Last month, I sat in the foyer of a London hotel, with Guinness. I was with one friend I’ve known for 20 years. And…
Copywriting is a puzzle to me. It’s so broad. When someone says they’re a copywriter it’s like someone saying they work in IT. I’m…
If strategy is a business fathoming the best way to get target customers to do what they want them to do, most businesses don’t…
Good short-form writing is like a perfect, nine dart finish. Each sentence is one sharp, meaningful, stand-alone point. A point that relies entirely upon,…
Me: Do you like writing? Them: Not really. I have ideas and opinions but no, not really. I compare myself to others like me,…
Talking with a founder about their business can feel like talking with a mother or father about their child. So to avoid emotion getting…
Today, I’m in London with a brand I’ve been Brand and Marketing Director for, for 10 years. Two days a month. For the last…
I don’t know what it is called. The ability to know what to copy and what to do the exact opposite of in business.…
I was reading something on LinkedIn recently (about Kinloch Anderson). A nice chap I know (Simon Cotton) had commented, ‘Lovely idea’. And you know…
There are four main ways to be dull. 1. They don’t care. 2. They already know. 3. It’s said unsurprisingly. 4. It’s too rational.…
Twice this year I’ve received messages (something like): “I unsubscribe from most things except yours (and Seth’s)!” I wonder if Seth gets this message:…
Read your own stuff. The stuff you write about your own business. It’ll be one of these two things. Persuasion. Or Position. Persuasion. This…
Cafe 1. Lisa, Izobel (aged 8) and I wandered into a new cafe in Hexham. I love Hexham and I love independent retailers. So,…
Outrageousness raises eyebrows and smiles. And for that reason alone, businesses should be much more outrageous, much more often. I’ve long said that I…
When I ran a wee group of agencies (Creative, Brand, Web, Digital) I led 30-odd people. 6 of them were world class. I mention…
An interesting test of your brand is how you think it might be perceived by others on someone’s cv. Someone that worked for you.…
Most slogans aren’t slogans. They’re puns that don’t mean anything. Or category descriptors (what you do). Or table stakes (what you and all people…