The last edition for 2024. (#44)

Seeing as how many of us are in the limbo days between Christmas and the New Year, there is very little to talk about when it comes to new creative work.

So, instead, I thought I’d share some thoughts on the year we’re leaving behind and some things that popped up along the way.

Rodd

2024 recap

In short, it was a year of brand and rebrand rage for some, one big ad land merger, and a smattering of AI developments thrown in for good measure.?

Let's start with an ad campaign that left a bad taste in some people's mouths for unbeknown reasons.

Burger King UK

The brand, via their agency BBH London , had the sheer audacity to show women eating a burger after childbirth.?

Imagine that? A woman using her rightful choice to do whatever the hell she wants to do after giving birth.

It generated a lot of anger, but weirdly the majority of it came from an audience the campaign was not targeted at - mostly middle-aged men.?

It was a great campaign, so real and raw and it made me want to go and get a Burger King burger...and I did.?

I’ll be honest - it was damn delicious and no I am not being paid by BURGER KING UK to say that.?

Jaguar

What can be said that hasn’t already been said about this rebrand?

Not much.

It was met with a barrage of irate comments, people were up in arms, shouting from the rooftops and decrying the end of days for all.

People were shaking their leather-driving gloved fists in the air in a show of rebellious solidarity to a marque so dear to their motoring hearts.?

Strangely though, the majority of the most vocal were those who never owned a Jaguar, never planned to and never will.?

I’d put a wager down that 90% of them hadn’t even uttered the name Jaguar in the past ten or twenty years.?

They are not and never were, the target audience.?

I’m seeing a pattern emerging with these commentaries and outrage so far.?

So, the first point on the rebrand board goes to the JLR PR department.?Suddenly, after a decade or two of the brand name Jaguar not being uttered it became the most spoken about brand for a number of weeks.

I am not a Jaguar person, in fact I haven’t owned a car in many years, they're simply not needed in the cities I have been living in the past twenty years - New York, Singapore, and Bangkok.?

But when I did own cars, my choice was BMW, so I have no skin in the Jaguar game.

Did I love the new branding exercise? No.

Did I hate it? No.?

Hopefully, we’ve all moved on.

Omnicom/IPG merger.

While the majority of the brand creativity world, advertising and design, are moving towards making small the new big, it seems some didn’t get the memo.

Omnipresent Inc. appears to be the mission statement over at Omnicom HQ. They seem to believe that bigger is the new and better big.?And while that may be true for shareholders it is safe to say it is not great for their creativity.

In fact, it was reported that in the final meeting with shareholders the word 'creativity' was mentioned once and 'AI' was mentioned four times, that spoke volumes.

As Jay Chiat of CHAIT DAY once famously said, "How big can we get before we get bad?"

Smaller, even micro-sized, independent agencies are currently de rigueur and I can’t see that trend reversing anytime soon, I think we’re only just scratching the surface of what will become the new normal - small wins the day.

The letter below, penned, okay...typed, by Bill Bernbach back in 1947 to his then employer, Grey, could easily be written today to someone at Omnicom.

Bernbach quit not long after sharing his concerns to launch his then-independent agency DDB.

The Omnicom/IPG merger will no doubt spawn new, small, indie agencies founded by senior and experienced talent, with good client relationships, who were cast aside for cost efficiency reasons - Omnicom are creating their new competition.?

I’m reminded of this quote - “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” - George Santayana

AI

Yes, those two letters keep popping up in endless posts and articles.

But no matter how tired you are of hearing about it, it will be a career risk to ignore it.

Now, more than ever is a good time to do the following.

• Stay relevant.
• Hone and continue to improve your particular creative craft.
• Learn more and new skills.
• See AI as a tool to master before it masters you.

Shouting at it won’t make it go away. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.

AI and Creative Directors

With so many more people soon to be turned into “creators” with the assistance of AI, now is actually a great time to be a Creative Director.

Why?

Well, AI is not sentient and it does not possess ‘taste’ and having taste is critical to standing out in the masses.?

A good Creative Director needs a few core talents and abilities, some of which include...

• Taste
• Decisiveness
• Conviction
• Vision

You don’t necessarily need to be the best creative person in the room, but you need to know how to identify the best creative ideas and pathways and how to get the best out of creative people.

From acclaimed music producer Rick Rubin - "I have no technical ability, and I know nothing about music. I know what I like and what I don't like. I'm decisive about what I like and what I don't like. The confidence that I have in my taste, and my ability to express what I feel, has proven helpful for artists.”

AI and Copywriters

Will AI eliminate some copywriting jobs?

Absolutely.

But talented and skilled writers will continue to have a seat at the table in the future.

Why?

Because they have honed, or continue to hone their craft, and copywriting is a craft.

A good copywriter draws on past and current experiences and life moments, they can connect with an audience through shared emotions and thinking. They also know how to get playful with words and make even the most mundane sales pitch sound interesting.?

