I have to take my hat off to John Lewis for running what is a corporate (CSR we call it in the trade) ad rather than a Christmas ad this year.
It has no call to action for gift buying, it features no ‘product’ and let’s face it, if you had a skateboard on your Christmas list to Santa you wouldn’t expect your guardian (can’t call them parents any more) to source it from John Lewis.
So, instead what we have is a delightful story about a really, really nice man who fosters a very vulnerable looking teenage Skatergirl.
It’s a delight and I don’t give a fuck that it destroys Blink 108’s All The Small Things because I had no emotional connection to the song anyway.
What this does is make you genuinely feel that John Lewis is a good company for good people and it’s a good place to therefore shop, even though nobody has any money this year and Christmas is effectively cancelled.
My biggest shock is that it’s not Bill Callahan singing.
Phil and I go back a fair bit to our days at The Leith Agency where we overlapped as Account Directors, although we are both now Planners. (Him for many years, me for just one.)
I have to say I look up to Phil in professional terms as a planner of considerable heft and great thinking.
You can follow him on both LinkedIn and Medium where he often posts inspiring and beautifully crafted, simple explanations of a subject that we love. Sadly, it’s often shrouded in black art (usually to hide the indifference of the proponent’s abilities) but is, at its core, simply the distillation of evidence and research into insight in simple terms. Good planning should inspire creative teams to do great work, even if the commissioner is looking for something less than that, which sadly they often are.
What has, I believe, further connected us is our love of all things cultural and our tastes overlap considerably as his culture fix demonstrates. John Irving, and Cormac McCarthy. Tarantino and Wes Anderson. What I love (which I devoured in about three days after reading this when he sent me it last month). And Salvador Dali whose museum we have both visited.
Oh, and the wicked, but sublime, Ulster American.
Phil is also a quiet, gentle soul imbued with genuine kindness – I bet he gets great kudos from his girls (three I think).
He’s one of the ad industry’s good guys and, like me, is also an ex Chair of the IPA in Scotland, an honour that I know he enjoyed as much as I did.
Go Phil.
My favourite author or book
Bookshelves don’t lie. It’s clear that the authors I return to are modern, North American and male. I’ve read all of Chuck Palahniuk, all of Douglas Coupland, all of John Irving, most of Cormac McCarthy, most of Bret Easton Ellis, a lot of Elmore Leonard, and several James Ellroy. I read a lot of female authors too, but evidently with less dedication.
It’s crazy to pick one book, but I’m going with A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe. It’s epic. It’s a tragedy. It’s satire. A couple of reviews described it as Dickensian in terms of ambition and social insight. There are brilliant characters that stay just on the right side of larger than life.
I read that Wolfe’s main insight from researching and writing The Right Stuff was that the primary motivation influencing male behaviour is a quest for status. And he used that observation as the basis of his subsequent fiction writing. You can see it in The Bonfire of The Vanities and it’s there in spades in A Man in Full.
The book I’m reading
The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan, who is modern, Scottish and female.
I’ve read so much non-fiction of late that it’s a joy to be reading any novel again. But so far (I’m about a quarter of the way through), The Sunlight Pilgrims is not just any novel. There are interesting characters being tested by challenging circumstances, namely an impending second ice age in Scotland caused by climate breakdown.
The book I wish I had written
This is the one question I’m allowing myself not to answer. I haven’t ever felt like this about a book.
The book I couldn’t finish
I know it’s in vogue at the moment, but I haven’t learned how to not finish a book. That said, and despite him being modern, American and male, Don DeLillo’s Underworld was an arduous slog. Like climbing at high altitude – lots of effort to make little progress, with frequent rests required.
The book I’m ashamed I haven’t read
There are hundreds, thousands of books I should have read. But I don’t feel any shame in that.
My favourite film
Probably Pulp Fiction if I base my answer on how often I’ve watched it. Most films, I find, do not reward repeat viewing. But Pulp Fiction keeps on giving in many ways – characterisation, dialogue, monologues, messing around with structure, brilliant set pieces, and the Christopher Walken/Captain Koons cameo.
