E-Niro, De Niro, schmiro
Kia’s new campaign falls short on so many levels. Here’s what I wrote for Creative Moment....
Getting the measure of Cannes
What can the big winners from Cannes tell us about measuring the effectiveness of creativity? Remarkably little according to an analysis of the big winners. The Creative Moment kindly published my analysis – click below to read it. When reach and impressions are...
The London Resort appoints Sentient
Agency retained to provide strategic and creative services A new, global entertainment destination based 17 minutes outside of London has appointed Sentient for strategic and creative services. The 535 acre resort, the equivalent of 136 Wembley Stadiums and three...
Does a brand need purpose?
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso (maybe) Purpose can strengthen a brand but it can also become a distraction. The research from Harvard and EY defines purpose as “an aspirational reason for being which...
The changing agency landscape, beware of bland
We can all learn a lot from management consultancies, opines Daniel Cohen, but, when cultures clash, does creativity win? One of the many things that caught my eye about the British Army’s latest recruitment campaign, This is Belonging 2018, was not that it was...
This “powerful, theatrical and dramatic” film for Hifi Klubben begs for your attention
Here’s something I wrote for Creative Moment about a HiFi brand brilliantly positioning itself as specialists in superior equipment – “for the listeners”....
Millennial schmennial
Having spent the last ten days pulling apart volumes of TGI data to once again debunk the ‘millennial myth’, this article from John Lowery pops up and articulates the point so much better. Conclusion: everyone has a responsibility to be smarter....
Plymouth Gin and Sentient – a perfect pairing
One of the world’s oldest gins brings in Sentient to help with positioning and creative. Sentient Communications has been tasked to help one of Britain’s oldest gins find its voice in the UK. The brand, which has been distilled using the same blend of seven exotic...
M&S appoints Sentient
The UK’s favourite retailer brings in Sentient for strategic and creative services. Sentient Communications has been brought in by Marks and Spencer (M&S) to provide on-going strategic and creative services. Reporting directly to Clare Wilkes, Head of...
Finding your voice in a brand packed world
How the turnaround success of BBC Radio 6 Music shows the power of targeting. 6 Music is one of the BBC’s leading lights, but it wasn’t always the case. It’s been quite a year for me personally. First, I quit a big agency role. Second, M&S became my first...
Was that the best Gillette could get? And why didn’t it learn from its sister?
It might be losing share and relevance but if Gillette had held its nerve it could have created something far more powerful. Five things we can learn from its press release. Feted the world over, how many times must Gillette have been told "we need a Like A Girl"?...
Guinness’ new campaign scores on every level
Here’s a piece I wrote for Creative Moment: https://www.creativemoment.co/a-great-try-guinness-emotive-ad-kicks-off-its-sponsorship-of-the-six-nations To the sport and to fans, Guinness is about as credible and authentic a sponsorship partner as they...