Sharing the Wealth

As you may be aware, a number of blogs I read (plus this one) are ocassionally printed in Campaign Magazine's 'best of the blogs' section. A few people have asked me the the question over usage and payment, so I though it was worth discussing here.

"Don't you think you should be paid for them using your work?" I am asked. Well, if you look at it on a basic level I can see the similarity between a magazine printing my writing and them printing a column by 'another planner' (E.g.: One whom I would never claim to be anywhere near as smart as!).

However, I wouldn't be writing this content if I didn't want to do so anyway, this content is here because it is something i want to express an opinion on. I didn't start my blog to get paid, I started it to get my voice out there, which appearing in magazines helps to do. The blog served its' key purpose of helping me get into planning, and it helps me to keep thinking and to talk with other intelligent people in adland.

The other works are columns purposely constructed and paid for, they have to hit deadlines and need to meet much better editorial standards than my rantings. If I was writing to those timeframes and contraints I would want paying, but the point of a blog is the freedom not to be limited.

So the answer is: not really no. I don't mind not being paid when my blog writing appears in magazines, it's always credited to me and treated with editorial respect so I don't see the problem.

The other good thing is the amount of exposure this kind of thing provides for planners outside the London circle. I have seen planners in Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and other places included recently; for an industry that too often silo's itself into small areas I think this is very healthy. A small step towards breaking the out of date perception that (even in a digital world) not being based in London somehow makes you an inferior agency or talent.

No one in America claims CPB are rubbish because they are in Boulder, Colorado; no one dismisses W+K because they are in Portland not New York; the sooner we all start to respect each other the sooner we can start fixing the problems of our industry and regaining real creative trust from our clients. The prevelance of northern planners being published is a good start.

The Problem of Underclass

Watching Manchester fall victim to looters and vandals was horrible. Seeing people trash their own city and boasting about it in barely comprehensible language was a nasty sight to behold. It's perfectly acceptable to be full of rage at these people. I can understand calling them scum and other names; I did it myself on seeing the shit they were pulling on the place where I live.

After such an event it is inevitable that many people will swing their social views to the right and demand tougher punishment, less benefits and tougher police. But the question we have to ask here, is why are there so many people who feel so out of touch with society, so absent of trust or hope in our society that they think it is acceptable to do this? How have we allowed people to become this way, if they are scum, they are scum of our own making. We cannot start taking heavy handed action on the symptoms if we continue to do nothing about the real causes.

This isn't just about bad parents and social media, this is about 32 years of government in which groups of people have been so left behind and ignored by society that we can refer to them as the 'underclass' without irony or insult. How else do we get a system that manages to take the worst of the left and worst of the right and combine them? No future, no jobs, no support, no propects combined with a dependence on social benefits; is it any wonder people are addicted to benefits? If money from the government was all you could expect to get for your whole life, is it any wonder you are both reliant on, addicted to, and angry at, the system?

It's no coincidence the trouble appears in poorer areas, places left behind. Always the first to get cuts in a tory government. If you leave food out in the open, it will go mouldy; whose fault is it if it then makes you ill?

In the words of Megadeth, 'Peace sells, but who's buying?' I read one report that 2000 black people protested peacefully in London a few weeks ago with not an inch of coverage in the press, one burning building and the world is at the door. I'm not saying these people were doing anything with a political point, but the fact they do it in the first place is a bigger political point.

No government wants to tackle it. This is our modern equivalent of dragging families out of the slums and into council houses. We won't get there by focusing on the symptoms. If it was us, how would we approach this problem?

Bus Stop Bubbles

I am a big fan of interactive bus stop media, they give you something to do whilst waiting in the rain (at least in Manchester), and at present are new enough an idea that people will stop and look at them purely because of what they are.

The latest one from Aero looks nice and ties in well with the current brand idea and strapline. It's a simple quiz to determine how Irresistibubble you are, nothing spectacular but it passes a minute of time in an engaging way.

Hello there little cupcake

Hurrah! After a few months of moving my favourite cupcakes are back in Manchester. Hey Little Cupcake opened their doors last Friday and by time I got there at half one they were almost totally sold out!

Lovely people and tasty cakes are a winning combination... I don't do these kinds of posts very often!

If you are ever in near the Spinningfields area of Manchester I wholeheartedly recommend you try one!

Don't Forget...

The next Northern Ad Meet is tomorrow:

Thursday November 12th
Common Bar in Manchester
6.30pm start

We welcome planning, suits, creatives, marketing folk, pr folk, digital folk, grads, etc etc.Reply here or email me at rob ( at ) ad-pit ( dot co dot uk ) for more info or if you have any questions.

In the Region of

There is one term I am starting to hate within adland, and I hope that I'm not the only one.

It's the slightly demeaning and insulting phrase of "Regional Agency".

I don't know where the term originated, and I accept that it has uses for smaller agencies in lists and charts. But I believe (and hope) I'm not the only person who finds the phrase insulting.

