Loving this bit of tactical advertising.
Loving this bit of tactical advertising.
Just been laid off and need some inspiration? Check out what this lot have done with their formerly redundant business cards. 
See them all here
As much as it pains me to share my view, I’ve just been tagged by Katy and I’ll oblige in the spirit of community ‘n that.
So, on first view, my desk looks very clean and tidy. Being in meeja, I’ve got the obligatory bottle of champers, along with my Canadian flag in the corner to remind me of my roots.
Here’s where you start to see the true picture of how messy I actually am. I’m in the middle of the office and despite having a massive desk, I’ve managed to spread my work / papers / books / random crap across the entire surface.
And yes, those really are gold glitter pom poms (thanks Jon!) adding a touch of glamour to my digital life. A closer look will also see a random Pret coffee card, a promo mug from G.O.L.D and a green plastic phone holder in the shape of a hand.
Sadly, I only cleaned my desk a week ago. Ah well, you can’t win ‘em all.
Does anyone else find this new Schweppes commercial for the Indian market really, really creepy?
Weird, on so many levels.
Spotted this poster this morning at Euston Square station.
And then got sent this video:
The Evening Standard lost me as a reader three years ago after I grew tired of their petty, vindicative and elitist writing and their silly, ongoing campaigns against Ken Livingstone.
Will this positioning translate into a different editorial tone now that Veronica Wadley’s left and Geordie Greig (ex-Tatler – not the most populist of titles!) and Sarah Sands (ex-Daily Telegraph) are on board?
“Perhaps we will soon reach a time when the media industry can spontaneously think of an equal number of great icons of either gender.” This is the last line in Sue Unerman’s piece in the latest edition of Media Week and it follows on from a number of things I’ve been talking or thinking about (why there are no female contributors in this series) in the past few weeks.
There are some really fantastic women working in our industry, women like Tess Alps, Philippa Brown, Farah Ramzan Golant, Helen Calcraft and Amelia Torode. These are senior-level women who are setting an example, speaking out and showing that’s it’s possible to get ahead in a male dominated industry and still be fabulous, fiesty, smart and most of all, themselves. These are fabulous female role models for women wanting to do big things in media and advertising.
But yet, we still doubt ourselves. Generalities aside, but you very rarely hear men uttering any of these classic lines: “This may be a stupid idea but…” or “I may not know what I’m talking about but…” or “I’m not sure if I deserve that payrise, but…”. Stop apologising! Say what you want and take control of your career.
Groups like WACL and She Says are fantastic places to get career advice, support and to meet like-minded women in media and advertising. Every year, WACL put on an amazing one-day training forum called Gather. They invite speakers like Stevie Spring and cover a variety of topics like improving your influencing & persuading skills, motivating yourself & others and bravery.
Last year, I heard some great pieces of advice that I’ve carried with me ever since.
1) Just because you haven’t, doesn’t mean that you can’t. There’s a first time for everything and to get ahead, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
2) You can’t cry and whistle at the same time. If you feel like you’re going to cry, try to whistle. You can’t do both concurrently!
3) If you’re not enjoying what you do, be proactive in finding ways to enjoy it. If you can’t, it’s time to find another job.
4) Look the part. Dress for the job you want to be doing, not the job you’re actually doing. Dress for the input you want to give and the image you want to project.
5) Don’t wait to be given responsibility. If you want to get ahead, then take responsibility and show that you are capable and deserving of the job you want.
6) Be brave, opinionated and give up the fear. Remember that you got to where you are right now because of your strength and your ability. Stop being scared and doubting yourself.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Spotted this Duffy / Diet Coke advert in Heat magazine today and I have to say, it knocked me for six.
The aim of this campaign is apparently to ‘represent confident young women taking a stand against the pressures of modern life’. What?
All this ad campaign says to me is that Diet Coke want to associate themselves with subversive misogyny and the idea that it’s okay for women to be a little bit mediocre, a little bit behind the curve. What a terrible message. Superman is a cultural icon and represents heroism, virtue, strength and the fight for social justice. What’s wrong with trying to do your absolute best and be a ’super’ woman?
In an age where girls aspire to become glamour models, reality TV stars and famous being being famous, we need more role models like Paula Radcliffe and Nicola Horlick who demonstrate that you can get to the top of your profession and be a ’super’ woman without sacrificing your feminity or womanliness. Woman like Margaret Thatcher and Michelle Obama who show that you can be a woman and make your own success, without resorting to taking your kit off for a lad’s mag or flashing your bits to the paparazzi.
What’s your interpretation of this ad?
Spotted this new Home Office campaign today, first at Ladbroke Grove station and then in the Metro (wasn’t actually me that was reading it, honest. I was browsing over someone’s shoulder!).
At first glance, the copy looks sinister enough to make you do a double take.
However, this campaign is evidently highlighting the launch of a Policing Pledge, a new set of promises from the police on the service they should give you – to listen to any issues about crime and to keep the public informed of action taken and progress made on crime in local areas. Surely this should be happening already?
Interesting that they should use the iconic ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ template to announce this initiative.
