Two weeks ago I was interviewed by bvo.com – the bv stands for business visions, or in my case nightmares. Actually it was a rather good interview, but it’s not up yet – I think they’re still removing the bad …
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The cloud of unknowing – more damn “creativity” than I need, thank you kindly. Plus Call Centre Frolics
I would be astounded if you hadn’t seen umpteen references to The Cloud. There have been ads and posters promoting it all over the place. I have actually been benefiting from it unknowingly. But the one thing I have never …
Read MoreIsn’t it time your dog had his own wristwatch? And how about Stink-o-vision?
Don’t laugh. I’m fairly serious. Last week I went with my beloved to a splendid restaurant near us in Bristol that was running a Portuguese evening, and this is one of the useful ideas we picked up. The wristwatch in …
Read MoreSold out – and a mystery that never fails to astonish: the paradox of the clueless
I was going to write again about the appalling Berlusconi, because my last piece only gave a faint idea of what a shameless crook he is, but it’s hard work trying to explain the complexities of politics, mafioso style. However, …
Read MoreNew marketing jargon to mystify your friends, a regret – and some laughs for Sunday
Yesterday someone wrote asking if I could recommend a book about “brand activation”. “WTF is that?” I asked myself, with my uncanny mastery of internet lingo. So I replied suggesting my friend James Hammond’s book – but asking “what is …
Read MoreGod, the tears were streaming down my face as I received this heart-rending message. Then I threw up
Well, I’m sitting here in the humid heat of Brooklyn banging out the odd syllable, but here’s something from someone I’ve never met, never spoken to, never bought off. I just read their stuff because I collect this kind of …
Read MoreBerlusconi: if he weren’t a criminal and a menace to democracy it would be funny
Groucho Marx’s most famous joke was “I don’t care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members”. Well, I don’t care to belong to a club that has someone like Silvio Berlusconi as part of the …
Read MoreSome simple reasons why the internet is still a land of opportunity – with a lesson in copywriting basics
A few months ago I was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in Florida. This gave me childish pleasure. I cannot say doing well in marketing is an astounding achievement, but managing to keep at it for so many years is, …
Read MoreCould I interest you in one of my “Ready, fire, aim” rejects?
My partner often accuses me of writing the copy then looking at the brief. She is right. It’s amazing that I ever produce anything that works. A good example has come up in the last week. A lady asked me …
Read MoreHow Sainsbury’s made us take a walk through the rain
Today we went to our local Sainsbury’s supermarket in Clifton Down to shop for dinner. They had some squid, lying there whole with their little eyes gazing up at us. “Can you clean them?” we asked. “Oh, they’re already cleaned,” …
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