Issue 53: A Bulletin for Big Ideas and Better Business

OPINION/ THE WORK

All roads lead to the work. The work, the work, the work

💬 Sir John Hegarty

Nigel Bogle, one of my brilliant co-founders at BBH had a simple way of articulating what we did at the agency: “It’s a factory,” he used to say, “where we produce ideas.” Following the image of manufacturing helped the business enormously, as it reminded everyone of why we were there. The object of the exercise was this: make a great product. While the purpose of a business might be straightforward, it’s often harder to keep focus on where it should be. And as you get bigger, it’s easy to get distracted – should we diversity into this? Or expand into that? We could boost the bottom line if we just…

“Will it make the work better?” is the question we’d return to when such plans were being tabled. If the initiative under discussion wouldn’t result in a better calibre of creative output, then we’d firmly brush it to one side. It’s this relentless attention that helped set us apart. And the faith that keeping true to the work itself was the only route to sustainable growth. When we reached a certain size, it became important to hold regular leadership meetings. During these reviews we would look at how the business was performing, but that didn’t mean examining growth or sales. Firstly, it meant taking another pass at the campaigns we’d launched. How was the work?

A creative organisation should be an assemblage of minds that sends forth brilliance

There is great commercial danger in overlooking your real purpose. In prioritising what could be done, versus what should be done, companies regularly come unstuck. And creative organisations are especially vulnerable to becoming financial instruments. Really they ought to be an assemblage of minds that sends brilliance forth into the world – to the benefit of clients and the wider public. If there’s one thing that helped us retain clients, and deliver consistent value to them, it was that. All roads lead to the work, we said. The work, the work: the work.

THE AGENDA

✏️ Pencil it in: your agenda for the coming week

1.
The Angoulême International Comics Festival is a French gathering of graphic novel enthusiasts. This nation has a penchant for the medium – one in every four books sold here is a graphic novel.
29th January

2.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam pulls together a vibrant showcase of independent and experimental features. Its programme celebrates talent from countries including Montenegro, Malaysia and Congo.
30th January

3.
National Storytelling Week sees readings and performances organised across the UK. Last year, some 16,000 people attended events organised everywhere from schools and museums to prisons and retirement homes.
1st February

4.
The annual Copenhagen Light Festival is set to transform the cold winter darkness of the Nordic city’s streets into a unique celebration of illuminated art and design.
3rd February

5.
Berlin Fashion Week kicks off on Monday. The event has carved a reputation for itself as a hub for eco-conscious clothing and cutting-edge technology — helping it offer a fresh perspective compared to traditional fashion capitals like Paris and Milan.
3rd February

WASHINGTON DC / ARCHITECTURE

Beautiful? Classical-styled government office building in Washington DC, Nov 2024
Contributor: Justin A Reyes / Alamy Stock Photo

Donald Trump issues new architectural directive

Given he made his fortune reshaping New York’s skyline, it might not come as a surprise that Donald Trump’s plans to make America great again include various architectural initiatives. As part of a flurry of executive orders put forward on his first day in office, the US president has issued the Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture directive which mandates that federal buildings adopt classical styles and discourages modernist or other contemporary designs. The order was swiftly denounced by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), who claimed it would “stifle innovation”. Like many of his policies, the directive glorifies the idea of going back to “the way things were” rather than championing a future-facing outlook that embraces change — much to the detriment of America’s creative output.

ON CREATIVITY /

Contributor: Clo’e Floirat

LONDON / EMPLOYMENT

Way in: new side entrance at the National Portrait Gallery, London
Contributor: npg.org.uk

Nepotism row at the National Portrait Gallery

London’s National Portrait Gallery has seen its fair share of controversies over recent years. The first high-profile case came in 2019 when photographer Nan Goldin threatened to turn down a major retrospective unless the gallery refuse a £1 million grant from the Sackler family. The most recent donor-related quandary is connected to photographer Zoë Law, former wife of hedge fund manager Andrew Law whose financial contributions helped fund the gallery’s recent £41.2m refurbishment. The gallery has been receiving flack for its decision to host her new exhibition, Legends, an array of black-and-white portraits of famous figures including Noel Gallagher and Orlando Bloom. While few would claim that the art world is an example of a pristine meritocracy, the case raises questions about who gets awarded air – or in this case, hang – time.

LOS ANGELES / MUSIC

Beyoncé leads the nominations
Contributor: beyonce.com

Girls rule at Grammies

Sunday sees music’s biggest hitters come together for the 67th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Beyoncé is leading the nominations with 11 nods, bringing her to a whopping total of 99 nominations throughout her career. It’s set to be a female-dominated night, with five out of the seven performances coming from women musicians including Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter. Also noteworthy is the prevalence of solo acts; none of the nominations for song or album of the year are for musical groups. Recent years have seen bands struggle to find success compared with solo megastars, a trend often attributed to the fact that many new artists are discovered over social media — a medium that tends to favour single performers.

The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.

/Virginia Woolf