Last month, my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The prognosis is good, all things considered, but it’s a lot for her to deal with.

One minute she’s walking around, feeling absolutely fine – and then, in an instant, her world is turned upside down.

And there’s nothing she can do about it.

She feels helpless.

And so do I.

It feels like there’s very little I, or the rest of my family, can do to help.

A hug. A word of encouragement. An ear to listen. A shoulder to cry on.

That’s about it.

We can’t fight the cancer, we can’t take the chemo for her and we can’t give her an organ.

All we can do is help her cope.

She hasn’t even started chemo yet, but already she’s worrying about losing her hair.

I don’t want her to feel self-conscious about that. Not on top of everything else.

I jokingly told her she could have mine. She laughed.

Okay, so she’d look ridiculous in a Paul-wig. But maybe instead of giving her hair, I could just give her a bit of confidence?

Maybe if I shaved my head, she won’t worry about it as much.

Maybe she’ll even see the funny side.

And maybe we’ll raise some money for a good cause. It is #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth after all.

So that’s the plan.

Now, those of you who know me will know that I’ve shaved my head before. So you might be thinking this is no big deal.

Well, you’d be right. That’s why I’m going to go full on slap-head. Cue ball. Chrome dome.

And if we hit the donation targets, I’ll even wax my eyebrows off completely.

And the beard? Well shaving it off is a bit too easy, so you can choose a ridiculous style for it instead.

And I will look like a giant, expressionless purple-Hitler-tache-wearing baby, for charity. If you so choose.

So here's the deal...

£0 - head shaved. Any donation would be greatly appreciated though :)

£750 - One eyebrow waxed

£1,000 - Both eyebrows waxed

And the person who gives the highest single donation gets to choose my beard style/colour.

All funds raised will go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

And I’ll wear whatever I end up with for a whole month...

Thanks for reading! If you feel like donating to a great cause, making me look ridiculous and giving my mum something to smile about, you know what to do...

King of burgers. King of marketing.

In case you missed it, yesterday Burger King launched a genius campaign to form a one-time-only coalition with its nemesis, McDonald’s.

Why? To celebrate, and raise awareness of, World Peace Day on September 21st.

A website was launched, full page press ads ran in the New York Times and Chicago Tribune – the paper local to McDonald’s HQ – and a 90-second video was uploaded to Youtube, talking about how both BK and Maccie D’s have the “size, scope and resources to help make the world a better place.”

It’s a brilliant move from Burger King. A real win/win situation.

Straight away they look good for instigating the cease-fire in the name of the greater good. Even if it is a somewhat transparent marketing stunt, it still raises awareness for Peace Day. And as Jeremy Gilley, Founder of Peace One Day, says, “awareness creates action and action saves lives.”

But what’s really great about it from a BK marketing point of view, is that McDonald’s’ response in no way affects the impact of the campaign.

If they go for it – great. It’ll be a cool campaign and a bit of fun for the brands, all for a good cause. And if they don’t fancy it, BK still have the positive press and McDonald’s instantly look like the bad guys – which is exactly what’s happened.

The almost-instantaneous response from Steve Easterbrook, McDonald’s CEO, smacks of bitterness and panic. His invitation for Burger King to join McDonald’s in a “meaningful global effort” and tackle “the real pain and suffering of war” doesn’t read anywhere near as altruistically as whoever wrote it might have hoped. Rather, it makes him sound like a kid who’s run off with the ball because he’s afraid he’s going to lose the game. Clanger.

Furthermore, it’s completely hollow when you consider McDonald’s’ unwavering sponsorship of the 2022 FIFA World Cup – despite the fact that it’s been widely condemned for already costing the lives of hundreds of migrant workers.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a little more back and forth between the two brands over the next few days as McDonald’s tries to regain some ground. But when the dust settles, they’ll only have dug themselves into a deeper hole and Burger King will still be wearing the crown.

This post was originally published on the BURN blog.

Tales of a Saturday afternoon - II

An elderly man with a thick beard and a nervous tic devotes his attention to a series of complex mathematical equations, scrawled on the backs of junk mail letters strewn on the table before him. His brow furrowed, he curses repeatedly under his breath, as if trying to solve one of life's great mysteries with three different coloured pens, but to no avail.

