The magical day I became an MBA – and a DBA, too. And why you shouldn’t hire me or my four footed fellow academic The dog, who is called Pete, lives in Battersea Dogs’ Home, and he must be the …
Read MoreMonth: October 2013
“It’s one of the best times ever to be in advertising but why is the work so poor?” – Hegarty
“I don’t know of any other industry in the world that would say the way to succeed is to make a worse product.” My favourite restaurant in London is Shampers in Kingly Street. I’ve been going there since 1977. I …
Read MoreDavid Ogilvy on how to handle clients
This applies to any kind of business. I recall breaking two of these rules Never submit an advertisement unless you honestly think it is good. Tell clients what you would do if you were in their shoes. Always put your …
Read MoreWhere to find your missing profits – for the umpteenth bloody time
Almost every business I know makes this crass mistake. That doesn’t mean you have to. But you quite probably do I often wonder where more money is wasted: on advertising that doesn’t sell, or on a failure to follow up …
Read MoreOh, if only I could get paid for coming up with brilliant creative masterpieces like this
When in doubt, how can you go wrong with a re-brand and one genuinely inspiring word? A triumph for Lloyd’s Bank brilliant marketing “team” and their even more brilliant agency During my EADIM event one delegate asked me if I …
Read MoreIntroducing London’s Hotel from Hell: The Imperial, Bloomsbury. No service – just nightmares
Crazed gremlins take over venerable hotel in frenzied bid to sabotage London’s tourist trade If you read this regularly you know that every year I run my EADIM event in London. I find the best speakers I can, and that …
Read MoreOne shamefaced admission and one funny Bird Story – both instructive
Two big mistakes – one mine, and I got my wrist slapped – the other applies to most of the people I come across A day or so ago I got an email from Firestarter Video in Hollywood with a …
Read MoreWhat goes around comes around: different Tories, same mistakes
Uncanny how Cameron’s shower manages to repeat Thatcher’s mistakes – whilst ignoring what she got right Harold Wilson was one of the most mendacious, incompetent prime ministers we have suffered under, but he had a very good turn of phrase. “A week …
Read MoreEnough of all this moaning about marketing buffoons. Here’s something helpful for copywriters
Five simple (and often ignored) habits that pretty much guarantee you success as a copywriter Did you heave a sigh of relief when you saw I had stopped promoting my last Eadim Event? Well, I haven’t given up the ghost …
Read MoreI’ve barely recovered from one load of rot than – blow me down! – here comes another
How much corporate twaddle can you cram into one – relatively – short space? Step forward Thomas Cook, champion of the Lonely Hearts Club! This follows in timely fashion my remarks yesterday about the joy that idiots derive from “lines”. …
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