It feels like a term coined by a London agency in a pitch to scare a client from going outside the M25. A phrase that implies we don't have the skills or the resource outside the M25 to run a big campaign. A phrase that tries to bracket even global linked agencies like CBJWT, TBWA Manchester, McCann Birmingham into the same group as John Smith Village Marketing.

It seems to be a curiously British phenomenon, our obsession with London (and that's not to diss London agencies) as the only place where our marketing happens. I think you will find that Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh are all bloody big cities. We have our Beatles, our Oasis, our Proclaimers (okay maybe not the best example).

You don't call agencies in San Francisco or Chicago regional because they aren't in New York.

We don't call clients 'regional clients' if they are based in Liverpool or Newcastle. We would be rightly lambasted for doing so. Just because we don't have Fallon up here doesn't mean we lack talent. It's just that too many clients and agencies are yet to step outside the M25 and see it.

It's about time that we stopped using this lazy term and looked at our industry as a whole. We are not London agencies and regional agencies. We are all UK agencies. In this time when we need to justify our talents to those less familiar with the 'intangibles' of marketing, dividing ourselves up in this way helps noone.

Monday Meeting

Quick update to let everyone know that Monday sees the return of the Northern Planning (and Creative, and Australian artist) Meet Up.

7pm at The Northern Pub in Manchester's Northern Quarter.

If you need anymore info shout me: rob (at) ad -pit dot co dot uk

Vote for Something

The battle over Manchester's congestion charge has become quite farcical really. I personally am undecided, but leaning towards yes; but were it based on the advertising and campaigning, the vote should be non-existent.

The no campaign has all the subtlety and balance of Jeremy Clarkson's Big Book of Speed Cameras. A jagged C logo, VOTE NO! NO MORE CHARGES! JUST DRIVING YOUR CAR! Jeez fucking get a grip. It feels like the sort of campaign put together by UKIP to save the pound, a reactionary agressive campaign which is based on opinion not fact; run by the sort of people who would vote to nuke Iran if it meant their car tax came down a few quid.

That said, the Yes campaign isn't much better. Clearly ripping off an NHS ad style, with mug shots of people with blatantly contrived "Quotes". It just looks embarassing. "80 more trams, then the charge comes in? Sound fair to me." Except it doesn't. Because there is no way on earth that these people have said these phrases, it is ad speak of the worst kind; attempting to sound like someone but failing miserably and ending up sounding like a council trying to sway people with fake opinion.

In fact the only people who have come up with anything reasonable are First, the local bus company. Their on-bus posters and booklets at least explain the benefits in a rational way, and are the only persuasive thing I have read in the 'battle' period.

Vote Yes? Vote No? Vote for better advertising!

Don't Stop Me Now!

Hurrah! Today I officially pass my three month probation period in my new job. It's been three months of crazy busyness and learning, but with the bonuses of meeting some fantastic people and helping out in two great (and winning) pitches.

To add to that, last week I got the first 180 on our agency dart board...

I really like being in Manchester, I look forward to being able to live here as well. 6am alarm clock and 8pm hometime really leaves no free time! Good thing the job is worth it.

Oh and my brother David starts a week placement at another Manchester agency today, if they have any sense they will keep him there!

The Worm has Turd

I know I know, I spent time talking with people about how good brand characters can be effective. I'm sure I secretly miss a good jingle.

But dear advertising lord (I think technically that's Sir Martin Sorrell) please make this go away.
It's the first ad by Manchester based driven, and reminds me of everything that regional agencies shouldn't be doing. It's tacky, the character is dull, the writing is suspect and the ad as a whole is borderline unwatchable.

Manchester Here We Come

The first Northern Planning meeting of 2008 will be taking place tomorrow at Common in Manchester.

It technically starts about 7/7.30, but some people may be early!

I will be there, as will Northern, Gemma, Simon, Ian, and possibly Andrea, Graham, and David.

If anyone wants directions or isn;t sure just email me ( rob#@#ad#-#pit#.co#.uk, remove the hashes!)

Northern Planning 2008

At last, the first Northern Planning Meetup of 2008.

It will be taking place in my soon to be home of Manchester, on the Thursday 21st February, from about 7/7-30pm til whenever the last of us goes home.

Venue not yet confirmed, but likely to be a pub/nice bar in the city centre.

Usually we discuss advertising and marketing over a drink or two (snacks optional), always good fun though!

Anyone who would like to go let me know and I will add you to our email loop!

That Peter Kay Thing

Saw the Producers in Manchester last night with Peter Kay as one of the stars... absolutely hysterical.

The Producers is amazingly funny anyway, but Peter Kay added so many improvised looks and pauses and movements that the rest of the cast couldnt hide their laughter at times. Including one scene where they were literally laughing out loud.

If you are going to see it then you made the right choice. Funniest thing ive seen in years.