After a time, he smiles, neatly folds the letters along their very worn creases, tucks them into the inner pocket of his old, ill-fitting jacket and rises from his seat. He heads for the door, a spring in is step and a whistling tune on his lips, leaving his coffee and his cares behind him.

Tales of a Saturday afternoon - I

A young man dances down the High Street with a newly-purchased rug in one arm and his toddler son in the other. Shimmying left and right, his son giggles and laughs at his father's out-of-tune singing and exaggerated dance moves.

Passers by can't help but smile at the pair - with two elderly ladies even joining in with a perfectly synchronised quick-step as they walk arm in arm in the opposite direction.

Language of the heart

Mark Zuckerberg surprised a lot of people last year when he addressed a packed Q&A session in Beijing, in Chinese.

The audience members were impressed – as well they should’ve been. No one knew he spoke Chinese and it’s a difficult language to learn.

Mr Zuckerberg said he learned the language so he could talk to his mother-in-law, as she doesn’t speak English.

But his mother-in-law wasn’t in the audience. He also speaks better English than he does Chinese – and the audience members spoke English too.

So why did he speak in Chinese?

He did it because of the way it was perceived by his audience.

While the content of Mr Zuckerberg’s answers was likely unchanged, the way they were received was different.

It was more positive and his words were given even greater weight than they would’ve been in English, despite the fact he’s already a leader in his field.

Such is marketing.

There are many different ways to say any one thing, and some will have more impact than others.

Especially in a world where brands are all trying to say the same thing.

That’s why they hire marketing agencies – and we in turn analyse, conduct tests and employ Art Directors and Copywriters. To make sure we convey the message in a way that will truly resonate with the audience.

Because what you say matters, but the way you say it matters more.

The late, great Nelson Mandela summed it up perfectly:

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language – that goes to his heart.”

And while our heads make us think, it’s our hearts that make us act.

This post was originally published on the BURN blog.

What I think of the Protein World ads

Everyone’s seen these ads by now (and if you haven’t, where have you been?)

They’ve kicked up quite a storm beyond the world of marketing. And after all the furore, I just thought I’d throw in my two cents.

The ad is obviously made for a specific target audience. But by definition, if your ad appeals to a particular audience, it won’t appeal to others – and in some cases, it might offend.

Some people will look at that and say ‘well, it’s not meant for them – so it doesn’t matter. The job of the ad is to sell protein products to body-conscious fitness enthusiasts.’

Perhaps. But the problem is that it isn’t just an ad.

It’s in the public eye. It has influence.

In the same way that professional footballers can get in trouble for things they do off the field – because they’re role models – so too should marketers be held accountable for the way their ads influence the world.

Because the message the creators want to convey, isn’t the only message that the ad is advocating.

The Protein World ad is saying that you could look like that if you used those products.

Great, for some.

But it’s also advocating a certain body image, a certain lifestyle and a certain way of thinking.

It implies that that’s a beach body. Which in turn implies that other figures or body shapes aren’t beach bodies – which is far more negative than it is positive.

The problem though is that some marketers’ moral compasses point only towards money.

The ad might well get results. It might well boost sales.

But an ad that boosts sales and has a negative impact on body image issues is still irresponsible.

The same way a guy who tells a sexist joke that makes 10 people laugh and one person cry is still sexist.

Because it’s not just a joke.

And it’s not just an ad.

This post was originally published on the BURN blog.

Sexism in marketing

I started following the Everyday Sexism Project on twitter earlier this year (@EverydaySexism). Almost immediately it made me realise that I’ve lacked perspective on just how prevalent sexism is in the UK. But still, months later, I find myself continually surprised by the obscene content of the true stories in their twitter feed.

I do consider myself a feminist, but sexism is supposed to be a thing of the past – a flawed, antiquated way of thinking that doesn’t have a leg to stand on in a logical argument. I thought that when you see sexist issues on the news or read about them in the paper, they’re isolated incidents. But they’re not – and the Everyday Sexism Project, and now the #YesAllWomen hashtag, are doing a great job of helping people realise this, speak out about their experiences and find strength and support in numbers.

There are a few well-known sexist controversies in the UK, throughout a wide range of industries, organisations and societal constructs. Things like maternity/paternity leave and the salary gap are perhaps the most publicised, but there are still many issues in fields such as sport, politics, media and the arts – as pointed out by Laura Bates in her many inspiring talks. The widespread nature of the figures is both surprising and scary – and the marketing industry is no different. 

