Making sense about the impact of science
In 1998, a doctor called Andrew Wakefield published a fraudulent research paper in The Lancet incorrectly linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. The paper attracted global media attention, led scores of parents to deny the vaccine to their children, reduced ‘herd immunity’ to these diseases, and led to an increase in […]
Is Magnum the new Flake?
Spoiler alert: this blog gives everything away about the new Magnum ad, so if you want to see it ‘au naturel’ and experience it as its writers and directors intended, you might want to watch it first. Here’s a link, with thanks to @Campaignmag. There are so many things to like about the new Magnum […]
Whatever happened to advertising?
When the last episode of the seventh and final season of Mad Men aired in May 2015, it was like the last bunch of grapes being lovingly twisted from the vine. A sign that something good had come to an end, and that a period of retrenchment – and a whole lot of fertilizer – […]
Marc Pritchard: metaphorically speaking
Marc Pritchard is the chief brand officer of the world’s biggest advertiser, P&G. He – and his company – need little introduction. I singled him out in a blog last Friday for the genuine impact he is having in the digital advertising market. If only the PR measurement industry had such a potent force to shake […]
Measurement, shmeasurement
Twice during yesterday’s excellent PRmoment.com #PRanalytics conference, the verboten three-letter acronym AVE was used. On both occasions, there was a sharper intake of breath than when one speaker, during a panel session, spelled out the C-word. In full. AVE. Advertising Value Equivalency. There, I only went and said it. The bane of the PR measurement industry. […]
5 brilliant reasons why #ThisGirlCan
On Saturday, my gorgeous, gutsy, sassy wife took her Lewes Ladies veterans football team to Southampton to play in the first round of the FA People’s Cup. They played six, won four, drew one, lost one. Runners up on the day, and through to the next round in March. I couldn’t be more proud. Lewes […]
That overlooked dialect of business: “human”
This article originally appeared as a guest blog for PRmoment, here. — It’s a strange truism of corporate communications that, as soon as they’re required to write “for” or “as” the business, perfectly eloquent individuals adopt a register that’s never come out of any human mouth. It’s as if the spotlight paralyses people to start […]
Stronger stories seed success
This blog originally appeared as a guest blog on the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce website, here. — It may have escaped your notice, but last week was National Storytelling Week. Run for the past 17 years by the Society for Storytelling, the week is an annual focus for the Society to promote the […]
8 ways to tell better brand stories
Last week was the Society for Storytelling’s annual ‘National Storytelling Week’. Up and down the country, dozens of events celebrated the power and impact of the oral storytelling tradition. In schools, hospitals, workplaces, libraries, and care homes. At Insight Agents – our corporate and brand storytelling business – we support the Society in its mission and […]
Talk human
This is the sixth and final blog in our special series to mark National Storytelling Week 2017, focused on the words companies and brands use to tell their stories. It’s a strange truism of corporate communications that as soon as they’re required to write “for” or “as” the business, perfectly eloquent individuals adopt a register that’s […]