Let's Keep Things Simple

4 Fuks Saké

This blog has moved and changed names.

Please head to 4 Fuks Saké for more of the same.

Goodnight and God bless.

In at number 6...

Industry and media recognition at last from Asia-Pacific's Media. There you'll see Let's Keep Things Simple, in at number 6 in the industry's Top 10 blogs feature.

Wonderful stuff - recognition not just for me, but also my 20 regular readers.

Thanks to Tim for the image, (http://www.gotoofareast.com).

Globalisation Or Anglo Saxonisation?

An Anglo-Saxon man recently...

Just back from four days in Vietnam - my first time there. I played my part in a full day of an ideas fest on behalf of my Unilever client in Vietnam. The most provocative thing I heard all day - and I don't think it was intended to be provocative - was from Lowe's Global Creative Chief for Unilever, Fernando RV Olmos.

He introduced himself to the young crowd with the words, "I am not Anglo-Saxon." Fernando thinks and speak in Spanish, whilst creating advertising that moves people across the globe. Despite globalisation bringing us lower production costs, a freer flow of information and so on, Fernando argued that the ubiquity of the English language is proving to be a barrier or filter to the flow of insights and ideas, rather than a support.

An idea can come from anywhere right? But big ideas are only ever any use when they get executed? So how many big ideas are emerging from Vietnamese / Spanish / Kenyan / Sri Lankan brains, but not making it into the world stage - stymied by an Anglo-saxon decision maker? 

I would add that as brands become increasingly 'global' as new markets open - the guys that sign off the comms campaigns at a global level remain Anglo-Saxon either in physically or in mindset. Maybe the guy who gave him the job recognised Anglo-saxon qualties in the 'outsider' and gave him the keys.

There are a couple of things for us to keep an eye on.

1. If we are in this age of co-creation - people forming their own opinions of brands and now having the power to influence others with those opinions - what will happen to the axis of globalisation culturally? What happens to ideas when American guys stop signing them off?

2. How quickly will our traditional cultural creative hubs of London, New York, Tokyo shift as the Anglo-Saxon cultural leadership diminishes?

3. Are we going to see shifts in the creative processes in our trade, borne out by Hispanic, Chinese or Japanese creatives ? Where is our modern day David Ogilvy / Rosser Reeves? Wouldn't it be great if we addressed him -san or Signor?