I’ve heard stories from the not-so-distant past of female employees being belittled and even verbally abused after complaining about harassment, while others were asked to make tea during meetings, despite being more senior than some of the men in the room. And recently The Drum reported that 49% of women working in marketing have experienced sexism at some point in their careers. This figure is alarmingly high, pointing not towards a minority of instigators, buta systemic failure in the upholding of moral standards.

The Drum’s ‘Women in Marketing’ study bemoans the state of the upper echelons of the industry, with 24% of respondents unsatisfied with the scope for their career progression – concurrent with Laura Jordan Bambach’s statistic that only 3% of Creative Directors are women and consistent with similar statistics from other industries that show women occupy an inexcusably tiny percentage of higher-powered jobs.

So it would seem that the marketing industry is well behind the times. But many would argue that some of the work the industry produces is at greater fault – not just for the way that it portrays women, but also for the influence this has on society, women and young girls today. In truth, the media has a lot to answer for in terms of how women are portrayed. Misogyny, stereotypes and double-standards are so common that we as the public are almost numb to them. All too often women in the media are portrayed as the content instead of the person that heralds it.

While many would agree with Tiffany St James, who suggests that there has been a “seismic shift against sexist behaviour,” it’s evident that not all marketing has caught up with the changing public opinion. Just last month, River Island was humiliated into removing what it called the “domestic anti-nag gag” from its website – a novelty football-esque ball gag that encouraged men to gag their nagging partners.

Similarly, in February this year, two VIP e-cigarette ads received over 1,100 complaints for exploiting women and being overly sexual. And a Top Gear trailer that aired at the end of last year drew several complaints for its portrayal of women cleaning and doing the washing, while the men were out driving the fast cars and enjoying themselves. Indeed there are many now-infamous ads from the mid-to-late twentieth century that are wholly sexist and just plain absurd, to which these modern-day ads are not entirely dissimilar. This is exactly why there is such uproar when outdated and frankly unbelievable modes of thinking find their way into current media streams, seemingly unfiltered, unchallenged and unchanging.

Earlier this year it was discovered that iTunes and Google Play were marketing an app that encouragedchildren as young as nine to act as plastic surgeons – being told in one scenario that “this unfortunate girl has so much extra weight that no diet can help her. In our clinic she can go through a surgery called liposuction that will make her slim and beautiful.”

Thankfully the overwhelming response from the Everyday Sexism Project had it swiftly removed from sale, but it’s this kind of influence on young girls that can instil sexist culture in the next generations of modern society. They’re made to believe that they need to be slim to be beautiful and beautiful to be accepted. These messages, because they begin from such a young age, can create a lasting pursuit of an unattainable ideal of self-image that is perpetuated in adulthood by ads that also highlight imperfection and self-improvement. 

“Girls and teenagers are perhaps most vulnerable to beauty-industry propaganda. For them, advertising is a window into adult life, a lesson in what it means to be a woman” (Jacobsen & Mazur, 1995).

And it’s not just girls. Young boys will suffer from the same exposure, believing that the examples set are accurate representations of how they should view and treat women.

This construct that depicts women as viewing content is not only perverted, but sexist in its denial of opportunities to women who are considered less photogenic and detrimental to the way consumers, both male and female, perceive women in society.

Jacobsen & Mazur suggest that “the very rigidity of the ideal guarantees that most women will fall outside of it, creating a gap between what women are and what they learn they should be.”

The same applies to men as well, though to a lesser extent. While idealisation does feature in marketing aimed at men, they are targeted more with sexualisation of products and consumables, using women as the ‘bait’ for their attention. This in turn devalues women and is the same circular, seemingly acceptable behaviour that sustains and encourages the rape culture that the Everyday Sexism Project is trying to combat.

But it’s hard to know the best way to approach sexism as a whole. Should the larger-scale problems such as sexist marketing, the salary gap and family-planning discrimination be tackled first, or the more individual issues of physical and verbal abuse and sexist jokes in the name of ‘banter’?

The effect that any one instance of sexism has on a person is incredibly difficult to quantify. Some people can brush certain offences off; perhaps because sexism’s systemic nature in our society makes it seem ‘normal,’ but others will suffer greatly, both immediately and in the future. Having said that, I would argue that the everyday problems should be tackled first because they’re much more frequent. It may even prove easier to eradicate the grander problems if we can first instil a change in culture and the way people think. 

