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Mark Hadfield
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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
Planning and cooking. What working in the kitchen has taught me
If I'm not swimming or doing other painful stuff on bikes, treadmills or rowers, or reading, watching a film or playing with the kids; you're likely to find me cooking. I love it. Always have. This isn't a daily chore, it's a joy. I've been cooking in some shape or form since I was a lit...
Thanks for the clarification Becky!
Turning a NO into a YES
Last night I visited LBi for a Creative Social evening entitled NO! It was good fun and the talks were varied - some more fun and others more useful. I'm not going to write up the whole evening, but I'd like to focus on Becky Power's talk a little. (In truth the following is an amalgamation of a...
Number 3 - New Zealand
Posted Aug 18, 2011 at 20 Beers
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Absolutely agree. Thanks for the comment.
An open letter to [something that sounds like 'CTS']
[Edit: I've had assurances from the orignally named law firm saying the call below is most definitely not them. Trusting their word, I've removed their full name.] Hello, I have never been involved in a car accident. This is an important fact, as around 10 minutes ago I was contacted by someone...
Number 2 - Finland
So here it is after much delay - the second 20 Beers chat. I chatted with Ed Dutton who is a friend of James Ward's. I presented at the Boring conference that James organised so it's nice that I gained some success from it. Chatting to Ed was really good... Continue reading
Posted May 17, 2011 at 20 Beers
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Boring 2010
Posted Dec 13, 2010 at 20 Beers
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Around the World in 20 Beers
Posted Dec 11, 2010 at 20 Beers
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Number 1 - Austria
So here it is - the inaugural 20 Beers Around the World. I'm sure the format will evolve going forwards, and I have a logo I'm going to start using when I have time to finish it. But for now, this is the first one. The first chat I had... Continue reading
Posted Nov 17, 2010 at 20 Beers
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“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...
Bonfire of the Metaphwoars
Are you sitting comfortably? Good-oh. A lot of this might be familiar to you, but if you’re going to Metaphwoar on the 9th November, please do read to the end… I need your help. Last summer, whilst sitting on the train up from Brighton one morning, I was writing a short piece for the IPA...
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.
Around the World in 20 Beers
OK so a while back I wrote a blog post about virtually travelling around the world by drinking brews from all over the globe. Since then I've thought about it and before I kick it off I've changed it a bit. Firstly, five beers have, erm, disappeared... hiccup. This isn't a major thing, the ones ...
Mark Hadfield is now following Neil Perkin
Oct 8, 2010
Wow. A strange way to stumble across the blog. Thanks for the comment.
What agencies can learn from Crimewatch UK
My name is Mark and I'm addicted to Crimewatch UK. It's not information I usually volunteer to a people at a party, but I think there are some learnings for agencies if they care to sit down and watch Crimewatch. Crimewatch lives and dies by its results On every edition of Crimewatch they have...
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!
Is influence more important than meaningful rewards?
So I'm like more people in the comms industry. I have RSS feeds and I follow a shitload of people on Twitter. My criteria for selecting this content isn't really strict. I select feeds/ Twitterers if they deliver interesting things (not just comms stuff); if they get me in touch with stuff first...
Thanks for your input everyone.
I need to sit down and have a think about it and see what to do. Exciting.
The stupidity of the IPA Excellence Diploma
Why would you want to come up with anything new? It just gets in the way of doing the same things that your boss did before you, and his before that. Nothing's changing, not really, it's all the same game... write a powerpoint presentation, make a telly ad, put it on telly, repeat every year a...
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.
The stupidity of the IPA Excellence Diploma
Why would you want to come up with anything new? It just gets in the way of doing the same things that your boss did before you, and his before that. Nothing's changing, not really, it's all the same game... write a powerpoint presentation, make a telly ad, put it on telly, repeat every year a...
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?
The stupidity of the IPA Excellence Diploma
Why would you want to come up with anything new? It just gets in the way of doing the same things that your boss did before you, and his before that. Nothing's changing, not really, it's all the same game... write a powerpoint presentation, make a telly ad, put it on telly, repeat every year a...
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.
My non-conversations with brands on Twitter
So I use Twitter. I use it quite a lot. I use it to chat to friends, listen to people and also to have the occasional rant about a brand. Sometimes, I also use it to have a chat with brands - not about anything in particular, just to see if they want a chat. After all, isn't that a main selling ...
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.
The importance of a story
There's a saying my A-Level geography teacher used a lot: "It's like teaching my grandma to suck eggs." It's a curious thing to say, but it's basically talking about some information that's obvious or doesn't need explaining. A curious way to start a blog post, but I'm going to write about somet...
Mark Hadfield is now following The Typepad Team
Mar 15, 2010
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.
What an agency can learn from Colin Murray
I listen to a fair bit of radio. I watch less TV. Well, I don't have a TV, so the majority of TV I see is at other people's places. I watch various things online, so most of my media consumption in home is of the digital variety. Anyway, I digress... This is Colin Murray: (Nicked from The Guar...
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.
What an agency can learn from Colin Murray
I listen to a fair bit of radio. I watch less TV. Well, I don't have a TV, so the majority of TV I see is at other people's places. I watch various things online, so most of my media consumption in home is of the digital variety. Anyway, I digress... This is Colin Murray: (Nicked from The Guar...
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...
The creative formula
I've been quite lucky in my first month at the new place, getting to work with one of the most senior creative teams. Something that one of them said has been swimming around the old goldfish tank for a couple of days now and I've finally got a chance to jot it down. No big news, but the simple ...
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.
Spotify and its Interruption Strategy
This post is inspired by two things. The first is this excellent book I'm reading at the moment. (It got me thinking of advertising immunisation and how different it must have been when commercial TV first launched - the ads were the main attraction, not a distraction.) The second is the awful a...
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.
Chief Culture Officer
Earlier this year I was delighted to receive an unbound pre-print copy of Grant McCracken's new book: Chief Culture Officer - for reasons best known to Grant he decided to solicit a blurb from me. [Isn't it awesome that blurb is a real word?] Here's what I said: “In Chief Culture Officer, Gran...
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.
CROWDSOURCING Advertising - can it work?
I'm a bit torn on this subject. It's something that's been troubling me for a few weeks now ever since I saw Nic Ray from crowdsourcing company Idea Bounty present at Media140 . The decision to cheaply outsource, sorry I meant to write, "crowdsource" Peperami's latest integrated advertising ca...
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