Based on the frequency metric, other candidates would be Man On Fire, An Officer and a Gentleman, The Shawshank Redemption, Grand Budapest Hotel and (another guilty pleasure) A Knight’s Tale.
My favourite play
I like subversive theatre. And, in a non-pandemic August, Edinburgh is soaked to the skin by a monsoon of subversive and experimental theatre that plays with form and space and genre. I’ve often wondered whether it’s true that you can smell the oxygen in the Amazon rain forest. I do know that in Edinburgh in August you can smell the creativity. Its heady scent is everywhere.
It’s impossible to pick a favourite from these unrestrained, intimate shows crammed into those tiny, incongruous Edinburgh Fringe spaces.
Two plays that were performed in a more conventional space (The Traverse) have stayed with me. Namely, Grounded starring Lucy Ellinson in 2013, and Ulster American in 2018.
My favourite podcast
What I Love. It’s beautiful. Theatre director Ian Rickson has conversations with artists on stage in theatres that are empty because of Covid-19. They talk about three things that each guest loves – a song, a film, a piece of writing – and in so doing they reveal themselves. I wrote about the many ways in which it is near perfect for the Formats Unpacked newsletter.
Also, the Jonny Wilkinson episode of The High Performance Podcast. It’s not what you’d expect. It’s about self-awareness more than sport. He talks about the profound difference between a mindset of control and a mindset of exploration. And his definition of confidence – being excited by the unknown – has stayed with me.
The box set I’m hooked on
Most recently, the gloriously funny French show, Call My Agent. Set in a Paris performing artist agency, each episode includes a cameo appearance by a famous film star. The dialogue is great, there are occasional moments of slapstick genius, and the character development over the four seasons so far is gripping.
My desert island box set would be Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, or both if I were allowed.
My favourite TV series
I don’t watch telly. Not watching telly is how I free up time for doing extracurricular things. I don’t consider it a sacrifice.
I used to enjoy The X Factor when my daughters were the right age and all living at home. It is brilliant television, brilliant storytelling disguised as a reality TV show. It employs all the elements of the hero/heroine’s journey, multiplied by the number of contestants.
My favourite piece of music
Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin. The whole album please. Such apparently effortless eclecticism. They were so much more than a rock band.
(Your wish is my command Phil)
My favourite dance performance
Dance was never really my thing. By which I mean that I decided it wasn’t my thing without ever giving it a chance to be my thing. It was the worst kind of pig-headed ignorance.
Luckily for me, joining the board of Puppet Animation Scotland in 2015 introduced me to the world of visual theatre. Since then, I’ve seen many shows involving dance and physical theatre, mainly at our annual manipulate festivals. The artistry and technical excellence of the performers, seen live and close-up, is a marvel. I’m not going to pick one.
The Last film/music/book that made me cry
I think it might have been the scene in I, Daniel Blake when single mum Katie is so desperately hungry that she eats the tin of beans in the foodbank. The very idea that something like that can happen in a supposedly advanced society. Injustice meted out to a character you care about is a good formula for a tearjerker.
The lyric I wish I’d written
She no longer needs you.
Oof.
She wakes up, she makes up She takes her time
And doesn’t feel she has to hurry She no longer needs you
For No One is my favourite Beatles song, which is obviously saying something. The stark, cruel beauty; the brutal economy; the non-negotiable finality of those lyrics. Written when McCartney was 24. Genius.
The song that saved me
I haven’t been saved by a song. But I do have a song that I listened to a lot at the time that I needed saving. First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes. The video is based on a powerfully simple idea. We see people’s reactions as they listen to the song through headphones. The song may not have saved me, but if you read the YouTube comments it looks like it has saved plenty of others.
The instrument I play
Sadly, I don’t. File under regrets.
The instrument I wish I’d learned
The piano.
If I could own one painting it would be
The Palace of the Air by Salvador Dali. This is a huge and hugely ambitious piece of surrealism that covers the entire ceiling of the Wind Palace section of the Dali museum in Figueres. It really does have to be seen to be believed. It’s immense and jam-packed with details that reward prolonged viewing until your neck starts to ache. It shows Dali and his muse ascending to a version of heaven, and the way he plays with perspective draws the viewer in so that you feel levitated, ascending with them. As well as the painting, I wouldn’t mind owning a space that would do it justice.