“Sexist ads exist because we live in a sexist society. By feeding off ideologies that already surround us, sexist media also perpetuates sexism and misogyny. Understanding the cyclical nature of harmful advertising is the first step to changing it” (Brenna McCaffrey, 2012.)

If people continue to become less tolerant of sexism in social and public domains, then we can have a greater impact on sexism in the working and professional domains. It’s just a matter of time. 

But for now, people need to keep speaking out and raising awareness. As Laura Bates said, “our voices are loudest when we raise them together.”

References & Influences

Laura Bates’ Everyday Sexism TEDx talk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhjsRjC6B8U

Michael F. Jacobsen & Laurie Anne Mazur – Sexism and Sexuality in Marketing

http://www.uky.edu/~aubel2/eng104/paranoia/pdf/jacobsen.pdf

Brenna McCaffrey – The Feminist Anthropologist

http://thefeministanthropologist.com/2012/08/23/advertising-and-marketing-sexism-doesnt-always-sell/

Office for National Statistics

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_328352.pdf

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp29904_288163.pdf

MarketingWeek: Salary Survey 2013 – The Gender Gap

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/trends/salary-survey-2013-the-gender-gap/4005345.article

Statistical Overview of Women in the Workplace

http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/statistical-overview-women-workplace

The Drum’s ‘Women in Marketing’ study

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/05/28/almost-half-females-marketing-industry-have-experienced-sexism-research-drum-s-women

Women CEOs of the Fortune 1000

http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-ceos-fortune-1000

Follow the girls and guys of @EverydaySexism

https://twitter.com/EverydaySexism

Adweek’s 10 most sexist ads of 2013

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/10-most-sexist-ads-2013-154550#intro

Other sexist ads

Vintage sexist ads: http://neatdesigns.net/35-extremely-sexist-ads-that-you-should-see/

VIP e-cigarettes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8mkUQqukmk

Top Gear: http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/06/bbc-receives-complaints-over-sexist-top-gear-advert-3383094/

21 quotes that'll make you more creative

ON CREATIVITY

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

Henry David Thoureau

“The simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.”

Edward de Bono

“It takes courage to be creative. As soon as you have a new idea, you are a minority of one.”

E. Paul Torrance

Perspective is everything. Thinking outside the box is great, but sometimes all you need to do is stand outside the box and look in.

ON INNOVATION

“If I asked my customers what they wanted, they would’ve said a faster horse.”

Henry Ford

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Albert Einstein

“The world is what you think of it – so think of it differently and your life will change.”

Paul Arden

Creativity is asking ‘how?’ Innovation is asking ‘why?’

ON ADVERTISING

"A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself."

David Ogilvy

"We want consumers to say, 'That's a hell of a product' instead of, 'That's a hell of an ad.'"

Leo Burnett

“Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.”

Joe Chernov

Nobody likes to feel as if they’re being sold something they don’t need – but everybody takes pleasure in buying something they want. Create desire, assuage fear, make a sale.

ON EXPERIENCE & INTELLIGENCE

“The more I practice, the luckier I get.”

Gary Player

"I’ve not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Thomas Edison

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

Henry Ford

“Stupid people think complicated is clever.”

Dave Trott

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Leonardo Da Vinci

“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”

William Shakespeare

Practice makes perfect, but don’t make the mistake of thinking you have nothing left to learn. Arrogance walks hand in hand with ignorance and complacency.

ON PERSUASION

"Facts are irrelevant. What matters is what the consumer believes."

Seth Godin

“Logic will never change emotion or perception.”

Edward de Bono

“If they don’t feel it, nothing will happen.”

Bill Bernbach

We’re emotional beings. Connect with people on a human level and you won’t need to convince them – they’ll trust you.

ON COPYWRITING

“When people read your copy, they are alone. Pretend you are writing to each of them a letter on behalf of your client.”

David Ogilvy

“If you talk to a person in a language they understand, that goes to their head. If you talk to them in their language – that goes to their heart.”

Nelson Mandela

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”

Robin Williams

Copywriting isn’t an interaction, an engagement or any other buzzword that’s being bandied around. You’re two people, having a conversation. Talk.

This post was originally published on the BURN blog.