COPY SAFARI THOUGHTS.

Last week, Vikki Ross asked me to do one of her Copy Safaris. A stroll around London judging advertising in the wild, then posting on Twitter. One of the good things is that you don’t pick and choose, you comment on everything; the good, the bad and the fugly. One of the benefits of having to give an instant take, often on the move, is you can’t overthink it, you react more like the rest of the people on theRead more

PODCAST: TIM DELANEY ON HOW TO DO PREMIUM.

‘We want a Patek Philippe!’. I’m told intermediaries hear that phrase on a regular basis. The problem is, most ad agencies can’t do it. Most are unable translate the signals and nuances of the world’s of premium and fashion. It’s why the majority of advertising in those categories is produced in-house. But that’s not perfect either, they may capture the right vibes but they rarely create anything with substance. They rarely position a brand or create long-term adverting campaigns. MuchRead more

GREEN BOOKS: New Yorker Ads 4.

The Advertising Standards Council wouldn’t let that title pass. I guess it was my intent when I cello-taped it to the cover. There are a few old New Yorker ads in there, but the majority are English, from the early seventies. It’s odd collection, looking at it now is a bit like wandering through a car boot sale. There’s the finds that have famous attached, so may be worth something:   1. Illustrator/Artist Glen Baxter’s Gilbey’s Gin ads. 2. Photographer ArtRead more

BOSS No.6: Tim Delaney.

Why advertising? I wanted to be a hotel bell hop boy when I left school at 15. But when I looked in the newspaper want ads – Junior Opportunities – they only had 2 ad agency messenger jobs. I went up to London and one of them offered me a job. What was your first job in advertising? A messenger- in a tiny basement room with 4 others. Quite Dickensian,when I look back. Did you try and get into Collett’s,Read more

ENGLISH HERITAGE: Wiggly lines.

I used to love those long copy Leagas Delaney ads. True, I never read the copy, but the theory at the time was that if  you write a thousand words on, say, how a boot was made, you’d appear like a very well made boot. Showing a thousand words of copy was like a bit like a quality mark. But I liked them because they looked nice. Well, sophisticated, to be more precise. In a sea of price flashes, exclamationRead more