Some fresh inspiration and ideas.

In this edition - The death of some agency brands, some beautiful creative work for the 2024 Paralympics, an airline and an artist collaborating on a campaign, a unique and creative dining experience and more.

Links for more information on all the stories can be found at the end of the newsletter.

The Death of Some Advertising Agency Brands.

It was announced this week that DDB, BBDO, and TBWA in Canada would all merge to form Omnicon Advertising Group.

It’s kind of like an animal eating its young. Or some alien blob creature that absorbs everything around it.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but for many, it may feel that way. This move first started in October 2023 in India, all three of the above merged into the new Omnicon Advertising Group, a test run I guess.

Could the next market be the USA? It would be strange if that isn’t part of the plan, but only time will tell.

In the past, an agency’s name meant something, while some people would give their firstborn to work at a certain agency they wouldn’t get out of bed to work for another agency.

It’s hard to imagine the behemoth holding companies becoming even bigger behemoths, but that seems to be the thinking.

But while it is the end of days for some agency brands in some markets this should be a reason to celebrate for the multitude of independent shops and those soon to emerge.

They now offer something the megamall holding companies don’t - individuality and personality. Two traits that can separate agency A from agency B.

In 1947, Bill Berbach, the ‘B’ in DDB in case you missed advertising history class, then a creative at Grey, wrote a letter to management outlining his fears of what getting too big could bring. Take a read of it below, it sounds like a letter someone could very well write today.

A Hunger For Creativity.

Some of my good friends are Chefs, I consider myself not a bad cook, and I am a bit of a ‘foodie’ as far as labels go.

And even though I love nothing better than sitting on a small, often unstable, plastic stool in a laneway somewhere in Bangkok slurping down a bowl of incendiary noodles, I am also a fan of creative dining experiences, after all, we “eat with our eyes” as the saying goes.

I also rate Chefs as some of the most creative people, they have to create some culinary magic with just a few ingredients and, unlike in the advertising world, they know if what they created was loved or hated by the audience immediately.

WE ARE ONA is a unique culinary concept and a great idea, founded in 2019 by Luca Pronzato , a sommelier and restauranteur who previously worked at the renowned NOMA in Copenhagen. Ona is not a brick-and-mortar restaurant, instead, they take the show on the road and create one-of-a-kind dining experiences around the world. Take a look at the video piece about it from HYPEBEAST in the links below.

Turkish Airlines Gets Arty.

As someone passionate about art, I love the idea of art and commerce colliding, as long as it is done in all the right ways and not a token use of an artist.

This collaboration, between Turkish Airlines and Turkish-born, L.A.-based artist Refik Anadol seems to tick the ‘right way’ box.

Called “Inner Portrait”, the artist blends traditional art and technology to explore the transformative power of travel on the mind and the body. You can read more about it in a great piece from Creative Boom below and there’s also a link to a video about the exhibition.

Channel 4’s Paris 2024 Paralympic campaign.

Getting the message right, in any campaign, is of course paramount to any good advertising or brand communications.

This campaign from 4creative for the 2024 Paralympics does just that.

Under the message of - ‘Considering What?’ it firmly hits the mark when it comes to messaging. It’s so refreshing to see a campaign that wants to remove stereotypes and tackle a topic head-on.

You see the work and read about the campaign in an article in the links below.

Nike - Just do something.

The Nike brand is taking a hit. With its stock down 30%, there are calls from investors for a regime change.?

According to multiple reports, a series of bad business decisions, such as pulling the brand off the shelves of long-time partners like Foot Locker, which led to challenger brands taking their place and being in the face of more consumers, to some ill-considered internal restructuring has all added up and taken a toll.

Could advertising help the brand? Both B2C and B2B? I don’t have the answer, maybe someone can chime in below in the comments.

Maybe some messaging targeted at consumers who have strayed to the challenger brands?

And some messages aimed at winning back the retailers could be a good thing. Even though so many people shop online, it doesn’t hurt to be on a shelf when people walk through a retail store. Being present with your audience is not a bad thing.

"A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another." - Seth Godin

If you have any thoughts on what Nike could or should do, please comment below, I’d love to hear some perspectives.?

Off The Shelf.

The Creative Act: A Way of Being - Rick Rubin. If you haven’t already jumped on the Rick Rubin book bandwagon I recommend you take a ride. This book sits in the middle of my coffee table with only a couple of others that I have decided need to be off the shelf and in view, daily, as a subtle reminder to me about why I do what I do.

NOTHING To See Here.

The second edition of NOTHING LIKE A CREATIVE ADVERTISING BOOT CAMP starts soon. 1.5 hours per week over 4 weeks with group and one-to-one calls. Maximum of 5 people.?

Here’s some of what you’ll get out of it.

• How to get unstuck and get past creative blocks.
• Help to navigate creative career obstacles.
• Develop better creative career habits.
• How to find new inspiration.
• How to grow and develop your creative advertising career.

Plus, you can ask me anything that you need advice on about your creative career.?

But don’t just take my word for it.?

“This boot camp is EVERYTHING!!!

Whether you've been working in advertising for five days or five decades, do yourself a favor and take Rodd's boot camp.

Rodd truly went above and beyond for us. He has your back and thanks to him, I’m leaving with tools that'll continue to bolster my creativity and confidence for a long time. Also, meeting fellow creatives I wouldn't have met otherwise was very rad.

This boot camp isn't some "rah-rah" motivational talk that fades away once you leave—it's genuine, refreshing, authentic, and invaluable, and I believe what you gain from it comes down to the effort you put into it.

Trust me, there's "nothing" else like it.”

Brett P., Creative/Copywriter,

Los Angeles, USA - NOTHING attendee June 2024

“Loved doing NOTHING with you, Rodd. And I'd definitely recommend it to any creative looking for solid ideas to advance their careers.

That, and understanding

the impact of storms on international communications.”

Richard W., Creative Supervisor/Copywriter,

Lisbon, Portugal - NOTHING attendee June 2024

So, if you want to do NOTHING with me, email [email protected] or message me here on LinkedIn.

I hope you found some inspiration here.

Rodd Chant

Creative Director / Creative Coach / Creative Founder / Creative Something

• An Appetite for Creativity - The ONA dining experience: watch the video here. And you can read more about ONA on their site.
• Turkish Airlines Gets Arty: read the article on Creative Boom here. And you can watch a video about the show here.
• 4Creative's Paralympic campaign: read an article about it here.
• Nike - What to do?: here is a short piece about the current situation.
• Rick Rubin's book: you can find it on Amazon.

#creativity #creativecoach #creativelife #inspiration