Contagious

'I had a conversation with a guy who writes industrial theatre, a form of communicating safety messaging in the South African mining community through theatre, dance or song. I said, "It’s just amazing that you do all of this stuff for a safety message." He said to me, very seriously, "When it’s a matter of life and death you can’t afford to bore the audience."'

Adam Morgan on the cost of being dull:

Adam Morgan on the cost of dull advertising Challenger brand expert Adam Morgan explains how boring marketing is bad for the bottom line and how to turn up the anti-dull dial

Campaign of the Week / Renault creates leases for job seekers that only require payment when they pass their probation period, and buybacks for those that don't.

Campaign of the Week: Renault, Cars to Work Renault re-works its lease agreements so new-job starters can access a car but only pay for it if and when they pass their probation period

Low-maintenance dogs already exist -- they're called cats, says Whiskas in a campaign to boost adoptions and the overall market for pet care products.

Our Campaign of the Week, via Colenso BBDO

Campaign of the Week: Whiskas, Meowzer Whiskas reframes cats as 'low effort dogs' to boost adoptions (and sales)

'This industry is full of briefs that aren’t honest about the problem, strategies that aren’t based on a truth, and creative work founded on the lie that anybody gives a s**t about outdated advertising conceits.'

Dan Hill’s Strategy Diet Wieden+Kennedy's global chief strategy officer shares his tips and techniques for better strategy

Some might think Manscaped's latest campaign is promoting insecurity for profit; others, that it's just desserts for the s*x that has so far got off lightly in terms of grooming expectations.

Either way, you can't fault the ex*****on.

Campaign of the Week: Manscaped, The Boys Grooming brand imagines testicles as men's diminutive doppelgangers to encourage men to buy its groin-shaving equipment

'Two or three nights a week we’d get in our Alfa Suds or Renault 5s and slog through traffic to Buckhurst Hill, or flog up the M1 to Sheffield where, in a knick-knack laden front room we’d engage eight Real People in a ‘group discussion’ about beer or shampoo or cook-in sauce.'

What was planning like 50 years ago? Paul Feldwick recalls the early days of the advertising practice.

Paul Feldwick on 50 Years of ad planning As JWT's landmark Planning Guide turns 50 years old, author Paul Feldwick recalls what it was like at the birth of planning, and how it compares to strategy today

'The bias against creativity is often associated with irrational thinking, and you can’t really do anything about that. With this study, I’m saying it's an artefact of how people evaluate information — it’s predictable something you can address.'

How to fight the bias against creativity Wayne Johnson, a postdoctoral scholar specialising in the evaluaion of novel ideas, on why people reject creativity, and how you can overcome that bias

What’s the best free resource for a strategist?

'An informal conversation with a good client away from the pressure of a presentation or the theatre of a meeting.'

Dan Hill’s Strategy Diet Wieden+Kennedy's global chief strategy officer shares his tips and techniques for better strategy

Dan Salkey, the co-founder and strategy partner at Small World, knows that there have been many false dawns for the decentralised creative agency model. But this time, he argues, it’s different... and not just because he’s co-founded one.

Why now is the time for hub-and-spoke creative agencies Dan Salkey, the co-founder and strategy partner at Small World, on why now really is the time for agencies built around independent talent

'I had a chat with Google a year ago and they said that despite two- to three-minute long-form ads being one of its best performing, only 10% of advertisers were actually using it.'

Insight & Strategy: The Generation Gap How an industry body lampooned every generation from the boomers to Gen Z to boost lamb sales among the young