Artisans, not managers
Promoting people away from the roles in which they excel is perhaps our industry's greatest error.
It's all performance
Whoever coined the term 'performance marketing' has undermined the credibility of broad, brand-building media. But is that fair?
The hidden power of the weakest links
It's the weakest, not strongest, social ties that are most irreplaceable. So, at the start of this decade, let's run towards the periphery.
Does your brand have a... thing?
There's no technical definition of what that 'thing' is, but it's a stern taskmaster and it has to work in all formats, from idents to packaging.
The politics of optimism
'Things can only get better', 'Yes we can', 'Better together'... all had a message of hope.
There's not enough 'me' in autonomy
It's surprising how much of our daily intellectual effort has already been outsourced.
In praise of the office
There are benefits of working with others.
Isn't it ironic?
Greater understanding of reason hasn't made us more reasonable.
A view from Charles Vallance: Gun for hire
Brands must use celebrities with caution.
Is it right enough to be wrong?
This is the question you should ask yourself at the start of the creative journey.
Is it wrong enough to be right?
In many ways, as the world becomes more logical it becomes madder.
One goal forward, two goals back
Fulham's defeat at the hands of Burnley offers some lessons for us in advertising.
It could get ugly...
Gillette. HSBC. Brexit. We are living in ugly times.
How much of a Scrooge are you?
As an industry, we have got ourselves well and truly stuck in Scrooge mode. But de-Scrooging is good.
In praise of TV
Campaign is in a nostalgic mood as it celebrates its 50th, so I thought I'd join in the reminiscing.
Is It big enough to be small enough?
Don't let the fragmented media tail wag the big idea dog, Charles Vallance argues.
Who's the daddy?
It's tempting to claim involvement in an award-winning piece of work. But when collaboration is the order of the day, it becomes difficult to pinpoint exactly who is responsible for a campaign's success.
Beware the trap inherent in trophy culture
We should not mistake recognition for mastery. I'm afraid I know a few people whose careers peaked at a gold Lion as a result.
Why we should relish putting ads into research
Great ideas aren't killed by going into research. Trust the British public, says the VCCP founder and chairman.
Saying it with words: why ads are getting more chatty
Authenticity and the rise of voice are creating a revival of words in ads, says the founder and chairman of VCCP.