Category: Advertising
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The Sciamachy between Big Data And Big Ideas
Much to my surprise, the last couple of weeks saw an increase in conversations I had about a topic that apparently does neither get old nor boring. It’s been around for a while but still creates a natural tension – which is, in a way, exciting for strategists: the sciamachy between the Big Idea and Big Data. It is a debate…
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How Creativity Benefits From Noise. Or: Jump in the Pool
The past months have brought some changes in my life. Nothing dramatic, but still significant enough to allow some of these finding their way onto this blog in the next couple of weeks, because in a way #everythingisnieuw. About three months ago, I moved from Hamburg to Amsterdam, from a German agency to an international one: from thjnk…
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What Advertising Can Learn From BuzzFeed
A few days ago I attended a panel discussion/interview with Juliane Leopold, founding editor of BuzzFeed Germany, at betahaus Hamburg. She talked about how everything started, how she set up the team, how BuzzFeed wants to be political and opinionated, etc. All of this wasn’t really surprising until the moment when she opened the site on…
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JWT’s Take On Marketing Trends 2015
With the new year right in front of our noses, it’s time to look at what 2015 marketing trends might hold. Thankfully, many agencies are happy to provide their predictions. One of the more extensive looks into the future (110 pages) is served by JWT Intelligence: The Future 100 offers a glimpse into trends in food,…
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Solving Problems: The Indication And The Cause
“Find out what the real problem is, understand why that’s the real problem” Rob Campbell In a recent interview, Rob Campbell, Head of Strategy at Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai, was asked how he tackles a brief or a challenge. Despite working for one of the fanciest agencies in the world, his answers was pretty straightforward: “Find out…
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The Misguidedly Targeted Flyer
Every now and then a little piece of direct marketing gets lost in my mailbox. This particular time it was a flyer from an online retailer where I had bought some technical accessory for a washing machine a while ago. They offered me a 10 EUR discount code for my next purchase. On the front page of…
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Outcome vs. Output
“We have to become more obsessed by the outcome we create rather than the output we make.” Gareth Kay (2014)
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What A Priest Told Me About Lovemarks
Two weeks ago I attended the wedding of my cousin. I expected to hear a lot about love and faith and relationships. What I didn’t expect was hearing about brands. Most of you have probably heard of the lovemarks concept, introduced by Kevin Roberts some 12 years ago. That book made me think about the…
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The Real Target Audience: The Subway Wagon Filter
Working on weekends is nothing desirable. Yet, the subway ride to work yesterday opened my eyes regarding one of the most important questions in advertising and communications: Do you know your target audience? Next time you ride the train, don’t just regard the other passengers as annoyingly sweating, dozily wheezing, and yet to be turned…