New Year; Old Deals

The public manoeuvrings of the largest media agencies rarely disappoint. It is extraordinary how many times they become embroiled in spats on buying issues, whilst in the next breath promoting what they tend to describe as their unrivalled strategic planning skills.

Read more

|
|
|
|

New Models; Old Realities

A common refrain from every passing marketing director and journalist is the need for the agency business to come up with a new business model. Sometimes this is expressed as amazement that the industry is still sticking to what’s described as ‘the old model’; sometimes the critics just keep repeating ‘need to reinvent’ over and over again whilst accessing their mental thesaurus.

Read more

|
|
|
|

Je Ne Suis Pas Digne d’Etre Charlie

There can surely only really be one topic front of the mind with any media person this week, and that’s the terrible events in Paris. The murder of journalists, cartoonists, editors for upholding their right to free speech overshadows everything else in the media business.

Read more

|
|
|
|

Welcome to 2015

…And we’re back. Welcome to 2015; may it bring you every success and happiness. And I hope you stay with me as I attempt to deliver another year of insightful, infuriating, irritating Cog Blogs.

In amongst all the Christmas and New Year festivities, I received a letter. It was not formatted, nor was it from the taxman. Rather it was hand-written, from a good friend. It made me feel really good, not just its content but the fact that in this day and age of emails and Facebook posts someone had taken the time and trouble to sit down and write me a letter.

Read more

|
|
|
|