Welcome to the weekend edition. (#57)

Looking for some inspiration or a littel creative distraction this weekend? Here's something that might help.

As always I have pulled together some things that caught my eye in the hope they'll also interest a few others.

Happy scrolling.

Rodd

ADVERTISING - TV

The new commercial from Citro?n, by BETC Fullsix, stars a pack of comfort seeking bears.

In the spot, a pack of bears have the hearts set on hunkering down for winter inside the Citro?n, only problem is it is being driven out of the woods with a family inside.

“We wanted the bears to be really lovable. So that you almost feel bad for them that they haven’t caught the car—even if that would have almost certainly meant the untimely demise of our drivers,” says agency creative director Nick Bakshi.

Read more about it and watch the spot in the links below.

ADVERTISING - IKEA

IKEA took a novel approach to connect with customers in Canada.

They slid into their DMs with messages sent between 10 pm and 5 am.

Only 200 customers were contacted and those who responded received a free matress.

You can read more about it in the links below.

DOCUMENTARY - PHOTOGRAPHY

A new documentary about British photographer Martin Parr will soon be released.

It's Nice That recently published a story about it.

Here's a snippet.

Martin Parr has always divided opinion. Like a true British icon, you either love him or hate him. The photographer is known as a lifelong documentarian of British kitsch and class –?seaside holidays, garden parties and supermarket checkouts –?exposing its quirks, contradictions, and quiet tragedies. Some see his work as exploitative and snobbish; a new documentary convincingly argues otherwise.

Created by Lee Shulman, I am Martin Parr traces the Epsom-born photographer’s life and career over 60 years, beginning with his first ever photograph in 1963, aged 11, and through to his early black-and-white images documenting the decline of the working class in Britain. Now, aged 72, Martin is best known for his colour photography,?a controversial move of his at a time when “serious” photographers shot in black-and-white. Drenched in garish flash and saturated colour, these wry observations capture the absurdity of everyday life with an affectionate and unflinching gaze. They are now known as some of the most iconic photos of British life from the last century.

Premiering in the UK and Ireland on 21 February, the documentary follows Martin around New Brighton, Merseyside, where he produced his lauded 1986 series The Last Resort. The film revisits key moments in Parr’s career, with archival footage and slideshows of his work, alongside interviews with important figures like his wife Susan, artist Grayson Perry, photographer Bruce Gilden, and musician Mark Bedford.

You can read more about the documentary and watch the trailer in the links below.

COPYWRITING vs AI

What's the biggest difference between a human and a machine?

The human part.

Nick Cave wrote a response a year ago to someone who sent him a song written in the style of Nick Cave but written by ChatGPT.

Here is a snippet of his response.

What ChatGPT is, in this instance, is replication as travesty. ChatGPT may be able to write a speech or an essay or a sermon or an obituary but it cannot create a genuine song. It could perhaps in time create a song that is, on the surface, indistinguishable from an original, but it will always be a replication, a kind of burlesque.

Songs arise out of suffering, by which I mean they are predicated upon the complex, internal human struggle of creation and, well, as far as I know, algorithms don’t feel. Data doesn’t suffer. ChatGPT has no inner being, it has been nowhere, it has endured nothing, it has not had the audacity to reach beyond its limitations, and hence it doesn’t have the capacity for a shared transcendent experience, as it has no limitations from which to transcend. ChatGPT’s melancholy role is that it is destined to imitate and can never have an authentic human experience, no matter how devalued and inconsequential the human experience may in time become.

Much of what Nick says can also apply to the craft of copywriting.

Good writing and storytelling draw upon lived experiences and emotions. Something a machine has never felt.

You can read the full response in the links.

QUOTE

“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all.” – Edward de Bono

THE WRITE STUFF - Copywriting Workshop

My next copy workshop starts soon.

The early bird discount ends sooner.

Part of becoming a better copywriter is exploring different options and directions, many of which won't work.

One of my first mentors told me early in my career - "Not finding the idea is all part of finding the idea."

Here's some advice from the late, great copywriter David Abbott from The Copy Book.

He was the mind behind many great ads, including some of the most iconic headlines for The Economist.

* "I jot down thoughts or phrases that come to mind before I need them. I also write down in the margins all the clichés and purple bits that clutter my head. I find that only by writing them down do I exorcise them."

* "By the time I come to write, the structure of the argument is somehow in my brain. I spend a lot of time fact-finding and I don’t start writing until I have too much to say. I don’t believe you can write fluent copy if you have to interrupt yourself with research. Dig first, then write."

* "Great copy has been written in cafés, on trains, on beaches, on planes, in cars — even occasionally at a desk. How you do it is less important than what you do."

* "If you believe that facts persuade (as I do), you’d better learn how to write a list so that it doesn’t read like a list."

You can more details about The Write Stuff Copywriting Workshop in the carousel below. ?? We start on March 12. The early bird discount ends on February 28.

ART

Hyperallergic have published a great guide to all of the art happening in New York during Spring.

Here's an outtake.

Art is at the heart of New York City. No other place in the country has the abundance of museums, commercial galleries, nonprofit spaces, and public art that this city boasts, and spring is the time to emerge from hibernation and take it all in. From van Gogh-inspired flowers at the New York Botanical Garden to feminist chinoiserie at The Met, a vibrant world of visual and intellectual stimulation awaits in and around the city.

You can see the full rundown in the links below.

EVENT

Offf Festival is gearing up for another year of inspiration in Barcelona.

You can find out more in an article from Creative Review in the links below.

Here's a snippet.

Creative festival Offf is celebrating 25 years with the forthcoming edition of its event at Barcelona’s Disseny Hub, taking place from May 8-10. In the run-up to the event, the festival has announced its programme of more than 70 speakers from across the creative industries, including graphic and motion design, visual art, AI, VR and digital culture.

From the design and branding industry, there will be speakers from agencies and studios including Pentagram, DixonBaxi, Hato, Collins and many more from around the world.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR - COACHING

I have spots available for my CD Coaching, if you'd like to know more just email me at [email protected]

You can also read my post about what it takes to be a better CD in the links below.

That's a wrap.

Hope you found something insoiring here.

See you in the next edition.

Rodd

• Watch the Citro?n TV spot here.
• Read more about IKEA's DM campaign here.
• Discover more about the Martin Parr documentary here.
• Watch the Martin Parr trailer here.
• Nick Cave vs ChatGPT, you can read the full piece here.
• The Sping 2025 guide to art shows in NYC, find out more here.
• Want to be a better Creative Director? You'll find some advice here.
• Find out more about the upcoming Offf Festival here.

#inspiration #ideas #creativity #creativedirector