Everyone loves a story

"Everyone hates ads, everyone loves a story."

This quote is from someone we interviewed for Hamish's book.

This opinion is also popular outside marketing and in advertsing.

Perhaps agencies need to be hiring journalists and storytellers, copywriters should go on creative writing courses and planners should find the story, rather than (or as well as) the insight?

I'm back!

After a fabulous holiday, I am back!

I like to try something new each time I go away, to stop myself being accused of being boring. This year it was exploring caves. Given my claustrophobia and hatred of all small spaces (particularly lifts), this was no small thing.

However, once walking the 1.7km underground, I needn't have worried. These caves were more like caverns the size of the Albert Hall. We walked along, guided only by torches and an excitable Frenchman (stupidly, we thought our 'we can get buy relatively well' French would cope with cave lingo - it was interesting) until we were ordered to turn our torches off. Apprehensively I did so, grabbing onto some poor man's arm. The electric spot lights then flickered and, suddenly, I was staring at the most wonderful prehistoric doodles. The excitable Frenchman explained that the horses and bison were believed to have religious or sexual symbolism.

I maintain that some poor caveman/woman, 1.7km into the Earth, had looked out at the miserable Pyrenean weather that morning and decided to stay in. When bored of staring at the fire, s/he decided to decorate his/her cave with pretty pictures. Or maybe it was advertising the menu for dinner? Or maybe I'm being flippant?!

Advertising quotes

I have spent far too much time this afternoon looking for positive quotes about advertising. You wouldn't think it would be that difficult.. and it isn't, if you want something negative!

The only remotely interesting ones I have found are:

"Advertising is the foot on the accelerator, the hands on the throttle, the spur on the flank that keeps our economy surging forward."

And my personal favourite:

"Advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on."

I wish someone important would say something nice about advertising. Go on, surprise me.

Ken Livingstone

Ken Livingstone (...actually someone in his office) wants a copy of the report I am writing about 'London as a Global Advertising Centre'. Gulp.