Think. Story. Experience.

Free shop

Ok, so I have to be careful not to become too Manhattan-obsessed. But this is a beautiful little idea from New York...a shop full of stuff that's free. As long as you honestly believe you 'need' it.

Moving on and moving in

So, big news. I'm officially moving on from my role at Jack Morton in Australia. My last day here is on Friday (3 April).

I'm not going far though (at least not professionally). On Monday 13 April, I'll be starting in my new role as Director of Strategy and Planning for Jack Morton in New York.

The other exciting bit of news is who's replacing me...Katie Chatfield (author of the Get Shouty blog) came on board this morning as our new Creative Strategist here in Australia. All change then, and all good.

Inspired by retail

The Guardian reports on a couple of UK-based retail brands that are thriving despite the global recession. One piece reports that Agent Provocateur has seen sales rise by 8 per cent, while another looks more closely at Superdry, a recent youth fashion phenomenon.

The lessons? Simply that brands can make money in these times...they just have to tell the right story, strike the right note, and construct a relevant value proposition. Nothing new really.

Does this remind you of someone?

Reading an interview in the Telegraph with rugby legend Shaun Edwards (who enjoyed incredible playing success in rugby league with Wigan and Great Britain, before becoming one of the world's leading rugby union coaches with Wasps and Wales), I felt that the traits that define him could easily beapplied to some of the most successful people I have encountered and worked with.

See if this reminds you of someone...

Famous for wearing tatty, old-fashioned training gear in the gym rather than the more trendy lycra – "You're there to work not to ponce about" – he's happy to send himself up. "I had a pop on the stock market once, to disastrous effect," he said of his predilection for a wager. "And then I thought, what did I know about the stock market? I know nothing." Another smile.

And maybe that's his gift, an ability to engender warmth from those he is with without in any way diminishing the respect in which he is held. As we neared the end of our chat, I tried to get him to explain why he has been so successful throughout his career as a player and a coach with Wigan, Wasps, Great Britain and now Wales. "I was lucky to play with some ultra-competitive people who hated losing and who were also very talented," he said. "And I've been lucky to coach a similar group of players."

But you're the thread running through all of that. You're the common denominator. "Maybe those kinds of people just get drawn to each other." Do you really think so? Is that what it is all about? A final chuckle. "I don't know. I was just trying to think of something clever to say."

You can't hide the truth, so don't even try

I was at the Sydney Opera House on the weekend to see the Matthew Herbert Big Band. At the heart of the performance was Matthew Herbert himself, embellishing the sounds of his big band with electronic samples and beats driven by his Apple notebook. 

I knew it was an Apple despite the fact that he had been forced to stick black gaffer tape over the logo...presumably at the insistence of the Opera House due to some technology partnership with a rival brand.

But it just comes across as childish and pointless...if anything, drawing attention to the hidden icon. Marketers and sponsorship managers really need to grow up and understand that brand is much more than skin (and awareness) deep.

Entering the charts at number 52

The think story experience blog has made its debut on the blogging charts.

Julian Cole has created a list of the top 129 Australian marketing blogs, and I'm in at number 52.

mUmBRELLA

There's new Aussie marketing blog action to be had over at the cutely-titled mUmBRELLA. Former B&T editor Tim Burrowes is the man behind the site (which is still in beta-test mode). Have a look and send him some juice...

The pen

It's been a while. I took a break from the blog (and everything else) to head back to the UK for my first cold Christmas for four years. It's amazing how much that simple contextual/ambient detail changes how Christmas feels.

Today is my first day back, and it seems appropriate that my first post should revisit familiar territory...badly-presented pens.

My wife and I bought my father a very smart (and not very cheap) Mont Blanc pen for Christmas. We bought it from a specialist store in the UK, and didn't mind paying full price despite the fact that every mainstream store in Britain seemed to be holding pre-xmas sales.

We spotted the same expensive pen in a department store in Sydney on the weekend. More specifically we spotted the piece of blu-tack that was attaching it to the small stand.

I wonder how many blu-tack-adhered pens were sold there this Christmas. And, more fundamentally, how stores honestly believe they can get away with such sloppiness at a time when every shopper will be holding on super-tightly to their money.

Over Christmas, the UK press was rife with stories of high-street stores going bust. No wonder, when the standards of retail experience delivery remain so low in so many places. That's got to be a big opportunity for smart retailers and brands that don't want to get sucked into price wars in this year of value-seeking.

The websites of the future?

Really interesting piece on the Guardian website, listing their top 100 sites for the coming year.

Tons of stuff to explore...certainly plenty of juice that's new to me.

Heroes don't stop to celebrate

I caught twenty minutes of The Towering Inferno last night on one of the movie channels, and I watched the scene where Steve McQueen's fire chief rescues a group of people from a scenic elevator. 

There's a great moment at the end of that scene when McQueen's character is helped down from the top of the scenic elevator (which has been winched safely to earth by helicopter). He briefly shakes the hand of a fireman who has helped him before jumping into the back of a car and racing to the next crisis.

Despite all the nonsense of the plot, there's something very true about that particular moment...about the hero always being in motion, always moving on to the next task, never pausing to celebrate their success. Because the job is rarely (if ever) done. Success is almost always fleeting and partial. There's always something else to do. That's life. We can either embrace it (heroically) or not. There's no shame in the latter. It's just that you can't be a hero and expect to have the time to bask in it.