. Recognise statements like these? We all want to be the […]
Go big or go home – why the mass market still matters
Apologies in advance to foreign readers for the very British cultural references that follow – no doubt you’ll be able to sub in your own equivalents and still get the gist. ___ When I was growing up, I vividly remember our family’s Saturday night viewing routine: Blind Date, Gladiators, and Birds of a Feather. An unbeatable triple combo of […]
Sussex Royal, Ad Agencies, And The Danger Of Subjective Language
A friend of mine runs a film company, and as a result often works with advertising agencies. He once made a comment based on his experience which has always stuck with me: “Any time I see an agency refer to themselves as ‘creative’, I immediately know they aren’t”. I know I have many newsletter subscribers […]
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 […]
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 […]
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? […]
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 […]