The music that cheers me up
The answer to this is a genre. Two Tone. A dancefloor filler by The Specials or Madness, maybe Night Boat to Cairo if I had to choose one. It’s not just about the infectious beat or the playful delivery, it’s a form of time travel back to my mid-teens when we were all gloriously irresponsible.
The place I feel happiest
Aside from being with certain people, it’s participation in creative acts that makes me happiest. It’s why I worked in advertising, it’s why I make documentary films, it’s why I write for pleasure, it’s why I’m on the boards of two arts organisations, it’s why I enjoy gardening.
The happiness of creating comes from the process more than the end product. The journey rather than the destination. So, I don’t really associate happiness with a particular place. A place for comfort? Yes. A place for stillness, spirituality and inner peace? Yes. Happiness, not so much.
That’s maybe ducking the question. So, in a cultural context, I’d say one of the smaller festivals. The Do Lectures on a farm outside Cardigan. Festival No 6 in Portmeirion. Or The Byline Festival in Sussex. Intense stimulation surrounded by my kind of people.
My guiltiest cultural pleasure
AC/DC
I’m having a fantasy dinner party, I’ll invite these artists and authors
Keith Richards, Sarah Silverman, Michael Palin, Molly Crabapple.
And I’ll put on this music
One of my eldest daughter’s Spotify playlists. She has excellent taste, and we have a symbiotic musical relationship whereby she uses my premium account and I get a superb curation service, better than any algorithm.
If you liked this there are many more to read now.
It’s quite scary how the world dates. This advertising based drama series was, unquestionably, Jeana’s and my favourite TV show back in the late 80’s and now it has returned on Sky Atlantic.
And, oh God, Mad Men it is not. Now, in its defence, it was capturing the zeitgeist of the time, not looking at history, and it does that perfectly.
The zeitgeist was quite clearly; how to be a total tosser.
Horrible, embarrassing in so many ways; in the fake Joi de vivre; in the competitiveness; in the dress; in the pursuit of money.
The whole thing reeks of pish and ham and the office based hoop shooting just makes you cringe.
This is pond life, cliched TV from hell.
How did we love it so?
Perhaps we were pond life competitive shit ourselves.
Deary me.
Oh and the theme tune fucking sucks now. (loved it then.)
In my business development role at STV I have had the pleasure this year of putting on events with Trevor Beattie of BMB, Mark Waites of Mother and now Sir John Hegarty, founder and creative director of BBH and the nearest you can come to a living legend in our industry.
He was spellbinding and bewitching.
So, so relevant. And a perfect gentleman. Not for him a trawl through the old BBH ads (of which there are dozens of gems to showcase); no, he talked a lot about the digital world (and how it fits so well with TV which remains at the heart of any really succesful brand campaign) and the opportunities it held in the midst of a deep recession where the guard could easily change fundamentally.
He waxed lyrical about X factor and the renewed vigour of ITV (and STV) as a vibrant and exciting audience builder.
It reminded us that this is not a bad time to be in advertising and that we just need to remain in touch with the media landscape and prepared to harness new technologies not be afraid of them.
After all when Guttenberg reinvented bookmaking in the 15th century what was the first book he printed?
Well. Two days in a row I featured in stories in The Scotsman. How odd.
Yesterday it was a story about branding…
Sweet tooth helps fight the recession
Published Date: 09 June 2009
By Erikka Askeland
WHEN the going gets tough, the tough are reaching for cakes and fizzy drinks to make themselves feel a bit better.
In recession-hit Scotland, consumers are splashing out on sweet favourites, and sales of familiar brands such as Irn Bru and Tunnocks tea cakes and caramel wafers are on the rise.
There are plenty of signs the shopper is cutting back on big-ticke
with Investec, one of the reasons for Barr’s strong performance was the cosy familiarity of the Irn Bru brand,
“There seems to be a resurgence of people going back to brands they trust,” says Mallard.
