Everyone thinks they’re objective. Which is pretty fucking subjective when you think about it. We like to believe our opinions are rational, our judgements are informed and our understanding of the world is reasonably accurate. But the reality is we’re all walking around with a lifetime of cultural conditioning, personal experiences, inherited beliefs, professional biasesContinue reading “SUBJECTIVITY IS EASY. OBJECTIVITY TAKES WORK.”
Tag Archives: advertising
I USED TO GET TOLD OFF FOR ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS. NOW I GET PAID TO ASK THEM.
When I was younger, I asked a lot of questions. Why? How? Why not? But that doesn’t make sense? What happens if…? Eventually, as I’m sure happens to most relentlessly curious kids, I’d get some variation of: “Dan, stop asking so many questions.” Or worse, the answer I’ve probably hated my entire life: “Because that’sContinue reading “I USED TO GET TOLD OFF FOR ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS. NOW I GET PAID TO ASK THEM.”
ARE WE GAMIFYING A GENERATION INTO GAMBLERS?
I was standing in Australia Post yesterday returning a couple of things purchased from Amazon (PS: shoutout to how easy and frictionless their return process is), chatting to the guy behind the counter about how ridiculously simple the whole process has become. Scan this. Drop that. Refund appears. Sometimes, depending on the product, they don’tContinue reading “ARE WE GAMIFYING A GENERATION INTO GAMBLERS?”
JUST KEEP SWIMMING // GRIT, RESILIENCE AND SIMPLY BEING HUMAN
There’s a line from Finding Nemo that has somehow become more relevant to me the older I get… “Just keep swimming.” It’s ridiculously simple, almost stupidly so. But maybe that’s why it works. Because resilience isn’t always some heroic comeback story. Sometimes it’s simply staying in motion when you don’t know what happens next. ShowingContinue reading “JUST KEEP SWIMMING // GRIT, RESILIENCE AND SIMPLY BEING HUMAN”
HOW THE FUCK DO YOU BUILD A BRAND WHEN YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO BUILD A BRAND?
Big brands can buy repetition. Small brands have to earn memory. A box turned up at my place from Declan at Keating & Co. Condiments. Think – Chilli Oils. Hot Sauces. Characters and names that included Funky Beast. Berserker. Weird little monsters. Loud colours. A handwritten note. Various products that appear designed to make blandContinue reading “HOW THE FUCK DO YOU BUILD A BRAND WHEN YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO BUILD A BRAND?”
YOUR BIGGEST BRAND PROBLEM ISN’T OUTSIDE YOUR BUSINESS. IT’S SITTING AROUND YOUR LEADERSHIP TABLE.
One of the biggest misconceptions in business is that brand belongs to the marketing department. // Newsflash… It doesn’t. Brand belongs to the organisation. Or at least, it should. The marketing team might be responsible for communicating the brand, but they don’t own the thousands of decisions that shape how it’s actually experienced. That’s everyoneContinue reading “YOUR BIGGEST BRAND PROBLEM ISN’T OUTSIDE YOUR BUSINESS. IT’S SITTING AROUND YOUR LEADERSHIP TABLE.”
GLOBAL STRATEGY. LOCAL TRUTH.
I caught up with Mark Brown last week (Managing Partner & Creative Director at Sentius Creative) over a coffee. We ended up disappearing down one of those rabbit holes that curious minds seem to enjoy… talking about global brands, masterbrand strategy, localisation, relevance, culture – and why some brands feel like they belong wherever theyContinue reading “GLOBAL STRATEGY. LOCAL TRUTH.”
Hope and Belief: The Real Currency of Brands
Let’s be brutally real… Nobody wakes up in the morning and thanks a brand for saving their life. Nobody cares that much. But people do wake up with hope. Hope for a better day, a better job, a better body, a better future. And belief is what fuels that hope. The tension between hope andContinue reading “Hope and Belief: The Real Currency of Brands”
HOLY SHIT – I’M A (MARKETING) DAD…
What I’ve Learned (So Far) From Becoming a First-time Parent in a “World of Perfect Instagram Families” and Overpriced Fucking Sleep Sacks… You can read every book. You can scroll every post. You can spend months prepping the nursery, watching endless videos on Tik Tok, YouTube and Boundless Babies Beyond…. — With all the new-foundContinue reading “HOLY SHIT – I’M A (MARKETING) DAD…”
You Can’t Be Everything to Everyone
These words have been ingrained in me as an important lesson – not just in the work that we do, but in the life that we live. Too often, we get briefs with a “target audience” that is, quite literally… everyone with a heartbeat. “All Australians,” “Everyone living in Australia,” “Every parent,” “Every Gen Z….Continue reading “You Can’t Be Everything to Everyone”
