Welcome to the midweek edition. (#40)

Hopefully, your week is going well.

Here are some things that I hope bring a little inspiration.

Some links can be found, as always, at the end of the newsletter.

Rodd

MUSIC

U2's Creative Director

Yes, the band has a Creative Director.

If you're curious to know more, you can read an article at the end of the newsletter.

Here's an outtake.

U2 have always surrounded themselves with a loyal, tightly-knit crew, a team of production and stage managers, set designers and visual dynamos who Bono & co. trust implicitly. Once they bring you in, it seems, you’re in for life.

One man who can attest to that is Gavin Friday. A former member of The Virgin Prunes and then a successful solo artist and collaborator for artists such as Sinead O’Connor, Friday has been friends with U2 since they were teenagers, growing up together in the Northside of Dublin. Friday has been on U2’s books as their official Creative Director since the mid-80s.

Full article below.

STORYTELLING

How to tell stories like Pixar.

Stories engage people, connect people, and get shared.

Tell them well, from a brand perspective, and you’ll already stand out from the sales spiels and noisy messages.

Pixar's story framework is well worth considering if you’re stuck.

It goes like this:

• Once upon a time…
• Every day…
• One day…
• Because of that…
• Because of that…
• Until finally…

This is how the framework is used in the movie Finding Nemo, as outlined in the book ‘To Sell Is Human’ by Dan Pink.

• Once upon a time, there was a widowed fish named Marlin who was extremely protective of his only son, Nemo.
• Every day, Marlin warned Nemo of the ocean’s dangers and implored him not to swim far away.
• One day in an act of defiance, Nemo ignores his father’s warnings and swims into the open water.
• Because of that, he is captured by a diver and ends up as a pet in the fish tank of a dentist in Sydney.
• Because of that, Marlin sets off on a journey to recover Nemo, enlisting the help of other sea creatures along the way.
• Until finally Marlin and Nemo find each other, reunite, and learn that love depends on trust.

Good storytelling paired with good copywriting can do wonders for brands.

QUOTE

“Creativity is as important as literacy.” – Ken Robinson

CREATIVE DIRECTOR COACHING

I have two spots open for January.

Get in touch if you'd like to know more and secure one of them.

[email protected]

OMNICOM / IPG MERGER

There’s been a big reaction to Omnicom buying IPG.

How big does an agency network need to be?

Is creativity even something they believe in?

If you look at this statement, it seems ‘creative’ is the last thing on their mind, as they never mention it.

SMALL IS THE NEW BIG

Following from the above story, is big really what is wanted now?

This article in Marketing Week written by Tom Roach is well worth reading.

Here's a snippet.

Big Advertising has been shrinking because it hasn’t been listening hard enough to the client community or responding to their needs as fast as other, newer types of businesses. It has been slow to innovate and evolve its core product and so is losing share in the wider category of creative marketing. Big Advertising is an industry that’s not moving as fast as its clients, and that’s a problem.

And Big Advertising’s latest move? To bet on getting even bigger being the way forward. The acquisition of IPG by Omnicom shows that the industry at its heart still believes that big is beautiful – in contrast to the message from clients.

Read the full article below.

INSPIRATION

Pinterest is my go-to place to horde creative inspiration.

No, this is not sponsored by Pinterest.

Just sharing one of my creative processes.

I always start thinking analogue - notebook & pen (Moleskine & Artline).?

I scribble, doodle, write, and think.

I’ll often go to an art gallery or a bookshop for some physical stimuli.

I’ll also walk around and look around, waiting for something to catch my eye.

And then I start building mood boards on Pinterest , I have been doing this for a very long time.?

I seek out photography, graphics, art, typography, graffiti, fashion, and whatever else fits into the directions and ideas that are sitting on the pages of my Moleskine.

I’ll often leave the inspiration board open on my laptop to scroll through when taking a break.

Do you use Pinterest?

If not, do you create inspiration/mood boards using another tool?

I’d be keen to hear in the comments.

BOOK

This book helped me understand my mind.

When I launched myself into the advertising industry, fresh from the world of rock 'n roll, one of my first mentors suggested I read this book.

I am so glad I did.

This should be required reading for anyone who develops ideas for a living or anyone who wants to get better at developing ideas.

Creative thinking is for everyone.

“Creativity is not just for artists. It’s for business people looking for a new way to close a sale; it’s for engineers trying to solve a problem; it’s for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way.” – Twyla Tharp

THIS IS MY FAVOURITE HEADLINE OF 2024.

Why?

To start with it's damn clever and delivers a smile.

It also nails the message in two words for a Mother's Day ad.

It shows Jess Houlding - YETI ambassador, pro climber, and Mom climbing the Alps with her kids.

Genius line.

It's a line AI would not think of.

It's a line many wouldn't think of.

It took someone who knew how to play with words, twist them, use their imagination, and create something new.

There's something I say to the people I lead through my copywriting workshops - “Sometimes you have to break Shakespeare's heart.”

By that I mean, throw some of the grammatical rules out the window.

But first, you need to have a decent grasp of grammar so that you can bastardise it at will.

As Picasso said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

‘Think Different’ from Apple via TBWA Los Angeles is grammatically incorrect…but it worked.

I received some really bad advice at the start of my career, there were some old guard ad men who said to me, “You can't use puns.”

I ignored them.

After all, they didn't write the rules.

Some better advice is…

- Write how people speak.

- Make it memorable.

- Make it easy to understand.

- And as David Abbott said, “Don't be boring.”

But don't just take my word for it.

“I don't know the rules of grammar. If you're trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.” - David Ogilvy

THE WRITE STUFF - Copywriting Workshop - Starting January 15

There’s never been a better time to be a better copywriter.

Why?

Because AI will most likely eliminate the bad copywriters.

But those who know how to find ideas, wrangle words, and make even the mundane sound appealing will be in demand for the foreseeable future.

My copywriting workshop is for those who want to hone their skills and craft.

I only take on five people per workshop.

The next chapter starts on January 15.

There is a 25% discount applicable until December 15.

Details are in the carousel below.

That's a wrap for this edition.

I'll see you at the weekend.

Rodd

• Big Advertising - is it really what many clients want? Read more, here.
• You can find out more about U2's Creative Director, here.

#inspiration #ideas #creativity