All of that takes skill and experience.?

AI tools have their place in the new copywriting world. They can assist with research, gleaning insights you may not have known, dig into some little-known facts about a brand, product, or service that didn’t make it into the brief.?

If you’re working solo you could use an AI writing tool as a sounding board, something to bounce things off just like you would do with a creative partner.?

But…allowing it to take over your ‘craft’ would not only be sad, it would be a mistake. Use it as a tool, no different to a pad and pen, or a laptop and a Google Doc.?

2025 here we come.

I am excited about the year ahead.?

We’ve all been through a few “odd” years to say the least.?

It’s hard to imagine, but come March 11, 2025, it will be five years since Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic.?

Time flies. It all still seems like yesterday.?

I moved to Bangkok in November 2020, at the height of the pandemic, to take on a new agency role. I can still remember sitting on that Thai Airways repatriation flight from Sydney to Bangkok wondering to myself “What the f#ck am I doing?”

But, I have always lived my life by the motto - If my life is not an adventure, I am doing it all wrong.?

One of my favourite Hunter S. Thompson quotes sums it up - “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

Here’s a hot tip.?

2025 will speed by like a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka.

We all only have so much time on this spinning space rock we call home, use that time well.?

I’m not big on New Year’s Resolutions. Most get dropped like a kid’s ice cream on a hot summer’s day.

I much prefer some New Year Revolutions. Making some big changes and directional shifts to make sh#t happen.

I have personal and professional plans for the year ahead, some aimed at testing myself and others geared towards trying and learning new things.?

They include redefining and reinventing my creative studio operations, my photography, my art and my writing, pushing my cooking skills to a new level, ending my travel hiatus (I have been on a break from travel since May - that is a long time for me), launching some of my own brands/products, publishing a book and my book-zine concept, and more.

Some may succeed, some may fail…but that’s all part of the adventure.

I’m also continuing my Creative Coaching as part of my mission to help 1,000 people in their creative career journeys.

I coached, mentored, and advised 56 people in 2024 - They included current and aspiring Creative Directors, Copywriters, and Art Directors, three new creative agency founders, plus two Strategists and an agency Managing Director.?

Here’s my 2025 coaching and course lineup.

?? Creative Directors/Leaders

- 1:1 coaching for current and aspiring Creative Directors/Creative Leaders (limited numbers per month).?

?? The Write Stuff - Copywriting Workshop

- I'm aiming to hold at least four of these in 2025. As always, only in small groups. The next chapter starts on January 15 (still two spots remaining) and there will be another chapter starting in late February, you can sign up for that and get an early bird discount.?

?? Creative Studio/Agency Start-Up Founders

- 1:1 coaching for new and existing creative founders with the goal of building a community of independent founders.

?? Creative Reboot Camp

- For those who need to get unstuck or redefine or even reinvent their creative careers. (Small groups and 1:1 sessions)

?? Bangkok Creative Stopover Workshops - Feb / Mar / Apr.?

- 3 x days of creative discussions and workshops while taking in all the creative vibes Bangkok has to offer. Maximum of 10 people per group.

?? Live Group Video Calls

- These have always proven popular so I will keep them going. Lively creative career-focused discussions and Q&A for eight to ten people maximum. Maybe a couple of calls every other month - time permitting.?

If any of the above are of interest please drop me an email for more details, costs, to sign up, or to get onto a waitlist - [email protected]

But wait...there's more...

?? Mentee Programme. (No cost).

Once a month I will take on one person. We’ll do a video call plus emails. This will be for people with 2 years or less experience in advertising or design or related (such as commercial video production, music, photography, etc). It’s an opportunity to ask some burning questions and get some advice and guidance.

- Why do you want a creative career in the brand space?

- What are your creative career goals?

- Where do you want to be in 5 years?

- What do you believe is your biggest creative career strength?

- What is your biggest creative career weakness or obstacle?

To apply email the above answers to - [email protected]

?? Folio Reviews. (No cost).

One per week. Once again, this is for those with 2 years or less experience. Sorry, but due to time restraints, I can only do one per week…I wish there were more hours in the day and I had two brains and more limbs, but then none of my clothes or caps would fit and that would be a pain in the ass.?

Email for a spot - [email protected]

Every Friday, starting from Jan 3rd I will pick one name out of my trusty Yankees cap.

*** Please understand that the mentee and folio reviews are all random selections to keep it fair, I apologise in advance if your name is not drawn, but I am only one person. Please don't email me asking to somehow jump the queue. If there is some sort of urgency then you are more than welcome to sign-up for a one-time coaching session with me - email me for more information.

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Well, that's a wrap for the newsletter in 2024.

I'll be seeing you on the flipside in 2025.

Rodd

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#creativity #creativedirector #creativecoach #2025