Hello

hello – come in and make yourself at home

The Woodies have a blog. It’s a kind of collective. Not sure we’re about to start a revolution baby, but we might kindle a small debate or two and perhaps raise a smile. Anyway, rather than just blogging corporate Woodreed by fielding our top Woodie (as so many other companies seem to do in a thinly veiled attempt at impressing with their profundity), we wanted all our individual voices to be heard. An agency’s most valuable assets are its people after all. Everyone’s got something to say here and with us everyone’s ideas and opinions matter.

Each week someone different will be blogging. It's mostly about stuff that rocks our world as well as the flipside – the things that just don't cut it with us. We'll blog about inside and outside – inside this glorious industry where we work and outside in the real world.
It's a bit of an experiment, so go with us on this one.

Hope you enjoy.

Friday 30 September 2011

At last I get it!



We all struggle with it if we're honest. Even those of us who think we know it are sometimes stricken with a crisis of confidence. Is it before the s? After? Is my noun singular or plural? We confer, we debate, we type it both ways and try and decide which way looks right.

Well not any more folks. Last week I came across a website which makes it all CRYSTAL CLEAR! Brilliant. An apostrophe is used to replace missing letters - in ALL instances. Yes really, even when used in the possesive. Read this and you will NEVER make a mistake again.

You might need to brush up on your Canterbury Tales though!

Monday 26 September 2011

Autumn























Whilst driving in to work this morning and looking at the varying shades of autumnal colour, I thought how much I love this time of year and can't wait for the colour explosion about to happen...made even more stunning with the autumn sun!

I stumbled upon this quote, which just about sums it up!

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic 
of them all.  
Stanley Horowitz

Image courtesy: shutterstock

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Macho madmen..




Blimey, I'm just imagining an interim creative review with me parading these ideas in front of the ladies.

I don't think I'd live to tell the tale!

In practical terms, if I decided to buy my better half a Hoover or a blender for Christmas, then I'd get a Christmas cracker persuasively pushed down my throat.

But what about blowing smoke into a female face in order to become more attractive to her?

I suppose in reality in those days social behavior was laced with Victorian values, and the ad men weren't to know how things would change, and how regulatory forums would come into existence.

But really, still dire!

Do what you do best


Do what you do well and stick to what you are good at. That's what people say. But so often now we see multi-taskers in all forms of society and business. People and brands trying to be too many things to too many people.

I only mention this as I watched a documentary a night or so ago about the Australian Rock n Roll band AC/DC, and despite being at the top of their game for the best part of 30 years their vision and values haven't changed. Despite being multi, multi millionaires (did you know they recorded the 2nd best ever selling album of all time?) they are humble, don't flash their wealth and keep a very healthy sense of humour -
Angus Young "I'm sick to death of people saying we've made 11 albums that sounds exactly the same, in fact, we've made 12 albums that sound exactly the same"

If only there were more people in the public spotlight who conveyed these sentiments. Now you have X-factor judges or washed up soap-'stars' who if out of the public spotlight for more than a week or 2 need to fabricate news or go on a another reality show just to remind people they are still there - why? because they offer no value or anything of real worth that people need or want.

I suppose what I'm getting at, is do your best at what you are best at doing, and people will respect that - I mean (for example), when was the last time you actually chose to go to an steak restaurant and then ordered the fish....

Monday 19 September 2011

When the world zigs, zag...

Monday night and a works outing to the bright lights of London and the ICA in The Mall for an audience with veteran ad man John, sorry Sir John, Hegarty and Peter York, the spiky, witty social commentator and broadcaster and a former colleague of Hegarty's.
And what an inspiring night. So often these events can become self-indulgent, self-congratulatory affairs which totally exclude anyone who's not worked in, or been in the inner-sanctum of the advertising world for the past four decades. Not so Monday night. The chemistry between the two was excellent, Peter York was funny and engaging, but of course as billed Sir John was the craggy hero.
Of course he had a book to sell, why does anyone do these things if they haven't? But it didn't matter. Sir J was his usual engaging self and talked with humour, wit and a touch of irreverance about his decades at the peak of an industry he is clearly still totally passionate about - that despite his claim that 95% of advertising today is crap!
He talked about being honest with people's work - is it good? Is it great? How can we make it great? He talked about how he tries to see new talent - tells them to send in five bits of work they think are great and if he agrees he sees them. He talked about always first looking for the good things in an idea, what you like, what works, seeing the positives rather than jumping in with both feet to kill the idea dead or focussing, as so many clients do, on what the ad 'doesn't' do.
For anyone starting out in the industry I'd say he was inspiring, for someone who's been around the block a few times I wish a few of those laps had been working with him.
Oh, and yes of course I bought the book
http://amzn.to/odLm14. I bought it as a gift for my 17 year old who's about to apply to study advertising at uni - if it inspires him to become as successful as Hegarty then maybe I'll have a comfortable old age after all.

Friday 16 September 2011

Limitless

Has anyone seen this film? If not I recommend it. Starring Bradley Cooper it follows the story of a writer struggling to finish his book. He is offered a drug by his sisters' ex-husband which allows him to access 100% of his brain. His mental enhancements are illuminating and it leaves you wondering if a drug like that really existed where it could take you.

This is a wonderfully creative film and very thought provoking.

It's the weekend chaps, go rent it...

Tuesday 13 September 2011

The Most Powerful Brand.......?


Last night I had the opportunity to attend an interview with John Hegarty the creative guru behind some of the most iconic ads of the last 30 years. He had some very inspirational thoughts, least being that great, not good design and craftsmanship is still so vital even in the face of new technology.

When questioned about powerful brands, he had an extremely interesting answer, one that many would raise an eyebrow over however - when you stop and think...... actually he is right. It wasn't Coca Cola, Nike, Apple but...

A brand that has potentially the most iconic logo - the cross
A brand that has and has had the most incredible architects - for instance Sir Christopher Wren
A brand that has and has had the most iconic designers/artists - for instance Michelangelo
A brand that went global - instantly
A brand that has and has had some amazing composers - for instance Bach
A brand that has published its main work countless times - i'm not sure of the exact answer but i'm sure it is billions

This powerful brand is - the Catholic Church

Friday 2 September 2011

How an environment can change your behavior (or The Thames versus the M25)


A week last Sunday Rosemary and I were lucky enough to spend a day with friends on a boat chugging from Sunbury right up to Teddington and back, stopping at Hampton for a tasty picnic.

As the day wore on I realized that I was becoming increasingly more relaxed and laid back (and that wasn't the wine having its evil way), and within a couple hours I was happy and content with everybody and everything in my life.

And I suddenly realized why. Because on a river, everyone is happy. Everyone's smiling, waving, acknowledging each other, everyone's courteous and polite.

Not only the river traffic, but the families on the banks, revelers in riverside pubs, toe path cyclists, old ladies with what seemingly what looked like smiling dogs, children pointing as we happily passed them.

In one of the locks we came across four giggling old ladies in a small motorized boat, who were getting into a bit of a pickle. One of the lock keepers came down to help and in no time he was giggling with them. Yet no one was getting irritated because it was taking twice as long.

An idyllic panorama of contentment and enjoyment.

I then compared this vista to the M25. An environment so aggressive, so intimating, where no one smiles, no one is ever courteous, no one is relaxed, where everyone is tense and anxious.

Imagine 4 old ladies holding up traffic on the M25?

I want a boat on the Thames!!!!!! It inspired me!