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The MarketingMog puts the cat amongst the pigeons.
Wunderman Thompson? Am Really Wundering Why…
WPP's recent decision to merge the J.Walter Thompson brand into Wunderman, to create Wunderman Thompson, has prompted much consternation in the ad community – especially amongst alumni like me. Discarding such amazing brand heritage [...]
M&S. The writing’s on the wall
It’s rare that I write a follow-up piece to a blog, but this one seems to be writing itself. The willful deafness of M&S is a business-failure case study in the making. Back in [...]
Diversity + Inclusivity = Profit
Ah, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Unbelievably, it’s autumn already. Always a funny time of year – the leaves may be going brown and the nights drawing in, but it’s also [...]
Time for a more level playing field
Last week, I went along to an agency-hosted panel discussion, which posed the provocative question, ‘Is the business of sport business as usual?’. The event had a great line-up and was really well [...]
Can M&S turn things around? Only if they start listening
Poor old Marks & Sparks. Rarely out of the news, although these days it’s more often gloom and doom in the business pages than a glowing piece in the fashion supplements. Their latest set [...]
Think the ‘Pink Princess’ culture is just harmless fun?
What do you see when you look at the picture above? (Let’s ignore the lipstick and blusher for a moment). Sweet little girls in dress-up outfits? Or the dangers represented by early gender stereotyping? [...]
Kevin Roberts – Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Game
So Publicis Groupe have suspended Saatchi’s chairman for claiming that the talented women who work in his agency reach a certain point in their careers when they actively turn down a promotion, as they “don't [...]
Live life online? How ‘unconcerned’ are you?
I recently posted a blog about how poor digital marketing practice risks damaging our industry. With new legislation coming down the pipe, and both Apple and Microsoft recently facing down the US Government over data [...]
Sex only sells sex. Let’s hope the tide is turning in Cannes
Many years ago, I was driving through Rome, admiring the scenery, when I was suddenly confronted by the enormous billboard image of a naked, reclining woman. Perched proudly on her tanned bottom was… Let’s [...]
Disruptive. But not always in a good way.
The ‘on demand economy’ and the 'disruptive' brands that are creating and supporting it is the current buzz in the marketing world. In the last week, I’ve attended two presentations where the likes of Uber, [...]
Licensed to spam?
Last week, I wrote a piece about how poor digital marketing practice is damaging our industry. At the heart of this is not just how brands are failing to build meaningful relationships with their [...]
“If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative”
Call me King Canute if you like, but I think the digital tide may be turning. There’s definitely a groundswell of considered opinion that marketing’s pre-occupation with their shiny new toy might have been a [...]