Mark Gorman, head of thinking at Think Hard believes that Irn Bru is a “fabric brand”, which has survived the test of time and is “fixed in the commercial psyche”.
These are not the cheapest in the shops but to consumers they signal reliability. Scottish brands which he believes make the grade include Irn Bru, Mothers Pride bread, Tennent’s lager, Lees’ macaroons , and of course, Tunnocks.
“Although people will cut back and look for cheap brands, you do tend to find in a recession they are still willing to pay more for branded goods in certain staple ranges,” Gorman says.
Can a fizzy drink really be considered a staple food? In Scotland, he says, it is.
“They are the important things in life, because they do trust those brands. You wouldn’t want to drink own-brand Irn Bru, would you?”
Fergus Loudon, the sales manager for teacake makers Tunnocks, says the group has come back from a slower-than-normal start to the year and its factory in Uddingston is “back to seven days a week”.
He adds that it is the trust people have in the brand as well as the need for a little sugary comfort that drives sales.
Loudon says: “To a degree, it is confidence in the older brands. The likes of ourselves, Barrs, Baxters, Walkers – they are all iconic Scottish companies and they have been around for a long time. I think the consumer can relate to that and they have confidence in the stronger brands.
“They think: ‘Ah, that is good – I haven’t had one of those for a while.’ It is comfort eating. In times of hardship, people will always treat themselves to a treat, whether it is a caramel wafer or a can of Irn Bru.”
However, Roger White, chief executive of AG Barr, takes a different view. He dismisses the “comfort factor” although he agreed people reach for the brands they know when they are feeling shaky.
“It is not about comfort eating or drinking, but people stick to what they know when they are lacking in confidence and they stick to things which are relatively affordable.
“Our brands are just known or affordable. It is easier to turn down things you are less certain of if you lack confidence. You tend to stick with something you know,” White maintains.
Mark Bradford, managing director of James Allan Bakeries, a traditional seller of pies and cakes in the West of Scotland, is surprised by the growth in demand for treats – as long as they are cheap.
Bradford says that sales of savoury pies have enjoyed a resurgence but it is the cream cakes that have sold particularly well.
“Good sellers at the moment are cream cakes, which until recently were not that popular. But they have grown in popularity. You could call them a comfort food, I think people are treating themselves to low-cost treats, which our types of products are.”
In addition to selling sugary sweet nothings, AG Barr also enjoys the benefits of having a strong core market – loyal Scottish consumers.
Gorman believes that loyalty in the home market is a key benefit to companies such as AG Barr which has expanded in the UK and more recently, into Russia.
“It gives backbone to your balance sheet if you know that come what may, you are still going to hold brand leadership in your original territory. That gives you some confidence to build from there. Irn Bru have done that brilliantly in the last 20 years,” said Gorman.
And today it’s a Story about Ellis Watson’s move to First Group…
Watson swaps Menzies post for key role at FirstGroup
It is understood Watson is being groomed as a possible successor to FirstGroup’s founder and chief executive, Sir Moir Lockhead, 64, who is expected to retire within the next couple of years.
Last month The Scotsman reported on the gap in the First- Group’s succession plan following the departure of chief operating officer Dean Finch.
But the appointment of Watson, who has turned Menzies around in his four years at the company, will increase speculation that he is in line to succeed Lockhead. Reinforcing Watson’s high standing, Menzies yesterday made it clear how highly they regard the former Mirror Group executive.
John Geddes, group comp any secretary for Menzies, said he was “sad to see Ellis go”.
Geddes refused to comment on Watson’s role at FirstGroup, which has been in and out of the blue chip FTSE 100 index of top British companies.
But he added: “Ellis is going to join a company which is pretty much FTSE 100. Ellis is an ambitious guy and I am sure he has got a plan.”
William Thomson, chairman of Menzies, gave an unusually effusive tribute to Watson in the company’s statement to the Stock Exchange, crediting him with having “revolutionised” Menzies’ distribution business.
Thomson also welcomed Watson’s replacement, David McIntosh, who has been with Menzies for 19 years.
