I read in the papers the other day that Lord Mandelson, ennobled by the Great Bloated Haggis, Saviour of the Universe, for bringing politics into further disrepute, “sought to reassure anxious Labour MPs yesterday by expressing regret at the way …
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New David Ogilvy biography out now. Tells you what his autobiography failed to
If you’re interested in perhaps the most influential advertising man ever – which you surely should be – read The King of Madison Avenue, by Ken Roman. Few people knew David Ogilvy better than Ken, a former CEO of the …
Read MoreFollow-up to those guys holding me up
Alex Gibson, who clearly does strange things at the dentist wrote this to me: I was listening to you on my mp3 player in the dentist’s waiting room on Monday. You said something along the lines of: “One of the …
Read MoreWhat’s holding me up?
Who are these two young stalwarts, holding up the tottering edifice that is Bird? They are Ben Jesson and Dr. Karl Blanks, partners in www.conversion-rate-experts.com. They are the only Authorised Google Optimiser Consultants in Britain, which sounds rather grand but …
Read MoreThe world’s local wank
Marketers often place the horse firmly before the cart. If you really think that spending millions on papering the world with fanciful tosh about your “brand” helps, it’s not a bad idea to make sure that the reality approximates, however …
Read MoreThis will bring tears to your eyes
John Walter was quite right to scold me yesterday — and I shall talk about this again. In the meantime, something entirely different, sent by my friend George in San Francisco.
Read MoreWhatever happened to The Spectator?
A couple of weeks ago I picked up my copy of The Spectator, a respected journal which has been around in one form or another since the early 1700’s. Its founders, Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, were two of the …
Read MoreStupid – or what?
This is a very obviously posed picture of a rather unsuccessful bank robber called Willie Sutton being arrested in New York about 70 years ago. Shifty looking bugger, isn’t he? Today he’d probably be a retired investment advisor. I often …
Read MoreNew Year Buffoonery
While the rest of you were no doubt making pious New Year resolutions, I was out doing what I do best: making a fool of myself. (In case you’re wondering, the picture being so blurred, I’m the one on the …
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