Thinkin’ about…
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Here’s your latest kicked sandcastles:
- The100: Presentation structure, innovation constraints and arm swinging
Recidivism in a Recession As the whiff of recession continues to float through economies, Mark Ritson’s 9 steps marketers should take to avoid the dark times ahead are, in modern parlance, pretty flipping useful. “The companies that maintained ad spend, or even increased it, during a recession saw little advantage during the hard months of … - The100: Cynicism, Value and Häagen-Daz
Tips from Uncle Les This 30 min talk from Les Binet about how to tweak your marketing plans in these uncertain times is a must watch. Not only does it provide a magnificent summary of where we find ourselves today, it also examines multiple factors that everyone should be aware of: The stoical cynic Martin …
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The100: Trends, lists & the Namib Desert
Welcome back! Anyone else relate to this? Anyway… An AI experiment from the Bali tourist board Whilst machines like ChatGPT are learning to be human, Ian Leslie argues that the problem is humans are becoming like machines. It’s a marvellous piece, stuffed full of examples. He says: “We should refuse, in whatever game we’re playing, …
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The100: The Best of 2022
Well, well, well, that’s another trip around the sun completed. Which also means our annual Watch Me Think tradition to mark the occasion: The top 10 most clicked articles from The100 this year. Strap in – keep your arms, legs, feet and antlers inside the vehicle, and enjoy the ride. In 10th McDonald’s Famous Orders …
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The100: Critical ignoring, subject lines and supportive penguins
The best of the best Jeremy Bullmore is the mother, father and extended family of all advertising legends. And, luckily for us, he’s released his archive. In amongst the tanzanite is a speech Bullmore gave whilst President of the Market Research Society: Research, of one kind or another, provides the basis for most of the …
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The100: Hedonic adaptation, the curse of knowledge & plastic cheese
Contrast, not constant Certainly we are evolutionarily wired to notice contrasts, not constants. Been lucky enough to go on holiday this year? Wanted to stay there forever? Well, apparently, that’s not advised. Without any contrast you won’t savour it as much, because you will adapt to the hedonism. Rory Sutherland (via one Mr D Kahneman, …
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The100: Brand purpose, how to remember, and Miami Vice
“The Danger of a Single Story” The copywriter who just keeps on giving: Dave Trott again with a brilliant piece directly related to empathy: We are not the target market. It’s a simple trap to fall into, and that’s perhaps why so many of us do. We are a consumer, but we are not the …
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The100: Productive arguments, lingering fatigue and trailercore
In praise of terrific arguments We shouldn’t avoid robust, passionate, biased argument. In fact, under the right conditions, it can be the fastest route to truth. A good scrap can turn our cognitive flaws into collective virtues. Disagreement is vital to advancing human understanding, argues Ian Leslie (see what I did there). As the Wright …
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The100: Timing with toasters, the illusion of certainty & Peppa Pig
Expressed user need This 101 on user needs is excellent. It contains (and links to) all you need to know. The test to see if you’ve found a valid user need? If you showed it to a user, would they recognise it as their need? Is it written with words real users use? Does it …
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The100: saying vs doing, video essays and barking for yourself
Are you a hanger or a dumper? Richard Shotton features on The Day One podcast. He’s discussing his 3 worst insight industry pet peeves (the myth of the public trust crisis, complex jargon, and the over-reliance on claimed data). On the last one, Richard uses Cialdini et al’s famous hotel towel experiment as an illustration, …
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The100: Visual thinking, Hotelling’s law and perfectionist narratives
Painting with numbers Hannah Fry discusses visual thinking. It’s fascinating how it can reveal what would otherwise remain invisible, how it can have a profound effect on the way we approach problems, and indeed how it can sometimes mean the difference between life or death. In there, she quotes the quote: “Only a graph speaks …
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The100: Smorgasbords of blandness, jingles & a helping of “I don’t care”
The pig in the python is passing through You’re no doubt aware that we’re all ignoring “the most valuable generation in the history of marketing”? So which of these do you think is a banal excuse for not including the over-50s in most marketing strategies: Brand loyalty won early will last a lifetime? Everyone aspires …
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Project Manager – no exp necc.
There you are! You may not know it yet but you could be our next STAR! Most likely you’re a recent graduate (though exceptions of course exist) looking to gain experience in a fast paced yet fun working environment. Obviously you are an asset to any pub quiz team. Someone who has the brains and …
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The100: Insider-outsiders, geriatric millennials and conversational gambits
When the numbers don’t add up (on their own) Among the many problems with the world? Our tendency to favour analysis of hypotheses over an open, unbiased mind and inquisitiveness: Pinning all your faith on an economic model alone, say, is like walking through a dark wood at night with a compass and only staring …
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Designing The UK’s Road Signs