Wise words from a wise man

The Ad Contrarian writes a whole lot of truth when he proclaims these are the 10 commandments for advertising people:

I wonder how many of us can say we honestly do more than 5 of them regularly? You could do a lot worse than try to up your score this year.

1. Tell your clients the truth.


2. Speak in plain English.


3. Put your clients' interests ahead of your own.


4. Be guided by principles, not fads.


5. Be modest in your promises.


6. Make every client meeting as small and short as possible.


7. Never bring up an issue unless you have a recommended solution.


8. Never congratulate yourself or your agency.


9. Be more prepared than your client.


10. Always have a Plan B.

Words of wisdom about the web

Really interesting post frrom Seht Godin about the motto of the web - Notice Me.

I'd go further and say it seems to be the motto and ambition of everyone in the UK under 25 judging by the reality TV shows. But anyway he goes on to say that far more powerful are the following alternatives:

Far better than being noticed:

• Trusted
• Engaged with
• Purchased from
• Discussed
• Echoed
• Teaching us
• Leading

He is good that Seth bloke.

The Complete History of Marketing in 3 mins!

All in a 3 min beautifully executed video - brilliant for pitches


A short history of marketing from Michael Reissinger on Vimeo.

Expect to see this at several conferences this year.

Great Presentation

I love Seth as he talks total sense. More interestingly he has also developed the 'Brand of Seth Godin' and a way of presenting that is just right for him, a sort of 'geek chic' - but its a good presentation if you have 10 min to spare.




The talk itself is about influencing mass markets via a nucleus of empowered and connected consumers.