Ah - a man after my own heart! It wasn't my cooking I touched on, but someone else's. I wrote this a while back about a very similar subject: http://markhadfield.typepad.com/that_gormandizer_man/2012/09/a-book-that-inspired-me.html

Thanks for the clarification Becky!

Absolutely agree. Thanks for the comment.

“Social projects are like bonfires because… any artificial accelerants used to make the bonfire last longer makes the food taste horrible." Brands need to know when to stick their nose in, and when to leave the bonfire alone to burn out organically...

Great - sounds like a plan. And while you may not be able to give me a local expert insight in drinking culture in Trinidad, you may be able to give me great comparisons to the UK and elsewhere. Thanks.

Wow. A strange way to stumble across the blog. Thanks for the comment.

Thanks for your comments chaps. If tweets/ RSS were anonymous then the facts are I'd not be following some of the people I do follow. But there is that unfortunate thing in our industry about burning bridges... Planners only associating with Planners is not what I'm into and the information I value the most is from beer writers, chefs, architects and black cab drivers. Charles - maybe we should have a Skype conversation one night over a beer where were compare lists and cull together!

Thanks for your input everyone. I need to sit down and have a think about it and see what to do. Exciting.

Great - thanks for that answer mate. I studied an MA a few years ago that I found immensely useful that was a broad design/ entrepreneur/ creative thinking/ business MA. Really useful. The urge is returning to think about something else to look into and divert some of my energies. Not sure what yet hence the comment - so thanks for the feedback. Interested to say what others have to say too.

It's an interesting one this. I feel kinda torn. I love to learn new things and be surrounded by smart people, and lord knows I'm not the finished article and could do with learning more about the industry beyond the day-to-day way of learning. But. If loads of people agree that what our industry (I use that in the broadest sense) needs is people from different backgrounds, looking at things in a different way, and taking inspiration from lots of different things... ... then why would sitting in a room full of people from my own industry be of more use to me than, say, any other MA/ MSC/ MBA that touches on anthopology, society, business, brands, media etc and sitting in a room full of people from different backgrounds? I say this not to be confrontational, or to questions the course in any way (it's got a very impressive alumni) - but in a selfish point of view. (I'm thinking of studying something next year maybe) If I'm thinking about studying something for a year or so around my day job that is going to inspire me, teach me and enthuse me - should I choose this or any of these: http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-transnational-communications-global-media/ http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-creative-cultural-entrepreneurship/ (just examples). So this is a comment to ask for advice really. What will the IPA course give me that a more rounded MA/ MSC wouldn't? And is it good to be surrounded like people like me more than people from other walks of life?

Thanks John, Yeah I agree it's not a particularly scientific test but for me that's part of the appeal. I'm not checking specific metrics, nor am I directing my questions against any brands that 'stand out' in the industry. I've simply tried to do what a punter on the street would do: speak to a few brands that interest him and say hello, or speak to a brand that I have a question for. True, the people in charge of the Waitrose account may not have set it up to answer questions about packaging, but at the very least I'd like them to say that to me.

Good point. I think there's a natural point that brands need to get to with people. Know when to speak and when to leave me alone. For a brand I love then I'm happy for them to speak a lot, but for a brand I'm not too fussed about then I want them to speak only when spoken to. The key from a brand point of view is understanding that the consumer makes this decision, not the brand. The difficulty of the brand is differentiating between the two - and it's not easy.

Thanks John, A very good point about Creative Generalists. (I'd probably say I'm one. A degree in Architecture, a masters in Design, and experience/ keen interest in ethics, and graphic design...) That's a different way of saying it and when you explain it like that I can see how some people would like him. For me personally though, I like feeling a bit out of my depth. I like to be watching something, not understand what they're talking about so I can then look it up and research it. I don't think I've ever done that with Mr. Murray. He's only told me things I already know. Thanks for the comment.

Good point Anjali. Maybe the grammar I've used isn't as good as it should be. I said 'a' Colin Murray - i.e. Someone who does do lots of things, but does them all well. Not THE Colin Murray. I have no problem with a digital department diversifying or evolving and having some Social Media experts, but the rules we all say to our clients should also apply to us agencies: Don't just do it because everyone else is doing it, have a strategy and think about WHY you're doing it, what you want to achieve and how you can help others.

It's a difficult one. In my experience the 'less creatively minded' clients fit into two camps: 1) The less creatively minded that think they are creatively minded; 2) The less creatively minded that are happy to be less creatively minded because it's about the numbers for them. Dealing with the former needs a subtle blend of friendliness and education. The latter group sometimes needs a subtle blend of friendliness and extreme violence... All joking aside, making some of these clients appreciate creativity is key to getting their buy-in, but sometimes it needs to be explained in their language. i.e. Explaining why this ultra-creative route is good... because it'll create lots of sales and hit lots of objectives...

Thanks for the comments everyone. Saul - a good point. However, I think in the longer term that stratey will come back to shoot them in the foot. Only for so long will various brands use a media channel that is there to annoy the end user. And if the brands drop out, then it'll impact on Spotify's business model. I reckon they'll evolve what they can do with the software and how they serve up and, why and to who - I just don't think it's their priority at the minute.

OK, what about a blog post about music on the internet: http://markhadfield.typepad.com/that_gormandizer_man/2009/12/interruption-and-spotify.html Blog: Blogs have demolished the divide between those preaching culture and those learning this culture; Music: One of the oldest forms of culture communicating and representing its values; Internet: A medium where cultures from completely different walks of life can learn from each other instantly. Or something.

I debated whether to enter the Peperami thing myself. Just as an exciting/ few rules/ excuse to dust off my creative roots but decided against it as it just seemed so bloody... exploitative. But then I'm already employed, in the industry and don't need to win it. I'd like to comment on 3 things - some of which are touched on above: 1) I think it is exploitative. We're talking about one of the biggest companies in the UK here. But while we're talking about exploitative things in agency world - let's discuss internships (something we've discussed via email, Amelia). In my opinion these are just as bad. In the short term they take good ideas from people and create profit for an agency. In the longer term they perpetuate the ridiculous notion that even with qualifications, one must start at the bottom when entering agency life. (That's a personal opinion, but one I'm passionate about.) 2) How can the people at Ideabounty sort the wheat from the chaff? Well, one way would be to simply act as one facet all planners should be good at: be a voice of the consumer. In a lot of ways my dad's opinion is just as valid as mine and the same as the bloke behind the counter in a Subway. I do take the point that our experience permits us to analyze and strategically look at the work more than some others, but on a base level I think the people at Ideabounty are as good as anyone else at selecting work if they remember it's not their opinion they're representing, it's the opinion of the consumers. 3) For me, it's a sad day when a client prefers cheap, one-off ideas instead of building a relationship. Peperami can afford to pay the going rate but they've chose to outsource for something much cheaper. This is either because the client wanted some PR for himself/ herself (they're building a career the same as us) or because they genuinely feel they can get more value by casting the net far and wide instead of building a longer term relationship with a prefered agency. I hope it's the former - the latter to me would highlight how poor a lot of agencies are when it comes to genuinely original creative and strategic ideas. There's a lot to be said for a longer term, trusting relationship between agency and client and that's something I'm proud of, and something that shouldn't be taken for granted. It's more than a business relationship, it's about trust, reliability and friendship. That cannot be delivered via crowdsourcing.