Watson joined Menzies four years ago from Trinity Mirror where he was managing director, national newspapers, under chief executive Sly Bailey.
A close friend of former Sun editor Kelvin McKenzie, Watson was also involved in firing Mirror editor Piers Morgan after the Iraq prisoner photo hoax. He was best man at Morgan’s wedding weeks later.
Lockhead said Watson, who will take up the position in August, would be of “great benefit” to the group’s plans for future growth. Paul Moore, First- Group’s communications director, yesterday played down speculation that the company’s plans to eventually replace Lockhead.
“I think it looks like another great member of the senior management team,” said Moore.
But Moore said FirstGroup was “excited” about how Watson would promote the FirstGroup brand in addition to his management of the group’s operations.
Watson said in a statement last night: “I’m as flattered as I am excited to be joining FirstGroup. It’s an enormous and successful company and I’m pleased to be joining a team that seem intent on making it even more so”.
FirstGroup is one of the world’s largest public transport companies, operating trains and buses in the UK, US and Europe.
Trading in FirstGroup shares was up slightly to 382.25p while shares in Menzies were up even further – 2.7 per cent – to 133p.
‘Ellis is empathetic … and funny’
MARKETING “guru” Mark Gorman last night predicted that new FirstGroup director Ellis Watson can make the bus and train business “sexy”.
Gorman, the “head of thinking” at marketing consultancy Think Hard, praised FirstGroup chief Sir Moir Lockhead, as “brilliant”. But he insisted Watson would bring something different to the Aberdeen-based business.
Gorman told The Scotsman that people “love” Watson and like working for him.
He explained: “First Group are a great group. They are fantastically acquisitive, creative and dynamic. They export well. They have done really well in the States. They are one of the companies Scotland should be most proud of. Moir has been a brilliant leader for the business.”
He continued: “Bringing someone like Ellis in is a really interesting move. He is empathetic. And funny, he is a great speaker. If anyone can make travel sexy it would be Ellis.”
Gorman, who is head of business development at STV, said that First with Watson on board could challenge the major UK transport groups including Richard Branson’s Virgin, Michael O’Leary’s Ryanair or British Airways.
He added: “The problem with First is they built their brand in quite a product-based way, in a functional way.
“For the size of the business, they have disproportionately under-invested in building the corporate brand.
“I don’t think it has a massive amount of brand equity, not like a British Airways Not even like Ryanair and Michael O’Leary.”
Gorman said there were “a lot of great people and individuals in the travel sector” including Branson and easyJet found Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
He continued: “There’s four big brands that have got very high-profile brand leaders. First has done it much more under the radar.”
…but I never saw this at the time. I found it while researching my Napier project and it’s wonderful. Basically it’s a brilliant Apple Mac ad hijacked by Obama. Perfect targeting for a certain demograph and what a great way to sell yourself. Not sure if it’s a viral or a real ad, but judging from the lack of an “I’m Barack Obama and I approved this message” ending I suspect that sadly it is the former.
Last night Peter York, in his uniquely obsequious way, demonstrated how well he has made a career of commenting on people with talent (advertising, TV programme making, fashion, publishing) whilst showing little or no ability to do anything other than be a posh tit on call to the BBC (or C4 when he was a bit of irony).
He sploshed on about the ad industry in a rather unbeguiling way in “The rise and fall of the adman”.
Frankly it was all a bit
a) tedious
b) predictable
c) unimaginative
d) Pish
e) yadayadayada
f) wank
g) tedious
h) predictable
i) unimaginative
j) Pish
k) yadayadayada
l) wank
m) tedious
n) predictable
c) unimaginative
o) Pish
p) yadayadayada
q) wank
r) tedious
s) predictable
t) unimaginative
u) Pish
v) yadayadayada
w) wank
x) tedious
y) predictable
z) unimaginative
In the meantime we continue to do really interesting and creative things in the advertising industry.
Spencer Davis Group song gets an outstanding airing in this brilliant new commercial for the VW Polo. Sublime demonstration of the benefit of owning a Polo. The best ad I’ve seen in a long time and a firm favourite in the Gorman household
gibberish 